Sea Salt: A Clarification

So what is all the hype behind sea salt? It contains the same amount of sodium per teaspoon (6 grams by weight) as refined table salt. Both salts contain approximately 2,325 mg. of sodium per teaspoon. This is 97% of the upper limit of daily recommendations, or RDA, which is 2,400 mg.

Sea salt is not mined from underground salt mines and is not chemically heated (up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit), but rather is evaporated from seawater with heat from the sun, followed by natural crystallization. The resulting salt is not refined, leaving all of its trace minerals intact. Nothing artificial is added and so it is clear of all of the chemicals that comprise refined table salt. Some of the trace minerals that remain in sea salt that are void in table salt are: Calcium, magnesium and potassium. Sea salt contains very small amounts of iodine, but this can be supplemented through food sources if this is a concern. Foods high in iodine are: Sea vegetables, cranberries, organic yogurt, organic navy beans, organic strawberries, Himalayan crystal salt, dairy products such as milk and cheese, and potatoes. Sea salt advocates profess sea salt’s superiority to table salt claiming it doesn’t promote fluid retention, excess phlegm, inflammation, and other related health issues. Sea salt does not have any anti-caking agents added to it and so its texture is coarser and clumping is possible. Critics claim that despite the fact that it isn’t refined and stripped, sea salt contains its own inherent toxins from polluted ocean water from which it is harvested, and therefore isn’t any healthier than table salt. Personally, I am an advocate of “chemical-free” foods, but I’ll leave that conclusion up to you.