Is Sea Salt better than Iodized table salt?

[The Little Seed]

Sea salt and table salt both contain sodium chloride. Sea salt also contains small amounts of magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate and calcium sulfate, which are nutritionally insignificant. Iodized salt, sea salt, kosher salt and seasoning salts are all treated the same way in your body.

You need to eat foods that contain iodine for your body to be able to make thyroid hormone. The best sources are iodized salt and seafood. Plants can be a good source, but only if they are grown on iodine-rich soil. A study showed that vegetarians are at increased risk for iodine deficiency that causes low thyroid function. In this study, 25 percent of vegetarians and 80 percent of vegans had low blood levels of iodine, compared to only nine percent of people who eat both plant and animal products.

While iodized table salt is a good source of iodine, sea salt often is not. If you don't use table salt or eat seafood, you may want to get a blood test for iodine. If your iodine level is low, you need to add iodine sources to your diet or take iodine pills.

Sea salt and table salt have the same basic nutritional value — both mostly consist of two minerals — sodium and chloride. However, sea salt is often marketed as a more natural and healthy alternative. The real differences between sea salt and table salt are in their taste, texture and processing, not their chemical makeup.

Sea salt is produced through evaporation of seawater, usually with little processing, which leaves behind some trace minerals and elements depending on its water source. These insignificant amounts of minerals add flavor and color to sea salt, which also comes in a variety of coarseness levels.

Table salt is mined from underground salt deposits. Table salt is more heavily processed to eliminate trace minerals and usually contains an additive to prevent clumping. Most table salt also has added iodine, an essential nutrient that appears naturally in minute amounts in sea salt.

By weight, sea salt and table salt contain about the same amount of sodium chloride. Your body needs only a couple hundred milligrams (mg) a day to stay healthy, but most people get far too much — mostly from sodium in processed foods. So regardless of which type of salt you prefer, keep sodium consumption between 1,500 and 2,300 mg of sodium a day if you're a healthy adult. People with high blood pressure, African-Americans and anyone middle-aged or older should aim for the low end of that range.

Remember, sodium occurs naturally in most foods - no need to re-salt those fries or tortilla chips!