When it comes to essential seasonings in the kitchen, salt is a must-have. Without it, dishes would taste bland.
However, the headache arises from the fact that there are so many types of salt available in the market. Various salts line the shelves, with prices ranging from a couple of dollars to as high as tens of dollars. Examples include sea salt, rock salt, bamboo salt, lake salt, pink Himalayan salt, calcium salt, and selenium-enriched salt.
Some cost only a few dollars per pack, while others can be surprisingly expensive. What exactly is the difference between them, and is the pricier salt really worth it?
Why do we need salt?
Consuming salt is not just about enhancing the flavor of dishes; it is also crucial for our health. This is because the sodium ions in salt play a vital role in maintaining the body's life processes.
Sodium helps regulate the volume and osmotic pressure of extracellular fluids, maintain the acid-base balance of body fluids, control normal blood pressure, and participate in bodily energy metabolism.
Maintaining a certain concentration and appropriate ratio of ions such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium in body fluids is essential for preserving the excitability of nerves and muscles. The normal concentration of sodium is a critical factor in ensuring this function.
Although sodium is widely present in foods, apart from some seafood, the sodium content in most natural foods is not high. Therefore, relying solely on natural foods makes it challenging to meet the body's sodium requirements (the recommended daily intake of sodium is 1500 milligrams). Consuming salt in moderation can help us supplement an adequate amount of sodium.
Salt provides sodium.
If sodium intake is insufficient, it can affect the body's normal physiological functions, leading to hyponatremia.
Mild sodium deficiency can make a person indifferent, tired, and lacking energy. More severe cases can cause nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure, spasms, and in extreme cases, shock or even death.
Especially for individuals engaged in high-temperature work with heavy sweating, strenuous physical labor, or those with gastrointestinal diseases involving repeated vomiting or diarrhea, it is important to pay attention to sodium supplementation.
What are the differences between different types of salt?
When you go to the supermarket to buy salt, you'll find a wide variety of options, which can make a simple task of "buying a pack of salt" suddenly overwhelming.
Rock salt, lake salt, sea salt - these salts differ in origin but are essentially all sodium chloride, with no significant differences.
Salt made from rock salt or underground brine (excluding underground brine from coastal areas).
Geologically speaking, places with rock salt were almost always ancient seas. Over time, through the effects of intense sunlight, strong winds, and evaporation, the seawater dried up, causing salt to continuously precipitate and form layers of salt deposits. These layers were later covered and buried by sediment, becoming buried underground due to the intense movements of the Earth's crust.
Due to being isolated for a long time, rock salt has high purity and low impurities after processing. It is relatively pure and commonly found in the market, with some cheaper options priced at only 2 yuan per pack.
Lake salt is directly harvested from salt lakes or produced by sun-drying brine from salt lakes. China is one of the few countries in the world with extremely rich lake salt mineral resources.
Lake salt has larger grains and is less prone to clumping, so it generally does not require the use of anti-caking agents.
Edible sea salt is made from seawater or sea salt. Sun-dried sea salt is produced through processes like concentrating and crystallizing sun-dried seawater.
Refined sea salt is made from seawater or sea salt using processes like vacuum evaporation, mechanical heat compression evaporation, or crushing, washing, and drying.
Flake sea salt is made from sea salt through processes like dissolution, filtration, evaporation, crystallization, and drying, resulting in a flaky texture.
Flake sea salt does not clump easily, does not contain anti-caking agents, and does not contain potassium ferrocyanide/sodium ferrocyanide. Additionally, the purity of sodium chloride in sea salt is relatively lower.
Bamboo salt, Himalayan pink salt - these salts give a luxurious impression, but they are essentially meant to supplement sodium chloride, with slight differences in flavor and appearance compared to regular salt.
Regular bamboo salt is made by filling fresh bamboo tubes with salt, sealing them with yellow soil, and firing them at high temperatures.
Nine-times roasted bamboo salt is made by filling fresh bamboo tubes with salt, with or without the addition of potassium chloride food additives. The tubes are sealed with yellow soil and fired at high temperatures eight times, with the ninth firing melting the salt.
Bamboo salt is white, gray-white, or purple-brown in color, with a salty taste and hints of freshness or preserved egg flavor. A 250g pack of bamboo salt typically costs between 7 to 10 yuan.
This salt is a type of rock salt, reportedly mined near the Himalayas in Pakistan. Its natural pink color comes from iron elements, giving it a high aesthetic value and a higher price, with a 250g pack costing nearly 20 yuan.
This salt may contain higher levels of iron compared to regular salt, but it is not a significant source of iron and generally does not contain iodine.
In addition to iodized salt commonly consumed, there are other salts that have been nutrient-enriched, such as calcium salt and selenium-enriched salt, leading many to believe that consuming these salts is more nutritious.
The recommended daily intake of calcium and selenium for Chinese adults is 800 mg/day and 60 μg/day, respectively. However, these "nutrient salts" have minimal impact on nutrient supplementation.
We primarily consume salt for seasoning and sodium supplementation. The "Chinese Dietary Guidelines" recommend a maximum daily salt intake of 5 grams per person, which would provide at most 7.5 mg of calcium or 0.75 μg of selenium. This is far below the recommended amounts, with minimal impact.
If one consumes these so-called "nutrients" excessively through salt intake, the drawbacks may outweigh the benefits!
A certain brand of calcium salts
A certain brand of selenium-rich salt
When it comes to salt, it's important to choose right, not expensive.
For the average household, when buying salt, it is recommended to pay attention to the sodium and iodine content.
Low-sodium salt replaces some sodium chloride with potassium chloride, with a taste similar to regular table salt and no impact on flavor when cooking. Choosing low-sodium salt can help lower blood pressure for those with cardiovascular disease or hypertension. However, individuals working in high temperatures, engaging in heavy physical labor, certain kidney disease patients, and those with uremia should be cautious when consuming low-sodium salt.
Iodine is an essential trace element for the human body, a crucial raw material for synthesizing thyroid hormones, and helps maintain overall health. Consuming iodized salt is mainly to prevent goiter caused by iodine deficiency.
A certain brand of iodized salt
Most areas in China are considered iodine-deficient, especially in mountainous regions, hills, river valleys, desertified areas, and areas affected by river erosion where iodine deficiency is more severe. In iodine-deficient areas, it is necessary to consume iodized salt.
Even for those living in coastal areas, consuming iodized salt is essential.
Although seaweed, kelp, and other foods in coastal areas are rich in iodine, if the local residents have low frequency and quantity of consumption, they still need to consume iodized salt to meet the recommended intake. However, residents living in areas with naturally high iodine levels in water sources are advised to consume non-iodized salt.
In addition, patients with hyperthyroidism and some thyroid tumor patients are also suitable for consuming non-iodized salt. However, not all thyroid diseases require the consumption of non-iodized salt; it is advisable to follow medical advice based on individual circumstances.
Salt is necessary, but it should be consumed in moderation!
For maintaining health, salt consumption is necessary to a certain extent, but more is not always better. Both the World Health Organization and the Chinese Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting daily salt intake to no more than 5 grams for overall health.
5 grams of scattered salt, slightly larger in diameter than a one-yuan coin. | Photo by the author
This is because the harm caused by a high-salt diet should not be underestimated, as it can lead to a series of health problems. Not only can it trigger high blood pressure, but it can also stimulate the body's inflammatory response, increase the risk of osteoporosis, stroke, gastritis, and may even affect cognitive abilities.
In addition to controlling the intake of salt, hidden sources of salt in daily life should also be noted, such as soy sauce, oyster sauce, steamed fish soy sauce, soybean paste, miso, pickles, and kimchi.
The method to calculate salt content is: sodium content (mg) in the nutrition facts ÷ 400 = salt content (g).
There are many types of salt, and there is no need to pursue "high-end" or "nutritious" varieties. For the general public, it is sufficient to choose low-sodium salt and iodized salt based on individual needs.
Regardless of the type of salt consumed, it is important to control the intake of salt and maintain a light diet.
References
[1] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Reference Intakes for Chinese Residents (2023 Edition) [M]. People's Medical Publishing House. 2023.8
[2] Zhuzhou Market Supervision Administration. Where does salt come from? How is salt produced? [EB/OL]. (2021-07-02) [2024-4-29] http://scjgj.zhuzhou.gov.cn/c13764/20210707/i1723747.html
[3] T/HBFIA 0022-2021 Edible Sea Salt [S]. 2021.06.28
[4] QB/T 5682-2022 Bamboo Salt [S]. 2022.04.08
[5] Chinese Medical Association Branch of Endemic Diseases, Chinese Nutrition Society, Chinese Medical Association Branch of Endocrinology. Chinese Residents' Iodine Supplementation Guidelines [R]. 2018:5
