3 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Table Salt
Buy table salt on the Internet or in the stores where you buy groceries and you will surely notice a wide range of table salt options to choose from. Table salt comes in many forms, such as kosher salt, sea salt, table salt and Himalayan salt. Usually, sea salt is used in place of table salt; but sea salt is not standardized, so it can vary greatly in purity and concentration. The real key to table salt’s appeal is its ability to elevate the level of taste in food, particularly food cooked on a grill or on the stove top. Without salt, food can become dry, tasted generally unappealing, or even contaminated with chemicals.
Salt rocks are rock salt that is processed through heat and pressure. Some salt rocks have been formed thousands of years ago and may contain heavy metals like silver, gold and iron, while others may only contain calcium and manganese. Pink salt was once mined in the United States but is now manufactured elsewhere, mostly in Mexico and Brazil. Pink salt was originally mined by Native Americans in the western United States but is no longer mined commercially. There is controversy about whether the pink salt mined in the US is higher in salt than other mined salts, especially because of the way pink salt is processed.
Salt is used to remove moisture from food. One of the most common ways to do this is to use sodium chloride or table salt to make sure that the food does not dry out too quickly before it is eaten. Without moisture, bacteria cannot grow and spoil the food. There are some foods, such as eggs, that are best served without salt, but the majority of food needs salt to retain its flavor and texture. So, you should always buy table salt and make sure that it contains the right amount of salt.
Unfortunately, table salt and kosher salt are not the same thing. Kosher salt is a salt that is approved for dietary purposes by the Orthodox Jewish religion and is considered to have the highest biological value of any salt. Table salt on the other hand is often made from a combination of different salts. Sometimes, iodine is added to kosher salt in order to increase its hardness, which is why it is often called “hard kosher salt.”
Sea salt and marine salt are not interchangeable. Sea salt is harvested from seawater and is generally lower in salt content than marine salts. It is used mostly in cooking, but is also used for curing and preserving foods. Salt is often chemically identical with other chemicals, such as potassium nitrate, magnesium nitrate and hydroxycitric acid, which makes it questionable whether these artificial preservatives affect the body in a negative way.
Most table salt is prepared by either boiling it in water or using a process called “regeneration” to convert it back into salt. This process makes it highly acidic, but this may be a good thing, depending upon your cooking needs and personality. If you prefer a more neutral taste when cooking, you may want to skip the regeneration step and purchase organic table salt instead. Organic products are generally made from natural minerals found in the earth, such as sodium and potassium, rather than salt manufactured from salt milled from ocean waters. However, some sea salt contains higher levels of toxins and contaminants than normal sea salt, so even organic products can have some negative effects on your health.
Baking soda is used as a cheap alternative to table salt, but it can actually cause serious dehydration in your body and can make your foods taste flat and bland. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is often used substitutes because it has the same effect as regular table salt, but without the harmful abrasiveness. However, bicarbonate is made by nature as part of the decay process in sea water. If you eat foods with too much bicarbonate, your body will not excrete it out, which means that it builds up in your tissues and blood as waste and can actually alter your pH, sometimes resulting in unpleasant symptoms like bloating and diarrhea. You should avoid baking soda at all costs if you want to stay healthy and enjoy delicious, nutritious foods.
Natural sea salt is the saltiest form of salt available, and it contains the most important trace minerals for your body. These minerals are crucial to your well-being and should not be replaced by table salt. Some sea salts contain over 50% sodium chloride, which is far higher than the average person consumes in his or her diet. Unfortunately, the higher concentration of these salts in sea salt means that it is also tougher and more expensive to purchase, which can drive up its cost even further. If you insist on using sea salt in the pursuit of good health, make sure that you buy it from a reputable supplier and that it has been prepared only using traditional methods.