40 Amazing and Interesting Facts about Salt | Amazing Facts 4U
- Salt (Sodium Chloride) is formed when the unstable metal sodium reacts with chlorine gas. It is the only family of rocks regularly eaten by humans.
- Do you know there are over 1400 different uses for salt? Salt has a fascinating history making it the world’s most amazing mineral.
- Every cell in the body contains salt. An adult contains about 250 grams.
- The recommended daily intake of salt is just about 2.3 gm per day (About 1 teaspoonful) . There are many food items which add to salt intake without our knowledge which include restaurant foods,processed foods, ketchup,bread , cheese etc.
- Consumption of too much salt can be deadly. Lethal dose is about 1 gram of salt per kilogram and this was used as a method of ritual suicide in China especially amongst the nobility as salt was an expensive item.
- It is a myth that there is no salt in products that claim to be sodium-free or salt free. A product is labeled free of it if it has less than 5 mg of sodium.
- Sea salt contains about 80 mineral elements that the body needs. Some of these elements are needed in trace amounts. Unrefined sea salt is a better choice of salt than other types of salt on the market. Ordinary table salt that is bought in the super markets has been stripped of its companion elements and contains additive elements such as aluminum silicate to keep it powdery and porous which is a very toxic element for our nervous system.
- Fruits and vegetables are nearly salt-free. This means that a vegetarian diet needs salt to be added to aid saliva and gastric secretions.
- It is a commonly held myth that Roman soldiers were paid in salt and that this is where the word ‘salary’ comes from. In fact they were paid in coins, but one of their jobs was to guard the first great Roman road Via Salaria (salt road), leading from Rome to the Adriatic Sea, where salt was gathered. So this is probably where the term ‘salary’ comes from..
- In old Japanese theatres, salt was sprinkled on to the stage before each performance to prevent evil spirits from casting a spell on the actors.
- Right up to the 20th century, pound bars of salt (called amoleh) were the basic currency in Abyssinia (now called Ethiopia).
- India’s independence movement began by Gandhi’s “salt satyagraha” (“march to the sea”). This was a non-violent protest against the British salt tax in 1930.
- Sodium, a part of salt is key in the operation of all signals within, as well as to and from, the brain.
- Salt is used to remove traces of water from aviation fuel after it is purified.
- Only 6% of the salt used in the U.S. is used in food; another 17% is used for de-icing streets and highways in the winter months. Rest is used in the chemical industry.
- Bolivia boasts the world’s largest salt desert, the Salar de Uyuni, which covers 4,085 square miles at an altitude of 12,500ft. It becomes mirror-like when a thin layer of water lies on top. This reflectivity makes it a very useful tool in calibrating scientific equipment from outer space. This amazing salt flat also contains half of the world’s supply of lithium. Since 1995 it has also featured the Salt Palace and Spa, the world’s only salt hotel.
- In the Middle Ages, salt was so expensive it was sometimes referred to as “white gold”. In the early 1800s, salt was 4 times as expensive as beef.
- Anthony Lucas (1855-1921) was a Croatian engineer who became convinced that oil deposits might be linked to the presence of salt. The result was the emergence in 1901 of the Lucas Gusher, on Spindletop Hill in Texas, a 197 ft stream of oil that shot out of the ground for nine days. This kick-started the black gold rush and marked the beginning of the modern petroleum industry.
- There is an enormous salt mine under the city of Detroit, about 1,200 feet below ground. According to Detroit Salt Co., the century-old mine spreads out more than 1,500 acres and has more than 100 miles of underground roads.
- Sea turtles in fact “cry” to get rid of salt. Special glands next to the turtle’s eyes produce a salty discharge. Seabirds don’t cry but their heads contain tiny desalination plants so they never need to drink fresh water.
Salt Uses at home
- For stings and bites, put water on it and then pour salt on top. This should help with the pain.
- For sore throat just gargle some warm salt water and you’ll notice the relief. Just don’t swallow it!
- For whiter teeth, you can use a blender to break the salt up. Mix it with 2 parts baking soda to 1 part salt. Put a little water on the mixture and start brushing!
- For sore feet put some salt in warm water and begin soaking. You shall get faster relief.
- For a good facial massage, get a mixture of equal amounts of olive oil and salt into your skin and then rinse off after just a few minutes.
- When cotton and linens begin to yellow, use a mix of salt and baking soda and boil for about an hour.
- Wine stains, sweat stains, and bloodstains can be removed with saltwater.
- You can restore brass shining with equal parts flour, salt, and vinegar rubbing the paste on the brass and leave for about an hour.
- For rust stain, wet the spots with lemon juice and salt mixture. Spread the object in the sun and let bleaching take place. Then rinse thoroughly and dry.
- If you add just a tiny bit of salt to your milk, it will stay fresh longer than it should.
- Coffee pot bitterness builds up over a period of time. Use about 4 tablespoons of salt and run it through your coffee maker as normal. Then run regular water through the coffee maker.
- Salt can be used for testing egg. Add two spoonfuls of salt to a cup of water and then drop an egg in. If it’s fresh it won’t float. Rotten eggs will. Add some salt to your boiling water and you’ll notice it’ll be a lot simpler to peel the eggs.
- Adding a few pinches of salt to boiling water won’t speed up the boiling process but it will boil at a higher temperature so your food will cook quicker.
- If you want to make your cheese last longer, then wrap a saltwater damp paper towel or cloth around your cheese before storing it.
- If overcooked coffee is bitter, throw a pinch of salt into your cup of burnt coffee, it will take away some of that unpleasant bitterness.
- You can clean the drain by throwing some salt brine down the drain at least once a month to help clear the grease and smell out.
- To clean the fridge just scrub your fridge with salt and soda water mix. It will clean it up fast!
- Add a tiny bit of salt to the vase of water you keep your flowers in, they’ll last longer.
- If you want to avoid dripping candles, soak your new candles in saltwater for at least 4 or 5 hours. Now there will be no dripping.
- If you want to keep your car or house windows from frosting up in cold weather, just rub some saltwater over the windows and dry them well.
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