Salt
       We humans need salt to live, period. It is an essential mineral for life.

            There was a time when salt was worth its weight in gold.

            Even the animals use salt licks in order to live. Our maps are full of names that end in lick. Even in our past, humans near where I live have manually augured as much as 85 feet down to get to salt water layers that were eventually recovered, boiled, and the salt sold for profit, and life.  Hunters today often put out salt based "baits" that also provide for health.

            Now days, we often have too much salt in our diets, and that has bad consequences most have been taught. Hence few think about salt in any kind of positive light. Salt is easy to get these days.

            Even decades ago during hot season USMC training, we had to take salt pills twice a day because of the amount of sweating we did during training. Our collars were white from dried salt resulting from the training. Later most sports drinks included sodium in their formulas for similar reasons. Even today many sports still cause cramps from too little liquid* and too little sodium (and often potassium, too). And if times get hard in the future, consider making sure your diet includes enough sodium, too. Ideas like living off the land can be a tough experience. Common sense and moderation are smart ideas.

            So if times get hard, remember we still need sodium, usually in the form of salt, in our diets, especially if our lifestyle requires a lot of physical effort and sweating. I even sought two doctors opinions a while back, and they said pretty much the same thing as this article.

            So how do I know what is the "right amount"? I can't answer that in a hard time situation.  I would say moderation, trial and error, exercise levels, and my own eyeballs. But I really don't know for sure. What I do know for sure is that we need some sodium, usually in the form of salt.

* Staying hydrated is a preventive way to keep from getting cramps. Once you get cramps during exercise, stop and ingest liquids, though recovery does take time. Sports type drinks with sodium and potassium are usually a good idea in both cases.