Stefan: >I recently ate app. 4 lb of slightly salty organic olives and... well, >I gained 5kg of body weight and lost it during the 10 days after I had >stopped eating those olives. My legs got very thick aswell as my ankles. >Just stored water. Just curious: did you eat 4 lbs at the same meal??? And have you tried yourself to compare refined and natural salt *in the same context*, e.g. organic olives with natural salt? In my case, salt doesn't seem to make any difference: I have roughly the same weight as when I was on cooked, salty food. After my week in Germany, I didn't gain (or lose) a pound. And I occasionally eat salty organic olives (about 300 grams each time). Speaking about olives: the fresh olives I bought 4 months ago became completely dry after 3 months. I tasted them recently, but they were too dry, and I didn't like them much, although they became more edible than fresh. I also tried soaking them 24 hours, without much success. I think they will soon finish in the trash. Best wishes, Jean-Louis [log in to unmask]