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Home Nutrition


WHAT IS THE HEALTHIEST SALT?


Linda RodgersUpdated: Dec. 04, 2020
Medically reviewed by Elisabetta Politi, CDE, MPH, RD

Every editorial product is independently selected, though we may be compensated
or receive an affiliate commission if you buy something through our links.
Ratings and prices are accurate and items are in stock as of time of
publication.


THERE ARE MANY VARIETIES OF SALT OUT THERE, BUT WHICH ONE IS CONSIDERED
HEALTHIEST OR RIGHT FOR YOU JUST MAY COME DOWN TO YOUR TASTE BUDS.

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SALT IS HAVING A MOMENT

Even if you’re not really paying attention to food trends, you’ve probably
noticed the explosion of different kinds of salt available at your local grocery
store. Walmart, for instance, sells everything from Fleur de sel to Black
Hawaiian sea salt to too-many-to-count brands of Pink Himalayan. So what’s
behind the interest in something so basic a seasoning?

Most likely a burgeoning interest in gourmet food culture, the perceived health
benefits for certain types of salt, and the various salts’ unique flavor
profiles, explains Caroline West Passerrello, RDN, a licensed
dietitian/nutritionist, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics and an instructor at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Now that you’re in the kitchen more, it makes sense to learn what each of these
types of salts is best suited for—and whether there are hidden health benefits
to using one more than the other.

Spoiler alert: While some salts are better for people watching their sodium
consumption, the answer for most of us will come down to our individual tastes
and cooking styles.




MIRAGEC/GETTY IMAGESSALT AND SODIUM: TOO MUCH IS NOT A GOOD THING

First, though, it helps to understand what salt is. It’s made up of 40 percent
sodium and 60 percent chloride by weight. All salts, even those that contain
other minerals, will have the same basic nutritional value, says Passarrello.

“The current dietary guidelines for Americans recommend consuming less than
2,300 milligrams of sodium a day. However, the average American consumes more
than 3,400 milligrams per day,” she says.

Most of that sodium, a whopping 70 percent, comes from processed foods and
restaurant meals, she notes—not salt added during cooking or at the table.

Still, a quarter of a teaspoon of sea or table salt can be as much as 590 mg
(depending on the brand), or about 26 percent of your recommended daily value,
according to the USDA’s Food Data Central. (Here are some other signs you’re
eating too much sodium.)

“As a dietician, I’m actually not on the side where I think everybody should
restrict and be fearful of salt. But I do believe that there are people who can
be very sensitive to salt. And then if they have health conditions that’s when
you need to start limiting it,” says Wendy Jo Peterson, RDN, a culinary
dietician in San Diego, California and the author of the Mediterranean Diet
Cookbook for Dummies.



So if you have high blood pressure and your provider wants you to limit your
sodium, keep that in mind—and always look at the nutritional labels to check for
the amount of sodium, as some brands have lower amounts than others. You might
also want to avoid these other foods if you have high blood pressure.

Here is a rundown on the various types of salts and how to determine which one
is right for you.


TABLE SALT

“Table salt is exactly what it implies—it’s the standard salt you might see in a
salt shaker at a restaurant,” says Abbie Gellman, RD, CDN, a registered
dietitian and chef at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.

What it looks like: “The crystals are of a uniform size and very, very small,”
Gellman notes.

Best used for: Those tiny crystals can be useful when baking. “If you’re making
a batter, for example, that is not going to get heated until it’s in the oven,
then maybe you would want to use something smaller that might blend more
evenly,” says Gellman.



Is it healthy? There’s a drawback to those evenly sized crystals. With table
salt, it’s easier to over-salt your food because it can pour out of the shaker
if you’re not paying attention, Gellman notes—while eating and cooking. And that
may not be such a great thing if you’ve got to keep your sodium levels low.

But it often has iodine (check the label to make sure), and about 45 percent of
your Daily Value (DV is the amount you should aim for).

“Iodine is an element essential for maintaining a healthy thyroid and
deficiencies can lead to an enlarged thyroid, also known as a goiter,”
Passarrello explains. The DV for iodine for most adults is 150 mcg, says
Passarrello (you’ll need more if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding).

If you’re not a fan of seafood or dairy (which are other sources of iodine), you
may want to rely on iodized salt and a supplement. And check to see if you have
these silent signs of an iodine deficiency.




KOSHER SALT

“This is my favorite,” says Gellman, who calls it her workhorse in the kitchen.

What it looks like: “Generally it’s a coarser salt, so when you’re seasoning a
dish you have more control over how much is coming out,” says Gellman. When
recipes call for coarse salt, they usually mean kosher salt.

Best used for: Any type of dish really—from stews to roasts. But it’s also ideal
for brining as it tends to be a less expensive type of salt, notes Peterson.

“If I were going to brine a turkey, I would probably use a kosher salt because
it has a good flavor and it’s a big coarse salt,” she adds. Another reason to
use it for brining: It may keep the bacterial count down in your Thanksgiving
bird (and other poultry), according to researchers at Texas A&M University. Use
it instead of the more specialized pickling salt to pickle vegetables too,
suggests Gellman.



Is it healthy? Because of the size of the crystals, Gellman recommends kosher
salt for people who need to keep their sodium levels in check since you’ll be
using less salt when you season. “You can get more bang for your buck out of a
larger crystal,” she explains.

Kosher salt doesn’t have iodine, though, so make sure you get what you need
elsewhere, like dairy products (a cup of nonfat Greek yogurt has 116 mcg, notes
Passarrello), eggs, and seafood.


SEA SALT

Sea salt is the generic term for salts that are made from evaporated ocean
water. Besides the standard sodium and chloride, there are other nutrients, like
iron or zinc, depending on where the salt is harvested.



“So if it’s from the Mediterranean, then it might have one list of trace
nutrients. But if it’s from someplace off the coast of Hawaii, there might be a
totally different list of nutrients in there. Which is also why the price tag
changes depending on where it’s coming from,” says Gellman.

What it looks like: It depends on the type of salt, but generally it ranges from
coarse to finer grounds, depending on the brand.

Best used for: Because trace minerals add flavor, sea salt is versatile.
“Typically, I use sea salt for most everything because of those different
elements of flavor,” says Peterson. It can even be used for finishing a dish,
though the fancier kinds (see below) may be better for this.

Is it healthy? Sea salt does have iodine, but not enough to meet your daily
requirement, so again make sure you eat dairy or seafood regularly. Or sprinkle
some seaweed on your food, recommends Peterson. “Especially if you’re a vegan
and you’re not getting in dairy,” she says. You’ll be surprised at how many
health benefits seaweed has.




SEL GRIS/CELTIC SEA SALT

Sel gris is harvested off the coast of Brittany in France. It’s also known as
Celtic sea salt, which is the trademarked name for a brand of salt that is
usually less expensive and sold by the bag.

What it looks like: It is usually a coarser, grayish-tinged salt—hence the name
(in French, sel gris means gray salt). You can also get finer ground versions.

Best used for: “You could use this in place of kosher salt, for example, as your
workhorse, if you like the taste better,” says Gellman. Not sure how to test
taste salts to find your fave? Peterson recommends spreading unsalted butter on
crackers and sprinkling different varieties on each one. “You can really figure
out what salt, speaks to you and your taste buds, or perhaps even the dish that
you’re cooking,” she says.



Is it healthy? Like all sea salts, sel gris has trace minerals—in this case,
mainly magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium. But they’re in such minuscule amounts
that they won’t really add much to your overall health (though they do add to
the taste of the salt). Like kosher salt, it also tends to have less sodium than
table salt too—480 mg (or 20 percent of the DV), depending on the brand.


FLEUR DE SEL

This is a cousin to sel gris, and also comes from the coast of France, but it’s
a much more expensive salt.

What it looks like: More delicate and flakier than sel gris, Fleur de sel is
also a bit moister than other salts, says Peterson.

Best used for: To finish sweet or savory dishes. “This salt is usually very
expensive, and a little bit goes a long way. So I would put it on top of crème
brulée or on top of a piece of roasted fish, but this would be a showcase salt,”
Gellman explains. You can also sprinkle it on a platter of vegetables or on top
of grilled meats, which is what Peterson does.

Is it healthy? Like other sea salts, fleur de sel also has trace minerals,
usually calcium, potassium, iron, and magnesium, which adds to the flavor,
though the amounts are too small to add much to your health. (Here are some
better ways to get potassium into your system.)




PINK HIMALAYAN

These salts are harvested from mines in Pakistan, making this both a rock salt
and a sea salt, since the rock mines are located on the site of an ancient
seabed.

What it looks like: Usually very coarse, large crystals. Pink Himalayan salt
gets its pinkish color from iron oxide, says Gellman, one of its trace elements.
You can also get finer grains, depending on the brand.

Best used for: As a finishing salt to put on top of a chocolate chip cookie or
something that you want the salt to be part of the presentation, says Gellman,
who keeps some for this purpose in her kitchen.



“I wouldn’t really use a Himalayan pink salt to bake with or to cook with,” says
Peterson, who is also the author of Bread Making for Dummies. “You definitely
don’t want to put a colored salt into a bread, because it will turn your dough a
funny color, which all of a sudden creates a very unpalatable food.” (Not a
bread baker? Here are the many healthy reasons why you should eat more bread.)

Is it healthy? Boosters claim that Pink Himalayan is super-healthy because it’s
lower in sodium and has many minerals, including calcium, potassium, magnesium,
and fluoride. But the bigger the crystal, the less salt you’ll use and the less
sodium you’ll consume, says Passarrello. As for those minerals—again, you’re not
getting enough to do very much for you nutritionally, says Peterson.


BLACK HIMALAYAN/KALA NAMAK

This salt also comes from mines, mainly in India and Pakistan.

What it looks like: Coarse crystals that are black or even purple-ish, says
Peterson.

Best used for: “It’s quite popular in Indian cooking,” says Peterson, thanks to
its strong flavor from its mineral contents. Use it in curries and chutneys, or
to give a kick to veggies.



Is it healthy? Indian researchers put Himalayan black salt under a high-powered
microscope as well as other machines to tease apart its geochemical properties.
They found that it contained iron, magnesium, and calcium and was lower in
sodium than either sea salt or Pink Himalayan.


RED AND BLACK HAWAIIAN

These two come from the Hawaiian ocean, so they are considered sea salts.

What they look like: The red Hawaiian salt is mixed with clay, and gets its
coloring from iron oxide. The black Hawaiian salt contains charcoal, which gives
it a smoky flavor as well as its color. Both are coarser grained salts.

Best used for: These are specialty salts, says Gellman. Since they both have
interesting flavors, use them as finishing salts. “If you imagine the salt on
top of a cookie, you get that flavor and salt also brings out the sweet. Or if
it’s on a piece of meat, fish, or vegetables, you’ll taste the salt first,” she
explains. While you can cook dishes with these, you might lose some of what
makes them special, she adds.



Are they healthy? No more or less than other salts. And if you’re leery of
ingesting charcoal, skip the black kind. (And yes, putting charcoal in foods is
a thing—ever heard of black ice cream?)


THE BOTTOM LINE

“Unless you’re somebody who really cooks and entertains, and has a use for 10
different kinds of salt, I don’t think it’s necessary to have all these types of
salt,” says Gellman.

So find one or two to cook with, as well as a more specialized type to finish a
dish, and you’ll be fine. But concentrate on the flavors, not their health
claims.



IS SALT ACTUALLY HEALTHY?

Shutterstock (2)

PINK HIMALAYAN SALT VS. SEA SALT

inewsfoto/Shutterstock

SURPRISING USES FOR EPSOM SALTS




Sources
 * Caroline West Passarrello, RDN, LDN, Spokesperson, Academy of Nutrition and
   Dietetics
 * Wendy Jo Peterson, RDN, a culinary dietician in San Diego, California and the
   author of the Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Dummies
 * Abbie Gellman, RD, CDN, Institute of Culinary Education, New York City
 * United States Department of Agriculture [n.d.] "FoodData Central"
 * Poultry Science (2012). "Effect of kosher salt application on microbial
   profiles of poultry carcasses."
 * Iodine Global Network (2019). "Iodized Salt or Sea Salt: Which Is Better for
   You?"
 * The Science of the Total Environment (2020). "Structural characterization of
   Himalayan black rock salt by SEM, XRD and in-vitro antioxidant activity"

 
Medically reviewed by Elisabetta Politi, CDE, MPH, RD, on December 04, 2020
Originally Published: November 03, 2020





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