Sea Salt Vs. Unrefined Salt

Table salt is usually refined salt with iodine added.

With the advent of gourmet and flavored salts, there are now so many choices that the selection in grocery stores can seem overwhelming. Two popular types are sea salt and unrefined salt, which are quite different from typical table salt. But while sea salt and unrefined salt have similarities, they also maintain key differences. Does this Spark an idea?

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Sea Salt
- Sea salt is an all-encompassing term for any salt that comes from deposits in the sea. Water is scooped up using special clay trays that are set in direct sunlight to evaporate the water -- leaving raw sea salt. The taste, color and texture can vary wildly depending on the sea it comes from, and it may be sold raw or with additives. For example, a smoking process can change sea salt's taste and color completely.
Unrefined Salt
- Unrefined salt has been gathered or mined and left as is before being sold to end consumers. It can come from salt mines found in many spots across the globe, including the sea. Origin is not important with unrefined salt and the only requirement is that it doesn't undergo any post-gathering processing. Many sea salts are unrefined, while common table salt is refined because it's generally bleached and iodine is added before it reaches consumers.
Similarities and Differences
- Both unrefined salt and sea salt are high in trace elements, such as iodine, cobalt and manganese, which are essential for good health. Both are also lower in sodium than table salt, meaning less is needed to flavor food. But they are different because some sea salts are processed to add flavors or other elements, whereas unrefined salt has nothing added or subtracted before being sold.
Iodine
- Most table salt is iodized in order to prevent health conditions, like gout, from occurring due to a lack of the trace element iodine. But although iodine is a necessary nutrient, there are already trace amounts in sea salt, as well as in seafood, yogurts, corn, bread, milk and seaweed products, among others. Since the average adults needs only 225 micrograms of iodine per day, the lack of iodine enrichment in sea salt or unrefined salt is not a factor in normal diets.