To prove that salt is completely unnecessary in the heat, I went to Death Valley in California, one of the hottest places on Earth in July and August. For starters, I hired 10 young college athletes to go from Farnes Creek Rancho in Death Valley to Stowepipe Wells, which is approximately 48 kilometers.
I supplied the athletes with salt pills and water that they might need. The van that accompanied them was packed with food for every taste – bread, buns, crackers, cheese, canned meat, sausages, etc.
If desired, salts could be added to any product. For myself, I did not take salt at all and went hungry throughout the entire transition.
The experiment began in late July. The thermometer showed plus 41 degrees Celsius. We started at the beginning of the ninth morning. The higher the sun rose, the more fierce the heat became, the mercury on the thermometer crept up and finally reached 54 degrees by noon. Dry heat that seemed to melt us.
The boys swallowed saline tablets, poured in a quart of cold water.
At breakfast they ate sandwiches with ham and cheese, drank coke. After lunch, we rested for half an hour and continued walking along the hot sands. Soon strange strong things began to happen with strong healthy guys.
At first, three of them vomited, they felt bad, turned pale, and a terrible weakness seized them. They were sent to Furnace Creek Ranch in poor condition.
But the seven others continued the experiment. They still drank a lot of water and took a lot of salt pills.
Then, suddenly, five of them felt stomach cramps, and they became ill. These five were also sent to the ranch. Two out of ten left.
It was already four o’clock in the afternoon, and the merciless sun mercilessly heated our backs. Almost simultaneously, two children fell from heatstroke and were brought to the ranch, where they were given medical assistance.
Only the one who did not take salt, completed this campaign. It was a great grandfather Bragg! I stayed alone and felt fresh like a daisy!
I not only did not take salt, but I also did without food at all, because I was hungry and drank only warm water when I wanted. I finished the transition in 10, 5 hours and did not feel any signs of poor health.
He spent the night in a tent, and the next morning he did the return route to the ranch, again without any food or salt pills.
The doctors examined me thoroughly and found that I was in excellent condition. I am ready to repeat this experiment in the Valley of Death for those scientists who want to investigate the effect of salt on the body.
Another argument for not using salt
Rommel’s German African Corps suffered a heavy defeat in Egypt at El Alamein, he retreated hundreds of miles across the lifeless desert. But when the hostilities were over, the British saw that the surrendered troops were in good condition, although the Nazi soldiers were not equipped with a supply of salt pills.
This story, like my own under the hot sun of the Valley of Death in California, confirms the data of many experiments conducted by scientists in the desert without additional salt supply.
Judging by scientific data, the following happens: after several days of acclimatization, the person stops losing salt during perspiration. It is likely that adaptation of physiological mechanisms that prevent sodium loss occurs.
The good condition of people in normal weather conditions with low salt nutrition also shows that the need for salt tablets in hot weather is greatly exaggerated.