Is Sea Salt Better Than Table Salt?

Is sea salt better for you than table salt?

Specifically, does it have a lower probability of causing high blood pressure?

Common table salt is sodium chloride. NaCl. It is natural; in other words, it is found in nature, in salt mines to be specific. It is refined to remove any impurities and sometimes additives - like iodine - are added into the salt.

Sea salt, on the other hand, is formed from the natural evaporation of ocean water. It, too, is natural NaCl. But, it is sold in a more pure or raw form than table salt. As such, it contains trace elements of magnesium, sulfur, calcium, and potassium.

Bottom line, both table salt and sea salt are over 98% sodium chloride. That doesn't leave a lot of room for sea salt to be vastly different than table salt.

So, what does a medical expert say? According to WebMD:

"Table salt is getting a lot of competition from the new guy on the block - sea salt. The hype about sea salt is that they claim it contains trace minerals that table salt doesn't have. Truth is, those minerals are in such a low quantity that they don't make a difference to your health. The interesting news is that because sea salt has a much more intense flavor, you end up using less of it."

So, in a roundabout way, sea salt is better for you than table salt. But, not necessarily in the way you think.

Please see my blog post about Campbell's soup switching from table salt to sea salt at http://goo.gl/SxrNX.