What is this with "sea salt" nowadays? You buy peanuts or cashews with "sea salt"

[raccoon]

not to mention other stuff flavored with "sea salt."

"Sea Salt" implies that the salt was removed from sea water, but I doubt it, just like I doubt all the
bottled water supposedly from some extraordinarily healthful mountain stream in Switzerland or the land
of Oz really is from there.

Even if--and I said IF--the "sea salt" was refined from sea water, who says it's any healthier than
regular salt? Somehow, "sea salt" SOUNDS healthier.


Is sea salt better for your health than table salt?

No. Sea salt and table salt have the same basic nutritional value, despite the fact that sea salt is often marketed as a more natural and healthy alternative. The real differences between sea salt and table salt are in their taste, texture and processing, not their chemical makeup.

Sea salt is produced through evaporation of seawater, usually with little processing, which leaves behind certain trace minerals and elements depending on its water source... (well, OK, maybe I was wrong about that part of it.)

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sea-salt/AN01142

[southernyankeebelle]

1. Sea salt is corser salt. I use very little salt in my food. My family salts to their

own taste.

[Guy Montag]

2. Sea Salt is said to have trace minerals mined salt lacks.

That is a very old assumption of mine. I hope at least ne reason sea salt is a marketing plus.

[hack89]

6. The biggest difference is no added iodine.

completely different taste.

[jwirr]

22. So where do we get our iodine from if it is not in the salt? I remember a lot of thyroid problems

when I was little but do not see so much anymore.

[hack89]

31. A good diet gives you all the iodine you need.

plus there is still plenty of iodized salt in the fast food and processed food you eat.

Iodine deficiency is now a bigger problem in poorer developing nations where their diets are limited and lacking in vital minerals.

[jwirr]

34. Thank you. Just wondered as it is needed from somewhere.

[GoCubsGo]

36. Seafood, for starters.

And, any seaweed products, such as nori (the green wrapper on sushi). There is also some in fruits and vegtables, but the amount of iodine in them depends somewhat on where they are grown. In my area, there is a fairly high iodine in the soil. The next county over used to be known as the "Asparagus Capitol of the World" for many years. They grew the asparagus as a means of extracting iodine from the soil. I assume other produce grown here now also does the same. Root vegetables, legumes and strawberries are also supposed to contain fair amounts of iodine.

[badtoworse]

57. Eat lots of fish. It has iodine in it and it's a healthy source of protein

What fat it has is omega-3 (the good kind) and properly prepared, it tastes really good.

[jwirr]

58. That is a good source. Especially when everyone in my family likes to fish.

[AngryAmish]

30. Mined salt also used to be sea water

Except it was from a long time ago. Since those trace minerals don't disappear...

[TheWraith]

55. Not to mention a lot of table salt is produced by evaporating seawater. nt

The distinction between "sea salt" and "table salt" is almost entirely about how refined the final product is.

[dembotoz]

3. because people are stupid

too much salt is bad for you

so they switch to sea salt because it is supposed to be different.

like mitt romney and a pile of dog poop
both are shit
but some people find romney better

[hack89]

4. It just tastes different from regular table salt - no iodine. nt

[BumRushDaShow]

7. They do sell iodized sea salt too. n/t

[hack89]

14. I know - doesn't make a lot of sense to me as it completely changes the taste. nt

[BumRushDaShow]

28. It's for the supplement.

My mother, who grew up during the 1930s, said that seeing folks with goiter was sadly very common (thus the push for getting some iodine supplement out there).

[hack89]

33. I understand that

I am just commenting on why "sea salt" is such a fad - it tastes different (better in my opinion).

[BumRushDaShow]

40. No problem

I have a couple types that I use exclusively.

[NYC Liberal]

5. I'm guessing it's the taste. Nutrition-wise, I'm pretty sure it's the same.

[kysrsoze]

8. Nutritional benefit: you don't have to use as much of it

You get the same flavor with less, hence less sodium intake. I've noticed items with sea salt tend to have less sodium than normal. I have read there are differing favors as well (most likely subtle), depending on where sources. Makes sense, depending on the minerals in that body of water.

[Quantess]

9. There's a difference in taste.

[cali]

10. it's largely a food fad

[Sheepshank]

26. Bingo....ingredient du jour. n/t

[hack89]

11. Modern table salt is one of history's most successful public health stories.

Iodized salt is used to help reduce the incidence of iodine deficiency in humans. Iodine deficiency affects about two billion people and is the leading preventable cause of mental retardation.[32] The practice began in 1924.[33]Iodine deficiency commonly leads to thyroid gland problems, specifically endemic goiter, a disease characterized by a swelling of the thyroid gland, usually resulting in a bulbous protrusion on the neck. Iodized table salt has significantly reduced disorders of iodine deficiency in countries where it is used.[34] Iodine is important to prevent the insufficient production of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism), which can cause goiter, cretinism in children, and myxedema in adults.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt#Table_salt

[CK_John]

12. The new bottled water. Who would ever buy water???Almost everybody. nt

[RevStPatrick]

13. It's a marketing ploy, like everything else.

Why do you hate capitalism?

[Rex]

15. Trend.

nt

[Marrah_G]

16. Its a difference in taste, color, texture

I like Himalayan pink salt, but I try not to use to much salt as I get older and wiser

[GoCubsGo]

38. Exactly.

All the minerals change the flavor. The flavor depends on where the salt was harvested. Table salt lacks all those minerals. It's pretty much pure sodium chloride.

[hlthe2b]

17. "Some" claim that it requires less of it to achieve the same level of saltiness...

I restrict my salt intake and virtually never add salt, so I couldn't say if "they" are correct or not. But I have seen that claim made repeatedly. I suppose if it were true that less were used, then perhaps there would be some benefit, but then again we all need iodine and sea salt does not normally have it added.

[Kaleva]

18. I prefer sea salt because of the taste.

[Uncle Joe]

19. The name sounds exotic sort of like drinking a Corona with a wedge of lime,

suddenly you're on the beach.

Thanks for the thread, raccoon.

[librechik]

20. I think the key word in the Mayo Clinic citation is "processing"

new wave eaters who are interested in better health try to avoid all kinds of factory processed foods because of the energy used to process them. Not green! Sea Salt uses practically no machinery in processing, thus less energy is used, thus it's a greener product.

The best --and greenest--way to buy it is in chunks that you can grind yourself at the table, like pepper. And yes, the taste difference is noticeable.

[Arugula Latte]

21. Nice post, Jerry Seinfeld.

[Skink]

23. Tastes like Chlcken

[Sheepshank]

27. salted chicken

[pinboy3niner]

24. Just checked my Morton Sea Salt: "Product of Spain"

Seeing this thread, it occurred to me to check because I remember seeing huge hills of sea salt piled on a beach at a Southeast Asian coastal village. I wonder if there is any U.S. domestic production, or if it's all imported?

[BumRushDaShow]

35. See Salt lake City, UT. n/t

[HockeyMom]

37. You want Sea Salt from the Gulf?

I wouldn't. I haven't eaten Gulf Seafood since the oil spill. Imagine salt? No, thanks.

[appleannie1]

25. All salt originated in a sea but sea salt does not have anything added to it.

[pinboy3niner]

29. Except an anti-caking agent

Morton Sea Salt, at least, contains yellow prussiate of soda as an anti-caking agent.

[-..__...]

32. Here's even more shocking news...

there's even a market for gourmet/artisan salts with names like...

Alaea Volcanic Finishing Salt, Bali Kechil Pyramid Finishing Salt, Haleakala Ruby Finishing Salt,
Jurassic Salt - Gourmet Finishing Salt, etc


http://www.atthemeadow.com/shop/Gourmet-Sea-Salt/Browse-All-Salts?zenid=2bd3ajsm0gu324db99rsr3jqk2

The Mortons girl must be spinning in her grave.

[pinboy3niner]

41. 'Finishing Salt'? Hell, when I salted to taste, I thought I was done.

[Odin2005]

39. Woo-woo idiots claim that sea salt isn't bad for you like "regular salt" is.

Which is a load of shit, of course. "regular" salt is mined from halite deposits form evaporation in ancient shallow seas, ALL salt is sea salt.

[tabatha]

42. One person's opinion

Salt can be a controversial subject for those who are taking care of our health. It gets a bad rap most of the time. Doctors tell us to avoid it, and some of us listen. However, what those doctors usually don’t mention is that there is a big difference between regular old table salt and sea salt.

But before looking more closely at salt, it’s important to understand why salt is a necessary part of our diet.
• Salt provides sodium, which is necessary for life.
• It helps with muscle contraction and expansion, nerve stimulation, the proper functioning of the adrenals, and other biological processes, as well.
• Salt also provides chloride, which helps produce acids necessary to digest protein and enzymes for carbohydrate digestion, and is necessary for proper brain functioning and growth.
• Salt contains magnesium, which is important for producing enzymes, nerve transmission, bone formation, forming tooth enamel, and resistance to heart disease, and it also contains many other trace minerals. Babies and children are in special need of salt for their developing brains.

Excessive salt can certainly cause health problems, but it’s important to realize that we need salt in our diets. Some people need more than others and some need less, but we all need it.

Regular table salt and sea salt – what’s the difference?

For starters, table salt is highly refined.
• It goes through a process that removes the magnesium and trace minerals.
• In order to keep the salt dried out, various additives are included, such as aluminum compounds.
• The natural iodine is also destroyed during the refining process, so it is usually added back in the form of potassium iodide.
• Dextrose is added as a stabilizer, which affects the color, and so a bleaching agent is used to finish it off.

In contrast, a good quality sea salt is sun dried. It will still contain microscopic amounts of sea life, which provides natural iodine. It will be gray in color and even slightly moist. This means there is a large mineral content. I really like Celtic sea salt. Red sea salt from the shores of Hawaii is another great option.

http://simplehomemade.net/the-healthful-benefits-of-sea-salt/

[Hugabear]

43. It's got what plants crave

Now...with SEA SALT

[RebelOne]

44. I have regular salt, sea salt and low-sodium salt in my cupboard.

But I most use the low-sodium salt because I have high blood pressure.

[GoCubsGo]

47. I have all three, as well.

The table salt gets used for cooking. The sea salt gets used to salt already-cooked foods. The low-sodium salt gets used in homemade Gatorade. I am a heavy sweater, and if I have an especially sweaty workout, or if I'm working outside all day in the summer, "lite" salt is great for replenishing electrolytes. It has lots of potassium in it. A tiny pinch in a glass of water, green tea, or Crystal light does the trick.

[GoCubsGo]

45. I don't recall hearing anyone make claims that it's "healthier".

The use of sea salt on everything began when all the TV chefs started using it for "finishing" their dishes--which is what the stuff is meant for. I think that's the real source for this. They're not trying to appeal to health-conscious people. They're trying to appeal to the foodies.

[Digit]

46. It tastes better

It doesn't take as much to season to taste, so be careful if you are using it for the first time.

[Liberal_in_LA]

48. funny you bring this up. Yesterday in the store I noticed crackers with 'sea salt on top' rather

than regular salt. I imagine they taste exactly the same as regular crackers.

[madmom]

49. I was never a salt eater, couldn't stand the taste. When I was younger I was

told (by a doctor) that I had to eat more salt. I didn't sweat when over heated, I just fainted. I eat sea salt, the taste is tolerable.

[4th law of robotics]

50. For things like that I suspect it's a fad

although there are valid culinary differences in the various kinds of salt you can get.

Grain size is a big one.

And sea salts have some contaminants that give it a different flavor.

[ashling]

51. Can you still get sea salt without the peanuts

[GeorgeGist]

52. It's about greed.

[gkhouston]

53. It's the Corinthian leather of the condiment world. n/t

[hobbit709]

54. ALL salt is sea salt. Some of it the seas were a little older.

[frazzled]

56. Do you discount taste as an important factor?

Because to me, taste is everything ... and plays into all the ingredients I use and eat.

I use different salts for different purposes. And largely with salt the issue is texture and the amount of dissolving that is desired. There are also taste issues, like brininess or delicate tastes. I use Kosher salt for most cooking (seasoning for sauteeing, putting in stews, roasting, etc.) because of its large crystals. I use a fine-grain sea salt (not fancy) for baking. And I use a flaky salt like fleur de sel (actually, a Spanish flor de sal) for "finishing."

Health issues really don't enter into it for me: it's all about trying to get good results when cooking. And I loooooove salt.

[closeupready]

60. Hi, from another kosher salt fan.

[closeupready]

59. For some reason, I prefer the taste of kosher salt,

though I'm not Jewish. It just tastes clearner.

Regular iodized salt will enhance a food's savory flavor, and sea salt, as already mentioned, will have a unique flavor distinct from regular and kosher.