# Sea Salt: Any evidence its better than regular salt? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 31, 2005, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-any-evidence-its-better-than-regular-salt/314997 "2005-07-31T09:51:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MAGunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@MAGunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MAGunter)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-any-evidence-its-better-than-regular-salt/314997/1 "2005-07-31T09:51:24Z")
I personally use Coarse Sea Salt on most of my foods simply because it tastes better, but I’ve also heard it’s supposed to have some healthy properties. Is there any difference between pure sea salt and regular sea salt in that domain? ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-any-evidence-its-better-than-regular-salt/314997/2 "2005-07-31T11:30:36Z")
I agree that sea salt tastes better but perhaps it is not always the best option. [Sometimes](http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=13438) a bit of normal old table salt is a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-any-evidence-its-better-than-regular-salt/314997/3 "2005-07-31T11:42:07Z")
> [@MAGunter](#): > > Is there any difference between pure sea salt and regular sea salt in that domain? Sea salt is going to have trace minerals that are not present in pure sodium chloride. That’s probably better for your health, even though most health claims for “natural” foods and nutritional supplements are romantic hogwash. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-any-evidence-its-better-than-regular-salt/314997/4 "2005-07-31T14:37:15Z")
In terms of health effects, there’s no real difference between sea salt and table salt. I’m trying to find a cite, but my food reference books are unavailable at the moment and a Google search is turning up a lot of useless info. [This](http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0820/is_n212/ai_16845832) is the best I’ve got at the moment: > [@](#): > > Is [sea salt] worth it? [for the purported health effects] Robert L. Wolke, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh who has studied salt extensively, says no. “In the quantities you use either in cooking or at the table, the amount you would get of these trace minerals is utterly negligible,” says Wolke. “You’d have to eat a quarter pound of ocean solids [processed sea salt] to equal the amount of iron in a single grape or two pounds to equal the amount of phosphorus in that grape.” Wolke does say that there are significant amounts of calcium and magnesium in unprocessed sea salt–enough so that he doesn’t even consider them “trace” minerals–but says you’d get more simply by eating green vegetables. (Text in square brackets added by me) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-any-evidence-its-better-than-regular-salt/314997/5 "2005-07-31T15:00:02Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > I agree that sea salt tastes better but perhaps it is not always the best option. > > [Sometimes](http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=13438) a bit of normal old table salt is a good thing. This would depend on your diet. Nearly all processed foods are seasoned with iodized salt, including canned vegetables, soups, meats, etc., as are most frozen foods, potato chips, canned nuts, etc. In addition, if you salt your food in a restaurant, you’re using iodized salt in most cases; same thing goes for those little packets you use in the movie theater and at McD’s. In the US, we get more damn salt than we need, and certainly enough iodine, without adding it at the table. I use sea salt and kosher salt exclusively at home. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-any-evidence-its-better-than-regular-salt/314997/6 "2005-07-31T16:36:11Z")
On some cooking boards, people have been known to claim that the iodine in table salt gives an off flavor. I have never noticed this. YMMV. I use kosher or sea salt for the simple reason is that the flakes of the salt tend to stick to the food, rather than rolling off like table salt will. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-any-evidence-its-better-than-regular-salt/314997/7 "2005-07-31T16:43:18Z")
For people who eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit, vegtables and seafood, goitre shouldn’t really be a problem. And Jeffery Steingarten claims that, for most sea-salts on the market, the purported taste difference is purely psychological. In a blind taste test between pure NaCl and many different brands of sea salt, he found very few which tasters could reliably distinguish. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-any-evidence-its-better-than-regular-salt/314997/8 "2005-07-31T17:27:33Z")
Right- for all intents and purposes, sea salt (or Kosher salt) is NaCl, just as rock salt is. There is no difference in taste or trace minerals. It is unlikely one can distiguise the Iodine, either. “But wait” you say- “I am sure it tastes different!” Perhaps- when sprinkled on food (rather than added for cooking) the shape of the grains seem to impact your tongue in a different way, imparting it’s saltiness in a different way. Rock salt ground into the same shape will taste the same, I assume you. However, there is a rather rare product called “grey salt”- which _does_ have trace minerals\* and _does_ taste different. It is generally imported from France and has to be specially harvested in order to be imported. It is more or less sea-water that has been evaporated. Many chefs rave about it. I have a small tin- 'Sea Star" brand. Howeve, in cooking, I can see no difference- just when sprinkled- and it seems to only taste better on meat. And of course- it does have Iodine in it (.00007%) \*listed on package- Cl51%,Na325, H2O 7%, S- 1,12%, Zinc .8%, Magnesium .5%, Fe (Iron) .38%, Potassium- .26%, Manganese .26%, Copper .12% and Silicon .11% ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-any-evidence-its-better-than-regular-salt/314997/9 "2005-07-31T17:29:13Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > \*listed on package- Cl51%, Na32%, H2O 7%, S 1.12%, :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-any-evidence-its-better-than-regular-salt/314997/10 "2005-07-31T17:37:04Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > On some cooking boards, people have been known to claim that the iodine in table salt gives an off flavor. I have never noticed this. YMMV. > I use kosher or sea salt for the simple reason is that the flakes of the salt tend to stick to the food, rather than rolling off like table salt will. For me, there is a very distinct chemical taste to iodized salt. In a blind test, our entire cooking class rejected the Morton’s sample as the worst tasting salt. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sea-salt-any-evidence-its-better-than-regular-salt/314997/11 "2005-07-31T17:51:05Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > For me, there is a very distinct chemical taste to iodized salt. In a blind test, our entire cooking class rejected the Morton’s sample as the worst tasting salt. That is possible, especially when not used in cooking. But I doubt if many could tell sea, rock or kosher apart- after you ground down each with a morta and pestle to the same consistency. However, “grey salt” does contain Iodine, and is used by many top French Chefs.