Benefits of Sea Salt
Sea salt is salty water obtained from the Dead Sea. It’s used for cooking, baking, cosmetics, and even for preserving food. It’s also known as black sea salt, pink sea salt or kosher salt. Salt is produced by evaporation and is refined and manufactured in a number of ways.
Evaporated sea salt (sometimes spelled as dew salt) contains magnesium, sodium, calcium and iron. Most sea salt contains potassium as well. It’s a very rich source of calcium and magnesium minerals. Sea salt and baking soda are frequently combined to make a thick paste. But beware: this is not “normal” sea salt. It’s a highly refined salt, lacking in minerals that are important for good health.
As with any other mineral-rich food, you want your diet to include lots of sea salt. The best ones come from areas of the world such as Israel, New Zealand, Australia and the United States. The black sea salt (sometimes spelled as Dead Sea salt) is derived exclusively from deposits in the Dead Sea. Other salts derive from evaporated sea water; these include rock sea salt and pink sea salt.
Evaporated sea water contains zinc, sulfur, manganese and copper. The black sea salt contains calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, iron and selenium. Rock salt doesn’t contain any minerals at all.
So, what makes a salt “salt”? Most table salt contains sodium, which is a mineral. Salt contains an essential element known as sodium (Na) and another one, known as chloride (Cl). One of the two minerals is often lost during the evaporation process.
Sea salt is a crucial part of a healthy diet. Without it, we would be extremely deficient in several important minerals. We need it to help lower blood pressure, prevent atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and regulate body fluid levels. While table salt does not contain any nutrients, sea salt does. The natural sea salt forms an essential part of many diets.
But it’s not just taste that matters. Color is important as well, and sea salt comes in an array of colors. Some of them are more appealing than others. The green, orange and blue shades are more pleasant on the palate.
You can find sea salt at grocery stores, home stores and natural food stores. If you’re shopping for a gift for someone else, it’s not difficult to find a sea salt gift basket. It’s also easy to place an order online. Many online retailers have a wide selection of sea salt products, including salt bars and grates. The best place to look for a variety of products is the Internet, and you can even customize your order online if you wish.
Most sea salt has sodium as a main ingredient. However, the minerals present in the salt may help to improve overall health, and even ward off certain diseases, including high blood pressure and heart disease. Sodium ions lose their ability to dissolve minerals in seawater, so they are not as absorbable as regular table salt. This makes sea salt ideal for use by vegetarians, because sodium helps keep blood pressure low. For this reason, many sea salt bars are vegetarian approved.
Another benefit of sea salt is its ability to help with weight loss. It contains magnesium, which makes it an effective appetite suppressant. Sea salt has also been shown to help regulate blood sugar levels and improve circulation, so it’s good for people who have circulation problems. For people with diabetes, who want a natural alternative to artificial medications, sea salt may be the perfect choice. Of course, these benefits are all good things, but there are some cons as well.
The greatest danger to using sea salt is for your pets. Because sea salt is mined from the seas, large amounts of the salt can be used without monitoring the amount that is actually being used. Therefore, it can easily be consumed by sea animals, such as birds and sea horses. Although the effects of sea salt on humans are generally safe, any excess sodium can actually be harmful. High levels of sodium in the bloodstream can cause hypokalemia, a condition that results from low potassium levels.
There are many other benefits associated with sea salt. For example, it can help heal wounds and prevent infections, so it makes a great addition to first aid kits. It can also reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and is even thought to aid in the prevention of cancer. While the health benefits of sea salt are great, it is important to remember that too much can be toxic, so only consume as much as is needed for each individual.
