Iodized Salt vs Sea Salt
What's the deal with sea salt and regular salt? Is sea salt really any healthier for you?
Well, yes, it is, actually. And it tastes better, too.
Our bodies need salt to thrive, but the message that too much salt is unhealthy has been hammered home so strongly that many of us think of salt as something to be avoided, or at the very least, as a guilty pleasure. Good news, folks...salt is good for you. But there are two caveats here: It is good for you when it is natural sea salt, not table salt, and it must be part of a balanced diet with lots of potassium rich fruits and vegetables.
Salt of the Sea-- Salt actually does come from the sea. It is harvested from shore lines and ancient sea beds and even underground mines, all places where water has evaporated leaving behind sodium chloride, that yummy gritty substance that enhances flavors in our foods so very wonderfully.
We are salt-- That's right. The human body is composed primarily of two elements, water and salt.
Watch the quantity--It's only when we consume excessive salt that problems with high blood pressure, kidney disease and fluid retention are created. You only need a little less than one third of a teaspoon of salt a day.
Salt is present in processed foods, so if you are eating lots of processed foods, your daily salt intake can easily creep up on you. (Of course, we don't recommend eating processed foods anyway.)
Iodine-- In the past, iodine deficiency was a wide-spread problem, so manufacturers began to add iodine to table salt in the 1920's. Now iodine deficiency is not very common in the United States because people get enough iodine in their diets. However, many brands of regular table salt are still fortified with iodine.
Himalayan sea salt is naturally flush with iodine--1/2 gram of salt gives you 150% of the amount needed by the average person each day. Regular sea salt does contain some iodine, but not as much as Himalayan sea salt and less than fortified table salt.
Flavor enhancer-- Salt actually intensifies other flavors, even sweet, which is why it is usually added into cakes, cookies and other sweet treats. In savory cooking, the right quantity of salt, enhances all the flavors in a dish, creating that tasty satisfied sensation in one's mouth.
It all boils down to-- So go ahead and enjoy your salt, sea salt that is. And make sure you are filling your plate with lots of healthy fruits and veggies. Sea salt is healthy for you in moderation and only when it's combined with a healthy diet.
Well, yes, it is, actually. And it tastes better, too.
Our bodies need salt to thrive, but the message that too much salt is unhealthy has been hammered home so strongly that many of us think of salt as something to be avoided, or at the very least, as a guilty pleasure. Good news, folks...salt is good for you. But there are two caveats here: It is good for you when it is natural sea salt, not table salt, and it must be part of a balanced diet with lots of potassium rich fruits and vegetables.
Salt of the Sea-- Salt actually does come from the sea. It is harvested from shore lines and ancient sea beds and even underground mines, all places where water has evaporated leaving behind sodium chloride, that yummy gritty substance that enhances flavors in our foods so very wonderfully.
We are salt-- That's right. The human body is composed primarily of two elements, water and salt.
Processed Table Salt-- Yes, we're talking about that familiar old product in the cardboard canister most of us grew up with. This is the stuff that's not so good for you. Here's why. Table salt has been fired at 1500 degrees to make it stable for shipping to climates all over the world. It is usually mined, followed by iodizing, bleaching and diluting with anti-caking agents. All this chemical cleaning and processing causes the trace minerals and electrolytes that naturally occur in unrefined salt to be lost. Then iodine is often added in. This refining makes table salt inorganic and impossible for our bodies to digest. It's too much of this stuff that can cause problems with hypertension and heart disease.
Sea Salt is Unprocessed-- On the other hand, organic sea salt is harvested and then left unprocessed. Chemically, it is the same substance as the sodium that is found naturally in our bodies. And we need that sodium. It is essential to our daily lives... and it's good for us.
Important minerals-- Sea salt has many essential minerals that are easily absorbed and used by our bodies. A few of the minerals contained in natural sea salt include sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, bromide, chloride, iron, copper and zinc among others. Sea salt helps to provide us with important cell building elements. In fact, the body actually needs the minerals in salt in order to regulate many of its important functions like heartbeat, nerve impulses and circulatory volume. On the other hand, regular table salt does not contain all these natural minerals. It also has chemical additives that are not health promoting.
Balancing Sodium and Potassium-- Even though salt can be a healthy part of our diets, we don't want to get too much sodium, especially of the wrong kind. People who eat a lot of cheese, bread, processed foods and processed meats but few fruits and vegetables, are increasing their sodium levels and not offsetting this with the essential potassium that occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables.
When too much sodium builds up and is not offset with enough potassium, the kidneys can have trouble keeping up with the excess sodium in the bloodstream. In an attempt to dilute the increasing sodium, the body holds onto water in areas surrounding the cells and in the bloodstream.
Increased blood volume creates more work for the heart and more pressure on the blood vessels. Eventually the extra work and pressure can stiffen the blood vessels leading to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke or heart failure. Not good.
Further, there is another problem created by eating too much table salt. It causes your body to steal calcium from your bones which can lead to osteoporosis, or porous bones. Also not good.
While high salt intake can lead to high blood pressure, getting lots of potassium can help relax blood vessels, release sodium and decrease blood pressure. So avoid processed foods and eat your fruits and veggies, folks. Then you can go ahead and enjoy your salt. The average adult needs to eat about ten pounds of fruits and vegetables a week. And that's good!
Salt is present in processed foods, so if you are eating lots of processed foods, your daily salt intake can easily creep up on you. (Of course, we don't recommend eating processed foods anyway.)
Iodine-- In the past, iodine deficiency was a wide-spread problem, so manufacturers began to add iodine to table salt in the 1920's. Now iodine deficiency is not very common in the United States because people get enough iodine in their diets. However, many brands of regular table salt are still fortified with iodine.
Himalayan sea salt is naturally flush with iodine--1/2 gram of salt gives you 150% of the amount needed by the average person each day. Regular sea salt does contain some iodine, but not as much as Himalayan sea salt and less than fortified table salt.
Flavor enhancer-- Salt actually intensifies other flavors, even sweet, which is why it is usually added into cakes, cookies and other sweet treats. In savory cooking, the right quantity of salt, enhances all the flavors in a dish, creating that tasty satisfied sensation in one's mouth.
It all boils down to-- So go ahead and enjoy your salt, sea salt that is. And make sure you are filling your plate with lots of healthy fruits and veggies. Sea salt is healthy for you in moderation and only when it's combined with a healthy diet.
Comments
Post a Comment