Kris Gunnars BSc writes:
"Salt is arguably one of the world’s most important cooking ingredients. Without it, many meals would taste bland and unappealing. However, not all salt is created equal. There are many varieties to choose from. These include table salt, Himalayan pink salt, kosher salt, sea salt and Celtic salt, just to name a few. Not only do they differ in taste and texture, but also in mineral and sodium content. This article explores the most popular salt types and compares their nutritional properties.
What Is Salt?
Salt is made of two minerals, sodium and chloride, which are essential for human life. Too much salt can raise blood pressure, but there is very little evidence that eating less salt can improve health.
Refined Salt (Regular Table Salt)
Refined Salt (Regular Table Salt)
Refined table salt is mostly composed of sodium chloride, with anti-caking agents added to prevent clumping. Iodine is often added to table salt as well.
Sea Salt
Sea salt is made by evaporating seawater. Though very similar to regular salt, it may contain small amounts of minerals. It also contains trace amounts of heavy metals and microplastics.
Himalayan Pink Salt
Himalayan salt is harvested from a large salt mine in Pakistan. It has a pink colour due to the presence of iron oxide. It also contains trace amounts of calcium, potassium and magnesium.
Kosher Salt
Kosher salt has a flaky structure that makes it easy to spread atop your food. Though it’s not much different than regular salt, it’s less likely to contain anti-caking agents and added iodine.
Celtic Salt
Celtic salt has a light greyish colour and is quite moist. It is made from seawater and contains trace amounts of minerals.
Differences in Taste
The main differences between salts are flavour, colour, texture and convenience.
Mineral Content
Salt contains only trace amounts of minerals. As a result, choosing one type of salt over another is unlikely to significantly affect your health.
Which Is Healthiest?
The above is only a snippet of Kris's article.
There are no studies comparing the health benefits of different types of salts. However, less processed salts usually do not contain additives.
The Bottom Line
Salt is perhaps the most widely used spice in the world. Some people believe that salt is bad for you, but the reality is not that simple. Though refined table salt is the most common type in the West, a number of other varieties exist. These include Celtic, Himalayan, kosher and sea salt. However, there are few nutritional differences between these various types. While unrefined salts contain fewer additives, the main distinctions involve texture, grain size and flavour. Feel free to experiment and choose the salt that’s right for you.
32 comments:
...who knew!
Lots of great information here, thanks! Valerie
Very interesting post.
I never realized there were so many salts đź’®
This reminds me of a fairy tale. A King had three daughters ("only", no Son) and wanted the best daughter to become Queen.
What is the most valuable thing that can show the love for him.
The daughter who said "salt" was abandoned but in the end... she was announced Queen.
Without salt there is no life. (German link only sadly (< a href='https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Salzprinzessin">Salzprinzessin<\a>.)
Interesting Jan.. I use sea salt, but in moderation ✨
Very interesting post, I have some Himalayan pink salt in my kitchen.
Very interesting!
We mostly use rock salt (is it the same as Kosher salt?)... it's prettier and tastier. :D
My goodness, you learn something new every day.
I use Himalayan salt. I just love the colour but glad to read it contains some minerals.
Interesting post...I use the Sea Salt because yrs ago I heard it was better for you then reg salt....however reading this I see that it has some stuff in it that I might not want to use. Might have to try that Himalayan salt. I have a Himalayan salt lamp so it only makes sense (in my mind...now) to try that one next...haha
Hello Jan!
Very interesting post!
I only use sea salt for cooking!
Thank you for sharing!
Have a lovely afternoon!
Dimi...
My dear Jan, I so enjoyed this post and I must say I learned something new today. Thank you for sharing, lovely lady!
Have a wonderful day. Hugs!
I have only tried a few.
I didn't know the differences between salt, an interesting post.
Very interesting; I like the different way they look.
Interesting. Thank you. I no longer add salt to my meals (or my cooking).
Good info. I have never had Celtic salt.
Well, I didn't know there was this many versions of salt. Thanks for sharing.
I love salt lol I've had all of these except Celtic, which I'm going to try now :)
Thank you, Jan!
xo,
rue
Thanks Jan, I was asked that question the other day regarding a couple of different salts in the pantry and I couldn't answer it ;D)... now, I can refer to your article!
I've never heard of Celtic salt.
Interesting. I use sea salt and the HH uses standard salt.
Have a great one.
Thank you for all of the information, I mainly use Himalayan salt just because I prefer the flavor of it. I enjoyed reading about the different types of salt.
Sara - Villa Emilia said:
Very interesting!
We mostly use rock salt (is it the same as Kosher salt?)... it's prettier and tastier. :D
Hello Sara, many thanks for your comment and question.
"Kosher salt is just salt with bigger grain size. There’s no other difference in chemical composition between rock salt, sea salt and kosher salt. (although kosher salt usually has no iodine and no or very little anti-caking agents added to it)"
https://www.quora.com/How-does-rock-salt-differ-from-kosher-salt
All the best Jan
This was very interesting and very informative. Thanks for sharing it!
Wow! This was an eye opener. Never knew so many types of salt existed!
we use iodised salt. i try to use a minimum amount of salt due to hypertension.
THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for such informative post dear Jan!
yes i saw my grandma using Himalayan salt but my mother used only refined one
i think salt is something as if it is sold in price of gold we will be buying it at any cost as food without salt is not imaginable here
Me ha encantado el reportaje, me parece muy interesante. Besitos.
Jan, thanks for all the salt info. I haven't experimented with many yet. Sea salt is my "everyday" salt, but I would be interested to try some special "finishing" salts. Also, thank you for your well wishes last week. Getting a little better every day and even managed a new recipe post!
Excellent post Jan! Thank you! I have always been told, that you can retain water if you have too much salt? It will cause swelling? I don't know if I'm explaining that properly. Thanks again for everything!
Magic Love Crow (Stacy) said:
"Excellent post Jan! Thank you! I have always been told, that you can retain water if you have too much salt? It will cause swelling? I don't know if I'm explaining that properly. Thanks again for everything!"
Hello Stacy, and thanks for your comment ...
'Consuming too much salty food or drink may cause some water retention, but not necessarily a lot.
Some people may be eating more salt than they realise. For example, lots of convenience foods, and even common foods like bread, contain salt without even tasting salty.
The active ingredient in salt which causes water retention is sodium. Sodium is not just found in salt, it is also in baking powder (used to make cakes) and in flavour-enhancing additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG). For those who may eat a lot of convenience foods it can be quite hard to avoid consuming excessive salt or excessive sodium.
If people have water retention and are really determined to reduce salt and sodium, then eating unprocessed foods and making as many of your own foods as possible can and will help. That way you know exactly how much salt is in your food, because you have to add it yourself.
Salt is one of the causes of water retention, but is not the only one. For most people the maximum amount of water retention which they could expect to lose by changing to a low salt / low sodium diet is probably about 2 lbs. However some people are more salt-sensitive than others and may notice that their water retention gets significantly worse if they eat salty food.'
Read more: http://www.water-retention.net/salt/#ixzz5WVSLRK29
All the best Jan
Thank you for the information Jan! Big Hugs!
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