Salt is an item that we take very much for granted. It is on every restaurant table and in every kitchen cupboard. Yet it has always been valued. It flavors our food and preserves it. People have chosen where to live based on whether they are near to a source of salt.
In fact, the word “salary” comes from the Latin word for salt because it is how Roman soldiers were paid.
We think of salt as being unhealthy, but that is not true. In fact, humans need salt to live.
The American Heart Association says we need 500 mg of salt per day to be healthy.
TweetSalt helps to control our blood pressure and sends important signals from our nerves to our muscle fibers. While too little salt can lead to dehydration, too much salt can lead to us retaining too much fluid. It can lead to high blood pressure and hypertension.
It's important to watch how much salt you eat. It is also helpful to eat the right type of salt.
In the last few years, sea salt has become more easily available, and that’s a good thing, because it has many benefits over table salt. Though at its most basic level, all salt is sodium chloride, there are some important differences between the two.
Sea Salt:
As its name states, sea salt comes from an existing body of sea water. It is created by using the sun to evaporate liquid or by using a faster vacuum process.
It can be refined or unrefined.
- Refined sea salt is washed, taking away trace minerals and leaving it the same as table salt.
- Unrefined sea salt retains sediment and other trace minerals that give it more flavor and more health benefits.
Table Salt:
Table salt comes from deposits of salt that were from bodies of sea water that once existed, but do not exist anymore. After the salt is mined, it is dissolved in water to wash it, then evaporated using a vacuum so that crystals form.
All trace minerals and sediments are removed, and it is treated with substances that keep it from caking. Sometimes potassium iodide is added.
Benefits of Sea Salt:
There are a number of things that make unrefined sea salt a healthier choice as a source of sodium.
It has not been rinsed of other elements, and that means that it can contain calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc and iodine. Each of these are important to your health.
Another advantage that sea salt provides is the fact that it is made up of larger crystals. This registers as a saltier taste on the human tongue, leading to using less and cutting sodium intake.
Find Out the Deadly Truth Behind Iodized, Kosher and Commercial Seal Salt
Other Types of Salt:
In addition to table salt and sea salt, you can also buy Himalayan pink salt or Kosher salt.
- Himalayan pink salt comes from the Khewra Salt Mine. It gets its pink color from iron oxide, which is also known as rust. It contains less sodium than table salt.
- Kosher salt goes through the same refining process as table salt but has a coarse structure. It is also less likely to have the additives that stop caking.
- Epsom Salt is made from a substance called Domolite. It offers a variety of surprising health benefits, including relief from constipation due to its high magnesium content.
Yours in health,
Danette
P.S. Please share this with your friends and I hope you will leave me a comment below. What kind of salt is in your shaker?
