Alternative Medicine: Shaking Out The Facts About Salt
January 19th, 2007 by Anne
Publication: Seattlepi.com
Author: Debra Boutin
Date: January 19, 2007
With so many choices in grocery stores, it’s easy to be confused about differences between available products. Here’s a primer on salt basics:
Iodized or table salt
In the 1920s, iodine was added to table salt to combat iodine deficiency in America. Today, about 70 percent of the plain table salt sold in this country is iodized. Our oceans are the best source of iodine, so seafood, sea vegetables and foods grown near the coasts are good dietary sources of iodine.
Table salt is highly refined, so most of the healthy trace elements originally present are removed. Several additives such as anti-caking agents are added, many of which are aluminum compounds.
Kosher salt
Kosher salt refers to its certification by rabbinical inspection as well as its function. The larger, flat crystals make kosher salt ideal for sticking to the sides of meats and drawing out the juices, a process known as koshering.
Kosher salt has no additives, and its large flat grains give added crunchiness to foods. When following a recipe, if you choose to replace table salt with kosher, use 1 1/2 to two times the amount called for.
Sea salt
Sea salt is made simply by evaporation of seawater. Sea salt can take on colors ranging from grayish white to pink or even orange, depending on the trace minerals present in the salt ponds from which they come. Sea salt generally costs more than other salts. However, being much less refined, it still contains beneficial trace elements and minerals, and should contain no additives. Some brands of sea salt do contain additives to reduce caking. If this is of concern to you, be sure to read labels carefully.
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