It has been used as currency, prescribed as a medication and also has religious connotations. I am, of course, referring to salt. Living in a society with a seemingly endless supply of options and varieties, it is sometimes difficult to imagine the importance of something so humble and ubiquitous as salt. The paradox of the situation is that our bodies need salt but cannot produce it on their own, in turn we consume the salt we need but sometimes far too much, often to the point where it becomes detrimental to our health. It's not difficult to consume, and exceed, your body's daily recommended salt intake, sometimes twice or thrice the amount which is actually required.
Salt is in the makeup of almost all foods, with incredibly high percentages in processed foods.
On many packaged foods you'll find salt listed within the first few ingredients. The hard, cold fact is that salt, fat and sugar are what makes junk food so desirable to our palates. There have been numerous books written on the subject of reducing or omitting salt in your diet. This is particularly ironic, I feel, due to the fact that in centuries prior there have actually been wars fought over obtaining the substance. At one time salt was so valued that Roman solders received a salt allowance as a portion of their pay.