So when I talk about salt, I usually mean sodium chloride. Although sodium is often used interchangeably, it is not a salt that does not have a chloride attached to the sodium molecule. It has no form of sodium. Monosodium glutamate is an additive used as a food flavour and its safety is still controversial.
As humans, we don’t need a lot of sodium to survive. However, most of us eat foods that are very high in sodium (3 grams of sodium per day), and current guidelines recommend limiting sodium to at least 2.3 grams per day. Most of my sodium in the diet comes from processed foods and restaurant foods.
Read and discuss the different types of salt available in the market.
Table salt is active, treated with antibiotics such as calcium silicate (which reduces moisture and evaporation and adjusts salinity) and contains other additives such as iodine. It comes from soil and sea water.
Sea salt is obtained by extracting seawater from a Salt Lake or ocean Sea salt advertisements are healthier than table salt. But sea salt and table salt have the same amount of sodium. Sea salt contains useful minerals such as zinc, iron and potassium. The problem is the increasing pollution of the sea. Sea salt can contain high levels of lead, arsenic, mercury and other heavy metals.
Himalayan salt or pink salt is found in mines in Pakistan. The characteristic pink color of the salt is due to the presence of iron oxide. Himalayan salt contains minerals such as iron, manganese, zinc, calcium and potassium, and is generally lower in sodium than table or sea salt. Because of this reduced sodium level and the presence of trace elements, Himalayan salt is marketed as a healthier alternative to regular salt. Himalayan salt does not contain added iodine, which can cause hypothyroidism in iodine-deficient people. There are no health benefits from using Himalayan salt, just like there are no health benefits from using Himalayan salt lamps. Himalayan salt is also 20-30 times more expensive than regular salt and it would be wise to use that money to supplement other quality foods.
Kosher salt is common salt that does not contain anti-caking agents such as calcium silicate, so it tends to form crusts.
Celtic salt which comes from the Celtic Sea, is also a common sea salt. Today, most of the Celtic salt comes not from the coast of France, but from Guatemala and Hawaii.
Conclusion
Limit your salt intake, and although the right amount of salt is debatable, there is no scientific benefit to replacing table salt with pure sea salt, Himalayan salt or Celtic salt. In addition to consuming unrefined sea salt, exposure to marine pollutants such as lead, microplastics and iodine deficiency is a major concern.
Click for More Information About Himalayan & Sea Salt
