Is Sea Salt Healthier Than Table Salt? I take at look at the facts and dispel the myth surrounding this hot topic.
Myth: Sea salt is healthier for you than table salt.
Fact: Regular table salt and gourmet Himalayan sea salt contain essentially the same amount of sodium per teaspoon — 2,300 milligrams. As for minerals, neither contains enough of any mineral to make it an obvious nutritional powerhouse over the other.
For example, 1 teaspoon of table salt has a mere 1 milligram of calcium compared to 12 milligrams in sea salt. Since 12 milligrams is just one percent of your daily needs, it’s not a very healthy way to get calcium into your diet.
Removing the Halo
Sea salt is often labeled as “organic,” “natural,” “pure,” “clean” and “healthy” while table salt is labeled as “highly refined” and “heavily processed”. The most notable differences between sea salt and table salt are in taste, texture and processing. Most people believe that sea salt tastes better and, in some cases, you may be able to use less of it (and therefore reduce your sodium intake), but it is not the king of salt it’s often promoted as with less sodium and heaps of minerals.
One major difference between the two is sea salt lacks iodine — and not getting enough of this trace element can lead to goiter, intellectual impairments, growth retardation, and much more. In fact, iodine deficiency can be a serious health threat, especially for pregnant women when the RDA for iodine increases from 150 – 220 micrograms/day during pregnancy. So don’t make sea salt the only salt in your diet if you’re pregnant.
Another big difference between regular table salt and sea salt is the cost. When I went to the store, I found regular iodized salt for 4.3 cents per ounce. Course sea salt was 12.4 cents per ounce. Now if you want to get really fancy, gourmet Himalayan sea salt was $1.19 per ounce! Wowza! Unless you have a huge budget for salt, the cost alone is not worth it to me.
Salt Production and Processing
Both table and sea salts are each “processed” to some extent. There are a few different production and processing methods, including solar evaporation, rock salt mining, and vacuum evaporation. I want to give a shout out to my home town, which is close to the Great Salt Lake and Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah – making it a great site for the Morton Salt solar salt production facility located here. So some of the salt you’re consuming might be coming from my hometown. Cool, huh?!
Sea salt is produced through evaporation of ocean water or water from saltwater lakes, usually with little processing. Depending on the water source, this leaves behind certain trace minerals and elements. These minerals add flavor and color to sea salt, and range from fine sea salt to course sea salt.
Table salt is typically mined from underground salt deposits and is processed further which reduces mineral content. Iodine is usually added as well as an anti-clumping agent and is found as fine salt crystals you see in salt shakers across America.
Is Sea Salt really healthier than table salt? Share on XConclusion
Regardless of the fact that sea salt is often touted as being healthier for you, when comparing apples to apples, sea salt and table salt have the same basic nutritional value. Sea salt and table salt have similar amounts of sodium by weight. The extra minerals found in sea salt are so minuscule that it is not a good way to add those specific nutrients to your diet. To get enough to make a difference in your diet, you would have to be consuming a lot of sodium as well.
When it comes down to it, no matter what type of salt you choose, do so in moderation. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 milligrams per day — or 1,500 milligrams if you are 51 and older, are African American, or have hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
If you prefer the taste and texture difference of sea salt and have money in the budget to pay more for it, go ahead and use it. Just don’t let the sole purpose of using it be for nutritional value. Rather, get your mineral intake from other food sources.
Sources:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iodine-HealthProfessional/
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sodium/sea-salt-vs-table-salt
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/dietary_guidelines_for_americans/PolicyDoc.pdf
http://www.saltinstitute.org/salt-101/production-industry/
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