Building Blood | Vital Roots 013

On a more practical note, I am thinking about salt today and the body’s need for minerals. This is an exceptionally interesting topic to me, particularly in terms of pregnancy. When I look at pregnancy from a metaphysical perspective, the electrical nature of the human body is intrinsic to my musings. Considering some fundamentals of conductivity, pure water is a wonderful insulator but has poor conductivity. Inversely, sea water or salt water possesses high capacitance and is also wonderfully conductive. Of course it makes sense that consuming electrolytes mitigates dehydration as well as its symptoms, but why?

Your overall conductivity increases with a greater percentage of your water being saturated by electrolyte ions and as such, the body’s regulatory communication systems simply function better. So, today I am thinking about the inputs that are required to create a new human life… a new life that is also a highly electrical being. Salt is critical to a healthy pregnancy!

One of the resources that I consult frequently, especially for the omnivore woman, is The Brewer Diet. While the diet suggests some arguably extraneous and unnecessary foods in terms of nutrition, the overall concept vastly improves upon the common and generic idea of what a woman should eat for pregnancy & fertility (whatever she wants, of course). I disagree with Brewer’s stance on carbohydrates and his understanding of ketones during pregnancy but nevertheless his research on blood volume is a useful tool. My favorite contribution from Dr. Brewer is his focus on salt intake; Brewer studied the positive outcomes yielded from a high salt diet for pregnant and postpartum women.

A few highlights from his work mention that 20g of salt per day throughout pregnancy & postpartum consistently showed reduced blood pressure. This will benefit a woman in many ways and of course help to prevent pre-eclampsia when used in tandem with a proper protein and fat rich diet. More effectively than measuring 20g of salt is to salt your food to taste, as your body shifts its signals around salt during pregnancy as its main mission is building blood… requiring salt! By the way, blood volume increases by at least 50% during pregnancy. This is one of the more necessary and sensitive elements of pregnancy that all women need to be aware of.

Homemade electrolyte powder:

4 tbsp potassium chloride

4 tbsp sodium bicarbonate (quality baking soda)

2 tbsp sodium chloride (sea salt)

2 tbsp magnesium sulfate (epsom salt – food grade)

All powders except the magnesium should be fine enough to combine in a glass or stainless bowl. Mix thoroughly. Grind the magnesium flakes in a coffee grinder down to a powder. Be mindful not to inhale the dust! After the magnesium is powdered, add to the bowl and mix all ingredients together.

Use as 1.5tsp per quart of water. You may wish to add an extra pinch of salt if you like the taste of salt water. Max 2 quarts per day for women.

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