Sea salt comes in many different forms. You can buy sea salt at your grocery store, drug store or online. When buying sea salt, you should know what it is, how it is made and what types are better than others. Below we will take a look at the different types of sea salts, what their purpose is and how they are used to best affect your health.
Natural sea salt is one of the oldest salts on earth. The first fossilized sea salt was found in amber that dated back to about 65 million years ago. This type of sea salt is mined mostly in Iceland, Canada and Russia. Natural sea salt is mined from rocks that contain fossils and crystals. It is refined to make it look like table salt.
Crystal refined salt is created by adding sulfur and other elements to rocks that contain pure minerals. After refining it is exposed to heat, which then removes the carbon and other impurities. Most crystal refined sea salt is harvested from wells and springs. Because it has so little trace amounts of minerals it is not suitable as a food but is excellent for baking and cooking.
Sea salt that contains traces of magnesium, potassium and calcium is called Baking Season salt. This type of sea salt can be found in the United States, Europe, and some parts of Asia. The high amount of trace minerals in this type of sea salt make it ideal as cooking salt. The trace amounts of sodium, magnesium and calcium allow it to bring back the flavor of yesterday when people first used sea salt. Baking sea salts has a smooth, medium grained texture and absorbs a lot of liquid.
Many varieties of sea salt are available. Each country now allows for freedom of choice when it comes to their own natural resources. Because there are so many varieties of sea salt, it is difficult to buy the right one for you.
Most people use sea salts for culinary purposes. Those who cook a lot are more likely to use Hawaiian or Asian varieties because they tend to be less expensive than their continental counterparts. Salt used for cooking tends to be more fine grained with a finer consistency.
When looking for a good cook book that teaches you how to cook with Hawaiian or Asian sea salts do not forget to read the recipes! There are hundreds of recipes for ketchup, salsas, dips, stews and stir-fry. If you find a recipe that does not call for fine sea salt you can substitute with fine sea salt. If you choose to purchase Asian or Hawaiian salts, be sure to read the ingredients.
Although it may seem expensive to buy sea salt do not let this put you off. It is a healthy alternative to purchasing regular table salt. Also you will notice the health benefits. Some of the health benefits include reduced risk of high blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes and osteoporosis. By including sea salt in your diet you are ensuring that you are getting all of the health benefits without adding unwanted salt to your food.
The other reason to use sea salt is the addition of trace minerals. Salt has many trace minerals like sodium, magnesium, zinc and iron. These trace minerals when added to your diet helps improve your overall taste and well being. In fact research has shown that some people who have suffered from osteoporosis have had positive results when adding evaporating seawater to their diet.
Evaporated seawater has trace amounts of calcium, potassium and magnesium as well as trace amounts of boron, copper, manganese, phosphorous and selenium. Experts have also discovered that some sea salt contains trace amounts of zinc, which makes it healthy for the skin and heart. The other minerals found in this natural product are all important to your body. Zinc helps regulate the levels of hormones and magnesium helps regulate the levels of blood sugar.
Salts come in two different forms. One is table salt and the other is sea salt. Sea salt is the purest form of salt available because it contains trace amounts of minerals that are not found in other salts. Although sea salt tastes better it is not preferred by most people because it usually contains high amounts of sodium. If you do purchase sea salt make sure you read the labels and know exactly what mineral content the salt has.
0 Comments