Types of Salt: Himalayan vs

Kosher vs Regular vs Sea

Salt
Salt is what makes things taste bad when it isnt in them. Unknown
Salt is arguably the most important ingredient in cooking.
Without it, most meals would taste bland and unexciting.
However not all salt is created equal and there are many types to choose from.
We have Himalayan Pink Salt, Kosher Salt, Sea Salt, Celtic Salt (to name a few) and
then we have plain old refined table salt.
Not only do they differ in taste and texture, but there are also some differences in
mineral and sodium content.
This article explores the most popular salt types then at the end, gives you a direct
comparison of their nutritional properties to help you make the right choices.
But first, lets take a look at what salt is and why its such a controversial ingredient
among health experts.

What is Salt and How Does it Affect Health?

Salt is a crystalline mineral made of two elements, sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl).
Sodium and chlorine are absolutely essential for life in animals, including humans.

They serve important functions like helping the brain and nerves send electrical
impulses.
Most of the worlds salt is harvested from salt mines, or by evaporating sea water or
other mineral-rich waters.
Salt is used for various purposes, the most common of which is adding flavor to foods.
Salt is also used as a food preservative, because bacteria have trouble growing in a
salt-rich environment.
The reason salt is often perceived as unhealthy (in large amounts), is that it can bind
water in the bloodstream and raise blood pressure.
But even though studies have suggested that lowering salt intake can reduce blood
pressure by 1-5.4 mm/Hg, there is no evidence that lowering salt prevents heart attacks,
stroke or death (1, 2).
The great majority of sodium in the Western diet comes from processed foods. If you
eat mostly whole, unprocessed foods then you dont need to worry about adding some
salt to your meals.
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Bottom Line: Salt is made of two minerals, sodium and chloride, which are essential for
human life. Too much salt can raise blood pressure, but there is very little evidence that
eating less salt can improve health.

Refined Salt (Regular Table Salt)

The most commonly used salt is plain old table salt.

This salt is usually highly refined. It is heavily ground and most of the impurities and
trace minerals are removed.

The problem with heavily ground salt is that it can clump together. For this reason,
various substances called anti-caking agents are added so that it flows freely.
Food-grade table salt is almost pure sodium chloride, or 97% or higher.
Heres an important point iodine is often added to table salt.
This was a successful public health preventative measure against iodine deficiency,
which was (and still is) common in many parts of the world and a leading cause of
hypothyroidism, mental retardation and various health problems (3, 4).
Therefore, if you choose not to eat regular iodine-enriched table salt, then make sure
youre eating some other foods that are high in iodine, like fish, dairy, eggs and
seaweed.
I personally take kelp tablets (seaweed) a few times per week because I rarely eat
iodized salt. They are very high in iodine.
Bottom Line: Refined table salt is mostly just sodium chloride, with substances called
anti-caking agents added in order to prevent clumping. Iodine is often added to table
salt.

Sea Salt
Sea salt is made by evaporating seawater.

Like table salt, it is mostly just sodium chloride.

However, depending on where it is harvested and how it was processed, it usually does
contain some amount of trace minerals like potassium, iron and zinc.
The darker the sea salt, the higher its concentration of impurities and trace nutrients
will be. However, keep in mind that due to the pollution of oceans, sea salt can also
contain trace amounts of heavy metals like lead.
Sea salt is often less ground than regular refined salt, so if you sprinkle it on top of your
food after it has been cooked, it may have a different mouthfeel and cause a more
potent flavor burst than refined salt.
The trace minerals and impurities found in sea salt can also affect the taste, but this
varies greatly between different brands.

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Bottom Line: Sea salt is made by evaporating seawater. It is very similar to regular
salt, but can contain small amounts of minerals. It can also contain trace amounts of
heavy metals if it is harvested from a polluted sea.

Himalayan Pink Salt

Himalayan salt is harvested in Pakistan.

It is mined from the Khewra Salt Mine, the second largest salt mine in the world.
Himalayan salt often contains trace amounts of iron oxide (rust), which gives it a pink
color.
It does contain small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. It also
contains slightly lower amounts of sodium than regular salt.
A lot of people prefer the flavor of himalayan salt compared to other types of salts, but
personally I havent been able to notice a difference.
The main difference seems to be the color, which can give a meal a nice look if you
sprinkle it on top after it has been cooked.
Bottom Line: Himalayan salt is harvested from a large salt mine in Pakistan. It has a
pink color due to the presence of iron oxide. It also contains trace amounts of calcium,
potassium and magnesium.

Kosher Salt

Kosher salt is called kosher because it is useful for the Jewish religion.

Jewish law requires blood to be extracted from meat before it is eaten. Kosher salt has
a flaky, coarse structure that is particularly efficient at extracting the blood.
The main difference between regular salt and kosher salt is the structure of the flakes.
Chefs find that kosher salt, due to its large flake size, is easier to pick up with your
fingers and spread over food.
Kosher salt will have a different texture and flavor burst, but if you allow the salt to
dissolve in the food, then there really isnt any difference compared to regular table salt.
However, kosher salt is less likely to contain additives like anti-caking agents and
iodine.
Bottom Line: Kosher salt has a flaky structure that makes it easy to spread on top of
your food. There is very little difference compared to regular salt, although it is less likely
to contain anti-caking agents and added iodine.

Celtic Salt

Celtic salt is a type of salt that originally became popular in France.

It has a greyish color and also contains a bit of water, which makes it quite moist.
Celtic salt contains trace amounts of minerals and is a bit lower in sodium than plain
table salt.
Bottom Line: Celtic salt has a light greyish color and is quite moist. It is made from
seawater and contains trace amounts of minerals.

Differences In Taste
Foodies and chefs primarily choose their salt based on taste, texture, color and
convenience.

The impurities, including the trace minerals, can affect both the color and taste of the
salt.
The size of the salt can also affect how the salty flavor hits the tongue. Salt with a larger
grain size can have a stronger flavor and last longer on your tongue.
However, if you allow the salt to dissolve in the food, then there shouldnt be any major
taste difference between plain refined salt and the other gourmet types of salt.
If you like to use your fingers to sprinkle salt on food, then dry salts with a larger grain
size are much easier to handle.
Bottom Line: The main difference between the salts is the taste, flavour, color, texture
and convenience.

Minerals in Different Types of Salt

There is one study that compared the mineral content of different types of salt (5).
The table below shows the comparison between Table Salt, Maldon Salt (a typical sea
salt), Himalayan Salt and Celtic Salt:

As you can see, celtic salt has the least amount of sodium and the highest amount of
calcium and magnesium. Himalayan salt contains a bit of potassium.
However keep in mind that these really are tiny amounts. For example, the 0.3%
content of Magnesium for celtic salt implies that you would need to eat 100 grams of
salt to reach the recommended daily amount.
For this reason, the mineral content of the various salts is actually not a compelling
reason to choose one salt over the other. These amounts really are negligible compared
to what you get from food.

Which Salt is The Healthiest?

I looked long and hard and couldnt find a single study actually comparing the health
effects of different types of salt.
However if such a study were done, I highly doubt they would find a major difference.
Most of the salts are similar, consisting of sodium chloride and tiny amounts of minerals.
The main benefit of choosing more natural types of salt is that you avoid additives and
anti-caking agents that are often added to regular table salt.
At the end of the day, salt is salt its main purpose is to add flavor, not nutrition.