Do You Know Your Salt?
Is sea salt more healthful than regular salt?
There are many types of salt (did you know there's Hawaiian sea salt, French sea salt, Italian sea salt and even smoked sea salt?), but nutritionists usually don't prefer one type over another.
Different kinds of salts do offer small differences in texture and taste. If you're curious, you might go ahead and experiment with different varieties.
For example, Kosher salt is said to have a stronger flavor than regular table salt. If you find that to be true, you might end up using less salt than you normally would -- consuming less sodium in the process.
Most of the sodium Americans consume comes from processed foods, not table salt. In fact just 5 percent of the sodium we consume is added while cooking; 6 percent is added while eating; 12 percent comes from natural sources other than salt; and 77 percent comes from processed and prepared foods.
Doctors recommend that people consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, but most Americans get far more than that. While not everyone's health is affected by salt intake, there's no easy test available to tell you if you are sensitive to salt or not. Salt-sensitive individuals might get high blood pressure if they consume too much salt -- but they might not. So, it's a good idea to keep an eye on your sodium intake, no matter what kind of salt you like.
Published 11/07/08
