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Sea Salt or Table Salt - What is the Difference?

The chemical makeup of sea salt and table salt is basically the same, as they both contain two minerals, sodium and chloride.  Even though sea salt is marketed as the healthier alternative, they have basically the same nutritional value as well.  The real difference between the two is in taste, texture and processing.

Table salt is mined from salt deposits underground, once it is mined it is heavly processed to remove any trace minerals.  Table salt usually contains an additive to prevent clumping, and is also commonly found with iodine, which is an essential nutrient.

Sea salt is produced through evaporating seawater, and requires little or no further processing, which helps to retain trace minerals and elements that can vary depending on the water source.  These minerals add a bit more nutritional value along with color and flavor to the sea salt.  Sea salt is also available in varying levels of coarseness depending on your preference.  iodine also occurs naturally in sea salt, but only in minute amounts.

The human body only needs a small amount to stay health - only a couple of hundred milligrams, but most of us get way more than we need.  Most of the sodium we over consume comes from processed foods.  Pay attention to the labels of all processed foods, you may be surprised to learn the sodium content.

No matter which salt you prefer, you should still keep your sodium consumption to 1500- 2300 milligrmas per day for a healthy adult.  However, if you have high blood pressure, you are of African American decent, and anyone that is middle-aged or older should be sure to aim for the low end of the recommended range.  Regardless of what kind of salt you use, remember it only takes a couple hundred milligrams to be healthy, so less is more.