Salt has a bad reputation. Doctors often tell patients with high blood pressure, heart disease and other health conditions to reduce or completely eliminate salt from their diets. That’s good advice if table salt is what the patient is consuming.
Sea salt, however, is much different from and healthier than table salt. Not only will it not contribute to serious health conditions, it can actually prevent them! Read on to learn more about the health benefits of sea salt and why you should ban table salt from your diet immediately.
The Difference between Sea Salt and Table Salt
Though they look and taste similar, sea salt and table salt are very different from each other. Let’s examine their differences closely:
Table Salt – Table salt is a completely refined, man-made substance produced from crude oil flake leftovers. The refining process not only removes 80% of its natural minerals, it adds harmful chemicals such as:
• Chemical Bleach
• Sodium Bicarbonate
• Fluoride
• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
• Anti-Caking Agents
• Potassium Iodide
• Solo-Co-Aluminate and Other Aluminum Derivatives
These additives and food preservatives can contribute to serious health problems, such as:
• High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure from table salt is the direct result of the blood trying to pump the toxins away from the heart as fast as possible.
• Diabetes
It can cause an imbalance of nutrients, which can cause insulin levels to fluctuate dangerously.
• Gout
It is highly acidic, which can cause chronic inflammation and gout flare-ups.
• Edema
Table salt also encourages the body to retain water, which can cause swelling of the ankles and feet.
• Muscle Cramps and Spasms
It also dehydrates the body, which can contribute to muscle cramps and spasms.
• Anxiety and Depression
The preservative and additives in this type of salt can cause mood swings and depression.
• Salt Addiction
The chemical compounds in refined salt are designed to be addictive. The taste of table salt fools your body into believing it’s getting minerals and nutrition. When it realizes it still lacks these minerals, you crave it even more.
• Weight Gain
Processed salt can also cause weight gain by constipating you and causing you to retain water.
Sea Salt – Sea salt, on the other hand, is obtained from naturally-evaporating seawater. Unlike table salt, which is chemically heated, sea salt is dried by the sun so no trace minerals are lost in the process. The health benefits of sea salt are directly related to these trace minerals, which are:
• Sodium
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Sulphur
• Bromine
• Potassium
• Boron
• Strontium
• Silicon
These elements are all necessary for the human body to function at its best. Many people do not get nearly enough of these elements on account of a poor diet chock full of nutrient-sapping foods.
Health Benefits of Sea Salt
Now that you understand a little more about salt and sodium, let’s take a look at the health benefits of sea salt:
Weight-Loss Aid
You may not think weight loss would be marked among the many health benefits of sea salt, but it is. Unlike table salt, which can cause fluid retention and constipation, sea salt can help you lose weight by acting as a natural digestive aid.
Eases Skin Conditions
If you suffer from problematic skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis, sea salt can help. Soaking in a sea salt bath opens up pores, soothes and moisturizes irritated skin and improves circulation.
Reduces Asthma
The health benefits of sea salt also extend to relieving the symptoms of asthma and other upper respiratory conditions. It does this by breaking up excess phlegm and reducing inflammation in the lungs.
Heart Healthy
Unlike table salt, which can raise both your blood pressure and cholesterol, sea salt can actually lower both when taken with plenty of pure water. It can also help regulate dysrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).
Balances Blood Sugar
Sea salt is also effective in balancing blood sugar, which can aid in weight loss and prevent diabetes.
Keeps Bones Strong
When the body is dehydrated and lacking in sodium and other essential minerals, it will begin to draw salt from the bones. This can weaken them and lead to osteoporosis.
Eases Depression
The health benefits of sea salt also extend to mental health. Sea salt contains naturally-occurring magnesium, which is a natural relaxant. It also helps maintain healthy levels of serotonin and melatonin, which help you feel good and sleep peacefully.
Treats Muscle Spasms and Cramps
Sea salt contains potassium and helps your body absorb potassium from other food. This essential mineral is critical in easing muscle spasms and cramps.
As you’ve read, sea salt is much healthier than conventional table salt. Whether you choose from Himalayan, Hawaiian, Italian or any of the other sea salts available, you’ll be making a wise choice for your health.
Hi Jaime
Doesn’t sea salt have just as much sodium in it as table salt and so just as likely to risk increasing blood pressure?
And what are your thoughts on a third category of salt, low sodium salt? Such as the likes of LoSalt. This has less sodium and is a good source of potassium
Hi Richard,
From what I’ve researched, it seems that sodium may not be, in and of itself, the cause of high blood pressure. Instead, it may be the dangerous additives in table salt. Since sea salt has no additives and contains all-natural minerals, perhaps that’s why it doesn’t have the same negative effect. As far as Lo Salt, I tried doing some research on it, but I cannot find an unbiased information on it, just the website itself.
Thank you for your comment and readership!
Jaime
Generally, you need to buy natural sea salt which contains lots of minerals too. Some companies advertise sea salt as long as the salt came from the sea, but the salt is so refined. This is not natural.
Another good alternative is Himalayan salt which contains several minerals.
Based on my visit to the website for losalt, it seems to be processed and has mostly sodium and potassium. It does not have other minerals.
Sometimes the label on table salt can be misleading. Refined sea salt is also called table salt. Even if the salt came from the sea, manufacturers use re-crystallization to extract sodium chloride only. Manufacturers further use anticaking agents before distributing the salt. You can find further details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt#Unrefined_salt
So when you buy sea salt, it is a good idea to look for unrefined sea salt. Otherwise, you are essentially buying table salt.
Sea salt also doesn’t fix muscle cramps, cure depression or any of your other false claims. Salt is Na+. Period. It’s all the same. The processing is different and sea salt leaves in some TRACE minerals….that’s it.
So…Rachel, I am 75 and get extremely painful muscle cramps. When I do I put a pinch of sea salt on my tongue and in a minute or two the cramps are gone. Hummm, I wonder what you (or I) are missing here.
I agree with the author that sodium by itself may not be too bad (although you want everything in moderation). The processing of natural salt makes things harmful for health.
Also, you may want to check out this article in USA Today about whether lowering sodium is actually bad for your health!
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/diet-nutrition/story/2011-11-09/Study-questions-benefits-of-reducing-sodium-in-diet/51137716/1
What you say doesn’t jive with the mayoclinic……I love natural saw salt, but your claims seem off….http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sea-salt/AN01142
Salt is not a man-made substance from crude oil flakes! It’s in the ground and is mined. Pure salt crystals…just look up the history of Detroit, Michigan about salt mining.
Salt can be made by crude oil leftovers. Google search crude oil and salt, and you will find that crude oil contains salt as well. When you boil it at 1200 degree Fahrenheit, you separate out the salt.
The author meant that refined salt is bad. In the old days, you would get pure salt crystals as you stated, but nowadays your salt is heavily processed.
9.9 out of ten articles said they are both equal in sodium.
YES, EQUAL IN SODIUM, BUT NOT THE other MINERALS THAT ARE PROCESSED OUT OF TABLE SALT.
As with processed salt, it has a high sugar content, except, it’s so camouglaged, you cannot taste it. FOr sea salt, make sure the labels say “iodized” sea salt. The iodine is required for your thyroid gland to prevent goitre.