To Salt or Not to Salt

Poor quality fruits and vegetables often have imbalanced ratios of vitamins and minerals. I have always wondered why Food Combining Books recommended watermelon be eaten alone. The reason for this is also the reason it is better to put a little Celtic Sea Salt on commercially grown watermelon.

I am going to talk about the Chemistry in Watermelon. Home grown watermelons cultivated in rich soils, with love, have a higher content of natural Potassium but also have perfectly balanced sodium ratios. Potassium and Sodium are antagonists in the body. The ratios in our body should exist in harmony but when one is out of balance by being too high, it will rob the other of its position in the body. This is the case of the commercially grown watermelons where soil amenders and pesticides are used. These watermelons are often grown in poor soil and in poor conditions. They have a higher percentage of non-protein nitrogen (NPN).

The SAD (Standard American Diet) and mass produced fruits and vegetables contain a large amount of NPN. NPN has a very toxic reaction in the body. NPN, once in the body, undergoes hydrolysis (where a molecule is split into smaller particles) and releases excess ammonia into your digestive system. This ammonia is absorbed into your body and leads to hyperammonemia or ammonia poisoning. Often, the soil is amended with nitrogen and Potassium Nitrates. The addition of Potassium Nitrate, which is an NPN, in watermelon growing helps to prevent the fruit from cracking and disease from destroying the crops.

I am wondering if we just found a cause of the digestive disorder phenomena. Potassium Nitrate causes various problems: digestive issues and water not being absorbed into the cells of the body. Fluids need the presence of natural sodium to create a small electric interaction which causes the cells to open and absorb the fluid. Commercially available watermelons, with the presence of Potassium Nitrate, explain why watermelon should be eaten alone and not mixed with other foods. Any foods eaten with commercially grown, NPN infused, watermelons will not be digested properly. The addition of salt added to commercially grown watermelon is not only a tasty treat for some people, but it has health benefits. The addition of the sodium will reduce the effects of the Potassium Nitrate which lowers the toxic risk of NPN in the body.

I tell everyone to be a salt snob.  I do not suggest anyone add iodized salt or any bleached processed salt to their food. These are the salts that have taken on a chemical form and are harmful to the body. Natural salts, such as Celtic Sea Salt and Himalayan Salt, are loaded with mineral nutrition that the body needs. As with everything, use all natural salts in moderation. The best way to help children with mineralization: add small amounts of natural sea salt to their diet.

The best choice is to grow your own watermelons in naturally nutrient rich soils and grow your crops with love. You will not need to salt your watermelons to balance the sodium to potassium ratios, and you just may enjoy the natural Viagra like benefits of eating a watermelon rich diet!