Feeding FAQ: 24+ months – General Nutrition

I have been reading about a salt called Himalayan salt. Although it’s much more expensive than normal salt (which they say has a different molecular structure), it apparently has great health benefits that warrant the extra cost. According to the people who sell it, it is virtually impossible to eat too much Himalayan salt as it is actually good for your body. Is this salt suitable for me and for my children?

The fact is that all forms of table salt will have the same chemical structure of sodium chloride. Any product that contains sodium has the potential to cause increased blood pressure, and there is no way the structure of sodium can be changed (unless a nuclear physicist has split the atom). Also, a young child’s kidneys are just not ready to deal with higher levels of salt in their diets. Thus, no salt of any type should be added to babies’ or children’s food, and I’d suggest adults try to avoid it as well. This means being wary of any product calling itself salt, from regular table salt and sea salts to ‘refined’ salts. Even onion or celery salts are just regular salt with flavouring. Be aware that spice mixes may also simply be salt flavoured with spices. There are a number of ‘salt substitute’ products marketed to people trying to cut down on their regular salt intake. Again they’re not advisable for children and I’d suggest adults discuss their use with their GP or, preferably, simply use less regular salt.

What can we do to add flavour to our family’s food? Well do remember that young children have many more taste buds than we do, and foods that are very bland to us can be extremely flavourful to them. You can experiment with herbs and spices, a squeeze of lemon or orange juice, or a little wine or other alcohol (add it during cooking and the alcohol will evaporate, leaving just the flavour). Go easy on the flavouring to start with, in case your children find it too strong – you can always add more to the adult servings later.
You can read more about salt and children’s health, in Fiona Hinton’s February 2007 article.