Sea Salt vs. Kitchen Salt, Which Is Better?

Medical Video: Sea Salt vs. Table Salt Medical Course

Nowadays health-related food products are increasingly easy to find and are sold everywhere. Not only food or drinks, salt is now a 'healthier' version. You may have heard of sea salt, but do you know what distinguishes betweensea salt aka sea salt with salt that you usually use?

Differences in sea salt and ordinary salt

The main difference between sea salt and ordinary salt is the taste, texture and manufacturing process. Sea salt or sea salt produced through the process of evaporation of sea water or from saltwater lakes. Minerals and components contained in sea salt depend on what type of water is used. This mineral gives color and taste to sea salt while determining the texture and level of roughness of salt.

While kitchen salt is usually the result of mining and has a longer processing to increase its shelf life. Kitchen salt also usually contains additives to prevent salt from clumping. But salt that is sold on the market has been added to iodine, an essential nutrient that helps maintain healthy thyroid function.

Although sea salt is said to be healthier compared to salt, but actually both sea salt and kitchen salt have more or less the same nutritional value. For example, in the same amount and weight, sea salt and salt has sodium levels that are not much different.

Which is better, sea salt or kitchen salt?

Although many say sea salt is better because it is more natural, but in fact both sea salt and ordinary salt salt have their own advantages and disadvantages. Sea salt for example, the manufacturing process that does not need to go through many stages such as salt to make sea salt may contain more natural minerals. But because of the short process too, if it is produced from a dirty sea it will cause salt to be contaminated with compounds or dangerous components such as lead.

While for salt, making it requires a long process so that most of the minerals contained in it are usually gone. Substances such as additives are also added to prevent salt from clumping. But not only is anti-clot added to salt, most iodine salts are sold on the market. Important nutrients that play a role in preventing diseases associated with thyroid, the most common example is goiter. The addition of iodine in salt is one of the steps to prevent iodine deficiency that is successful in treating hypothyroidism or iodine deficiency. Iodine deficiency can also result in mental disability and other health problems.

Is sea salt healthier?

Both salt and sea salt are both sources of sodium chloride (this is the scientific name for salt), there is no difference in composition that is too striking between the two types of salt. Even though it's said sea salt contains more minerals because it is more natural, including iron, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, chloride, zinc, to selenium. But the amount of minerals inside sea salt a little. You can get more minerals in the food you eat everyday than salt.

Because it's good sea salt and kitchen salt both sources of sodium chloride, so the excess consumption of both can cause adverse effects on the body, one of the effects of excess sodium intake is hypertension. When sodium levels in the blood increase, as a reaction our body will hold water out of the cells of the body. This whole process results in an increase in blood pressure.

Even so, based on several surveys, most people tend to choose sea salt or various types of salt that are claimed to be healthier, such as for example himalayan sea salt, kosher salt, rock salt, and others, although the price can be many times more than ordinary salt. This is because according to them, these types of salt are more nutritious and beneficial for health because they are more natural.

This mindset can cause someone to tend to consume more salt than usual. Even though our daily salt consumption can exceed the normal limit because of the many food products that contain hidden salt. Adding salt to food will increase your risk of suffering from diseases associated with excessive salt consumption.

In the end, salt does not function as a nutrient even though it may contain a lot of minerals. The main function of salt is food flavoring. If you want to get health benefits from minerals, it's a good idea to look for other sources of minerals such as vegetables and fruit instead of relying solely on salt.