Sea salt is better than ordinary salt
False. Essentially there is no difference between the two. Sea salt and ordinary salt are basically
identical in that they both contain sodium and chloride. The slight difference lies in the impurities.
Sea salt is made from sea water and contains trace amounts of other substances found in sea
water such as magnesium, iodine and zinc. Most of these and the other 'impurities' are removed
during the refining process. The impurities left in the salt relative to the amount of sodium and
chloride is so small that, to be nutritionally significant, very large amounts of the salt would have
to be consumed. Salt can also be mined. The trace impurities in mined salt will reflect the area
from which the salt was taken. Again, because the refining process removes most of the
impurities, those that remain are not nutritionally significant.
Iodised salt contains added iodine. Salt supplemented in this way may be useful for people who
live in regions where the soil and water is deficient in iodine. However, for the majority of the
population, there is ample iodine in the diet.
The role of salt, or rather sodium, in causing high blood pressure is not completely clear.
Nevertheless, it is wise to reduce your intake of salty foods.
