Have we been extending our shelf life with a natural preservative?
What I would like to suggest is that we afforded ourselves some additional years over the general aging statistics of the early 1800’s, but that we have done so by functionally embalming ourselves.
A human brining if you will.
I see dry people with all manner of water jugs; desiccated, lacking in vitality and interest of vibrant activities. Dry, itching and covered in hand sanitizer and ChapStick, I see people all day every day on the streets of L.A., some of them getting in and out of my car that are functionally falling apart; yet appearing to be lacking in nutrients and hydration? No, they are not.
No surprise here. Salt has been humanity’s go-to preservative throughout the ages. Even with numerous advancements in chemical and food science over the years, plain NaCl table salt is still the most commonly used preservative in the world. –source
From my research into electrolyte balance and different levels of electrolyte storage throughout our different soft tissues and even within our skins interstitial spaces I’m beginning to think that we have gone well beyond what our body would consider optimal regarding total body volume.
That being said our body can do amazingly well even in conditions of excess saturation when accomplished slowly over time. That is our body’s fabulous ability to maintain homeostasis. We call that pleasantly plump or edema or lymphedema or unusually thick or stout ankles.
When I consider the sheer luxury and variety of goods we have available to us today at a whim compared to any other time in history its really no wonder that we are living longer even on a standard American diet and antibiotics. But I’m suspecting it has more to do with a steady and dedicated increase in table salt that has been skewing our longevity metrics but resulting in an unfavorable outcome marked by massive dehydration.
Consider the appearance of pretty much anyone over the age of 70 here in the United States.
What I would like to suggest is that we afforded ourselves some additional years over the general aging statistics of the early 1800’s, but that we have done it by functionally embalming ourselves.
A human brining if you will.
Author – Michael J. Loomis | Publisher & Editor at Chew Digest