Is Sea Salt Better Than Regular Salt?

Question: Is Sea Salt Better Than Regular Salt?

Answer: Sea salt is sometimes touted as being better for you than regular table salt, but both types of salt probably have the same impact on your health. Too much sodium is linked to high blood pressure and a greater risk of cardiovascular disease in some people. Sea salt and regular table salt both contain sodium and chloride, in the same ratio, so chemically there is almost no difference.

What about other minerals in salt? Sea salt contains only tiny amounts of other minerals, which may add flavor to the salt, but there aren't enough present to add to your daily mineral intake. Table salt often has iodine added to help prevent iodine deficiencies.

Most of your sodium intake comes from processed foods, but if you want to eat less sodium, you can replace table salt or sea salt with herbal seasoning blends (read the labels - some contain salt) and cut down on heavily processed foods, fast foods and salty snacks. You can also buy salt made with potassium rather than sodium.

More About Salt and Sodium

• Why Is There So Much Sodium in Processed Foods?
• How Do I Avoid Sodium?
• Sodium Quiz
• What Happens If I Don't Get Enough Sodium?

_Sources:

_{American Heart Association. "High Blood Pressure, Factors That Contribute." Accessed January 5, 2010. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4650}

_{Harvard School of Public Health. "Tasting Success with Cutting Salt." Accessed January 5, 2010. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt/tasting-success-with-cutting-salt/index.html.}