Salt

A discrepancy that I had at the start of my project was whether or not I should be eating salt. I wanted to have only one "exception" to my 100 mile radius rule, and I chose organic, fair-trade tea for several reasons. First, I wanted to have a source of caffeine for long nights of studying and working early in the morning. I am pleased with my decision because I'm very sensitive to caffeine, and coffee is more than I need. In addition, tea has more flavor variety than coffee, and I can also enjoy it at night in decaffeinated flavors. Likewise, by purchasing fair-trade organic tea, I'm still supporting environmentally sustainable practices that are beneficial to actual farmers.

The question still lingered, however, with respect to salt. I was adamant that I shouldn't be consuming any other product that cannot be found within 100 miles of Allegheny College, which ruled out sea salt from the start. My friends and family were extremely helpful and encouraging, and researched various salt mines from within my radius. The problem, however, was that most salt mines were empty from historical ages of use, or they were used to make processed salts like road salt. Further, there were treated with chemicals or blended with salts from other sources. Needless to say, these salts did not meet my criteria.

An important component of this project for me is health and nutrition. I want to prove that this diet is optimally healthy and accessible for the public at large. If I found that I was physically suffering from my lack of salt intake, then I intended to modify my standards so that I could include some salt in my diet. In the first few weeks of my project, I felt this was going to have to be necessary. I was often feeling light-headed, dizzy, and weak, and I attributed it to a lack of sodium. I am glad that I stayed strong though, because I found other ways to cope with these symptoms. It is important for me to have food throughout the day, not just at mealtimes, because I've found that I feel light-headed and weak after long periods with no nourishment. Likewise, it is important that I stay hydrated. Sodium is essential for hydration - it helps hold water in the body. Since I am consuming far less sodium than I did in the past, it is important that I drink lots of water everyday to feel good and healthy.

One of the most challenging parts of my project was adjusting to removing salt from my diet. I think in the beginning I had a lot of problems because my body simply needed time to adjust, and now I feel as good as ever, as long as I stay hydrated and nourished. I'm proud of myself for staying strong and not giving into my at times overwhelming desire to reintroduce salt into my diet.