Sea Salt Benefits
It's a common question in the world of food, particularly for people who have recently taken an interest in cooking or appreciating fine dining: What is the difference between sea salt and regular salt? French cookbooks often list "fleur de sel" in recipe ingredients, and gourmet cookbooks require sea salt rather than regular table salt. No doubt, sea salt is the more expensive option in the grocery store. Certainly there is a difference between table salt and sea salt, in origins, processing, uses and benefits. Does this Spark an idea?
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Salt and The Body
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The experts at CureZone.com list salt as No. 3 on the list of top life essentials, stating that the salinity of water between and among the body cells is similar to the ocean, which needs salt to sustain all aquatic life. Salt, in recommended dietary amounts, is vital for balancing blood-sugar levels, for sustaining a regular heartbeat, for processing the communication between nerve cells, and for extracting unwanted excess acidity from body cells. Salt is a natural antihistamine that can clear up the sinuses and prevent muscle cramps. Salt is also vital to firm bone structure, to the libido and even to natural sleep regulation.
Origins of Sea Salt
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Sea salt is a term that encompasses any unrefined salt that comes directly from the ocean or sea. Ocean water is channeled through large clay trays that allow the sun and wind to let it evaporate naturally. Most sea salts are labeled as "unrefined," which means that they are acquired and kept this way, harvesting and drying naturally in the sun. Sea salts typically come from the Mediterranean Sea, the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
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Benefits
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Sea salt not only provides enhanced flavor benefits, but it is healthy for the body. Unrefined sea salt contains over 80 mineral elements that the body needs. Because it is harvested and packaged in its natural form, it retains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, iodine and manganese. It also contains electrolytes and other nutrients that are essential for enzyme production and for the maintenance of the body's immune system. Unrefined sea salt easily replenishes the sodium and other salt minerals the body needs. Pure water and natural sodium can treat conditions such as muscle cramps, edema, gout and water retention.
Sea salt is favored in cooking because of its vibrant, pure flavor and its natural health benefits. It is available in various grain sizes, including coarse, fine and extra fine.
Comparing Table Salt
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Table salt is refined and processed with heat that destroys its beneficial nutrients. The salt turns into sodium chloride, which is not healthy for the body. Table salt is processed with many unnatural additives, and some contain derivatives of aluminum, which can act as a toxin in the body. Bleaching agents are used in the final process of refining table salt, since the additives discolor the salt and the process restores it to its white color unnaturally. According to Natural News (naturalnews.com), table salt creates an imbalance of bodily fluids and strains the body's elimination system.
Considerations
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Processed foods and many packaged foods use table salt, and, unfortunately, the majority of ingredient lists do not differentiate between the two. Many fresh meats and broths contain table salt as well.
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