A few facts about salt!
What is the recommended daily allowance of salt?
According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations, the daily allowance of salt for a healthy adult is approximately 5,000 mg, which is about one teaspoon. Persons who do not watch what they eat may consume up to 10,000 mg of salt, which is up to 2 times the recommended daily allowance, and this may be harmful to one’s health.
Salt was used as a means of payment..
In the Middle Ages, salt was so expensive that it was sometimes called white gold. One kilogram of salt had almost the same value as the same amount of pure gold. Until the beginning of the 20th century, salt was used as currency in today’s Ethiopia.
How much salt is there in all of the world’s seas and oceans?
Did you know that if all of the oceans and seas in the world evaporated, there would be enough salt left behind to build an enormous wall a kilometre and a half wide and an unbelievable 282 kilometres high?
How much salt does the human body actually contain?
Each cell in the human body contains salt, and a healthy human body may contain roughly 250 grams of salt.
Salt as a preservative.
Salt has been used to keep food from spoiling since time immemorial. The same principle is employed today to preserve fish (salted sardines), meat (cured mutton), etc. The ancient Egyptians made use of salt’s efficacy in preservation when embalming their pharaohs.
Salt is used in various segments of life.
Did you know that only 6 percent of the salt used in the United States is consumed in food? As much as 17 % is spread over roads in the winter months.
Salt in aviation.
Salt is used as a means to remove excess water from jet fuel. During the rinsing of aircraft fuel tanks, salt is simply injected, and it absorbs any remaining traces of water and various other rinsing fluids.
Excess salt can kill you!
If you consume 1 gram of salt for each kilogram of your weight, you can cause bodily complications that may end tragically. In times past, this was a ritual homocide method employed for wealthy people in China, as salt was an exceptionally expensive commodity.
Salt as a safeguard against malign forces.
In ancient Japanese theatre, salt was poured over the stage prior to each performance to prevent evil spirits from hexing the actors and thus harming current and future performances.
