Big deal about a tiny mineral
- Izzy Marino
- May 25, 2025
- 3 min read
Hello friend! You may have seen or heard something about putting sea salt in water, or the sea salt vs. table salt debate, or how a lot of sodium is bad for you. It can all be a bit confusing. So I'm going to clear some things up for you.
Let's begin with what exactly salt is and how it is formed. Salt is made by evaporating sea water. However some salt is created by allowing this process to occur naturally, and other salt is made through industrial manufacturing processes and mining. Unrefined salt, the former, takes longer to form because it's allowed to do so naturally. Refined salt, the latter, is formed through an expedited process which leads to smaller and more dense crystals. This is table salt.
Both are made of sodium chloride. However, refined salt has been stripped of its beneficial minerals and more often than not also contains harmful additives. The salt is heated up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit in the refining process which completely changes the chemical makeup of the salt and eliminates all the healthy minerals and properties.
While sea salt is simply that (pure sea salt), refined salt often has any number of other ingredients added in such as anti-caking agents, iodine (which was originally added to salt in the 1920s to help prevent goiters caused by iodine deficiencies), MSG (monosodium glutamate) and/or white processed sugar (to help stabilize the iodine), and aluminum derivatives, such as sodium silicoaluminate (another anti-caking agent). All of these ingredients are unnecessary and cause more harm than good.
I challenge you to go check what ingredients are in your table salt at home. And maybe come back and let us know in the comments! You might be surprised what's in your "salt".
Sea salt, on the other hand, has a whole slew of benefits that come with it. Unrefined sea salt contains up to 60 trace minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium. It's loaded with these electrolytes (often featured in drinks like Gatorade) to balance the fluids in your body and keep you-and your cells-hydrated. This is why I love to put a pinch of salt in my water! It's an easy way to help myself stay hydrated and get some of the minerals I know my body needs. And these extra minerals help my body process the sodium so my body doesn't get overloaded with it.
Sea salt has also been proven to:
Promote brain, muscle and nervous system function
Support digestive health and reduce bloating
Promote nutrient absorption
Regulates blood pressure levels
Support skin health and combats inflammation
Enhance respiratory health
Strengthen the immune system
And more! I'll link articles at the end for further reading about sea salt, its benefits, and which sea salt is best for you!
Switching over from refined table salt to sea salt is one of the easiest things you can do in your journey toward a non-toxic lifestyle. Adding a bit of sea salt to your water is so quick and easy, you should try it sometime and let me know what you think! And next time you're in the grocery store looking at ingredients, take it with a grain of salt.
Sources and Further research:
Comments