Sunday, December 16, 2012

What is the difference between sea salt and regular salt

What is the difference between sea salt and regular salt. According to The Mayo Clinic and Australian Professor Bruce Neal, the health consequences of ingesting sea salt or regular table salt are the same, as the content of sea salt is still mainly sodium chloride. Buzzle.com says this: What Differentiates Table Salt from Sea Salt? Besides the difference in the manufacturing process, sea salt and table salt differ in the following ways: While only sodium and chloride ions are present in table salt, sea salt has other minerals like iron, sulfur and magnesium that are naturally present in it. Sea salt has a better taste and texture than table salt as it contains traces of other minerals. These minerals help maintain a healthy balance of electrolytes in the body. The refining process of table salt strips it of all of its minerals, other than sodium and chloride. This makes it an unnatural substance as compared to sea salt. Although, due to the higher mineral content, sea salt may be considered to be a healthier choice than table salt, it has its own drawbacks. One major disadvantage of this salt is that it is a poor source of iodine. The iodine that is added during the refining process of table salt makes it a better source of iodine than sea salt. Another health concern that sea salt raises, is the fact that it is obtained from sea water that contains a number of impurities. The sea water is neither boiled nor treated. Sea salt is obtained with minimum processing. Table salt is available in the form of fine, white crystals. Sea salt, on the other hand, may have a slight grayish color if it is from the coastal areas of France, or may have pinkish hue if it came from some other exotic locale. It may be coarse or fine-grained. A small amount of an additive (usually, silicon dioxide, the primary ingredient of sand) is present in table salt. It helps prevent caking, it also promotes a smooth flow of salt. This additive has GRAS (generally regarded as safe) status. Due to the presence of many minerals, sea salt is not as 'salty' as table salt. But, it is more flavored.

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