High Blood Pressure Sea Salt Vs Table Salt

Table Salt Vs Sea Salt: What Is The Real Difference

The only benefit of choosing sea salt over table salt is that one will avoid anti-caking agents and other additives in a more natural form. So whichever option you want to depend on your preference of taste, texture, and colour, use that salt in moderation to avoid problems of high blood pressure. Many people give up eating salt entirely and begin showing signs of deficiency like muscle cramps, decreased hydration, weakness, headaches, cognitive decline in older adults. It has many benefits like:

What Are The Risks Of Consuming Too Much Salt

• Kidney disease: Because excess salt can cause high blood pressure, it also can increase the risk of chronic kidney disease . Scientific guidelines advise moderate salt intake to slow the progression of CKD.
• Heart disease:High blood pressure is also the leading cause of cardiovascular disease. Too much salt can therefore lead to heart problems.
• Bone disorders: Consuming too much salt may cause high levels of calcium to leach out of the body during urination. As such, scientists suspect that excess salt could increase the risk of osteoporosis and other bone disorders, although more further studies are needed.
• Hypernatremia : Hypernatremia is caused by excess sodium levels in the blood. This is a serious condition that requires medical attention.

Sea Salt Vs Kosher Salt Vs Rock Salt

Although kosher salt is another of the most popular types of salt available, few people really understand what it is and what the differences are between kosher salt vs sea salt. Kosher salt stands out because of its large flake size and coarse texture, making it ideal for applying directly onto foods with your fingers. Because of its unique texture, kosher salt is often used for draining blood from meat prior to consumption to comply with Jewish laws, which is where it gets its name.

Rock salt, on the other hand, is a type of salt that is derived from oceans that dried up millions of years ago, leaving behind a concentrated amount of salt in the crust of the earth. This type of salt contains a wide array of important minerals and little to no moisture but is often classified as one of the purest forms of salt in existence. Himalayan pink salt is one of the most popular examples of a rock salt, but other varieties are also available which are harvested from different regions around the world.

Also Check: Claritin Raise Blood Pressure

You May Like: How Lower My Blood Pressure

Possible Downsides Of Too Much Salt

Sea salt adds flavor to foods and may have some beneficial non-dietary uses, but it should not be consumed in excess.

The typical American diet contains a large amount of high-sodium processed foods, and most people in the United States consume more than the recommended amount of sodium (

15 ).

Therefore, even if you prefer sea salt over other types of salt, it does not offer any specific benefits and should be used in moderation like all other salts.

Furthermore, people with kidney disease, high blood pressure, and heart failure may need to be particularly careful about their intake of sea salt and other salts .

summary

Consuming too much salt of any kind, including sea salt, can result in excessive sodium intake, which has been linked to high blood pressure and other health issues.

If you are interested in using sea salt in the kitchen, there are several ways to add it to your diet.

Depending on the type, it may provide more or less flavor than table salt.

You can use sea salt in place of regular salt in most dishes. However, you should always use finely ground sea salt if you are replacing table salt in a baking recipe.

Given that table salt is finely ground, it packs more sodium per teaspoon than sea salt, which is usually course. As such, youll want to make sure you use an equivalent amount.

Some popular ways to use sea salt include sprinkling it on roasted veggies, adding it to chocolate-based desserts, and using it to season steaks, burgers, and fish.

What Is The Daily Recommended Salt Intake

Although salt is an essential nutrient required for many biological processes, excess amounts can lead to high blood pressure, renal dysfunction, stroke, and heart disease. People with these conditions should consume less than 1,500 mg of salt per day.

Regardless of which type of salt you are consuming, moderation is key. The American Heart Association recommends limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day, which is roughly how much sodium is in one teaspoon of table salt.

Also Check: Blood Pressure 200 Over 100

Common Smoked Salt Uses

If you think your dish could use a little more aroma and richness, then smoked salt is perfect for your kitchen. The creative possibilities to explore is infinite with the wide range of flavour options available, a few of which will be mentioned here.

• You can use it as a salt rub for your meats

Take your meats to another level with some smoked salt, or smoked salt mixed with herb and spice rub. Burger patties, chicken, tuna, salmon, steak, or simply anything will benefit from the rich boldness of smoke.

• Use it on your sweet dishes

Looking to try something new? Have you explored adding smoked salt to your sweet dishes? A taste of some salted caramel ice cream will have you wanting more. How about a sprinkle on some fresh fruit? Or a Smoky bourbon syrup.

• Sprinkle it on your breakfast

You can sprinkle some smoked salt on your avocado or eggs, if your breakfast seems bland.

• In lieu of grilling

Just in case you want some flame-grilled flavour without the trouble of actually grilling the dish, or perhaps you cant access a BBQ or grill at all, then smoked salt is the friend you need.

Anything from meat to seafood to veggies, can benefit from a smoked salts touch.

• You can garnish your drink with it

Enjoy a cocktail experience with some smoked salt on the rim of a Tommys margarita or bloody mary.

• Used in stews, sauces, soups and marinades

If your dishes are in need of smokiness, add some smoked salt.

• Use it to season a snack

Body Weight Feed Intake Fer And Salt Intake

Body weight, feed intake and FER are presented in Table 1. Initial body weight of SS8 group was significantly higher than the other groups except for RS8 group. However, the mean final weight of RS8 group was significantly lower than all other groups . Body weight gain of CON, SS4, and RS4 groups did not differ, but that of RS8 group was the lowest followed by SS8 group . Feed intake of CON group was the lowest and that of SS8 group the highest with the other three groups being similar. Although the food intakes were variable, sodium intake between the RS4 and SS4 and between the RS8 and SS8 rats were similar . This was due to larger amount of food consumption by the SS groups despite the RS diet containing a higher salt content than the SS diet. The fact that SS diets were consumed at a higher rate than the RS diets may be an indication that the chow with SS was more palatable to the rats. This also precludes salt consumption as the source of differences seen the parameters that were measured between the RS4 and SS4 groups and between the RS8 and SS8 groups.

Recommended Reading: How Do You Treat Low Blood Pressure

Hydration Blood Pressure And More

In general, salt can help you maintain adequate hydration and blood pressure levels.

Since sodium plays a vital role in fluid balance, not getting enough of it can lead to dehydration, especially during high-intensity exercise (

8 ).

Therefore, consuming either too little or too much sodium can lead to changes in blood pressure in those who are sensitive to dietary salt .

Eating sea salt can help you meet your sodium needs, but you can also get sodium from a variety of other foods.

Is Sea Salt Healthier Than Table Salt

Topics in this Post

• Get healthy recipes and tips

Sea salt has become increasingly popular. It’s seen as a main ingredient in many desserts and snacks, and many recipes call for it by name. Often, terms such as “organic,” “natural” and “pure” also accompany products that contain sea salt, alluding that it’s a healthy alternative to table salt. But is it really a reason to put the salt shaker back on the table?

Also Check: What To Eat To Lower High Blood Pressure

Flavor Packets And Condiments Are Teeming With Salt

Instead of using the salty flavor packets that come in boxes of macaroni and rice dishes, make your own flavorings with fresh ingredients. By using fresh herbs and spices, you can infuse plenty of flavor into your dishes without any additional sodium. Consider seasoning your meals with lemon juice, ground pepper, cumin, garlic, onion powder, and fresh herbs.

Also, be careful about pouring on condiments. Ketchup has about 150 mg of sodium per tablespoon, and soy sauce can pack almost a whopping 1,000 mg of sodium per tablespoon.

How Are Sea Salt And Table Salt Made

As the name suggests, sea salt is made by evaporating seawater. The salt left over from evaporation is not processed, or processed very little, so it retains traces of minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium. The crystals are bigger than in table salt and add some crunch when sprinkled on food.

In contrast, table salt is mined from salt deposits. Table salt is processed to make it both purer and finer, thereby removing any natural minerals it may contain. Table salt is then fortified with additives to prevent it from clumping together. One important additive in table salt is the mineral iodine, which helps make thyroid hormones and thus contributes to thyroid health.

Also Check: Does Advil Raise Your Blood Pressure

How Much Sodium Per Day With High Blood Pressure

While everyone needs salt each day to exist and to optimize the bodys function, those with high blood pressure will need to watch their salt intake. Most adults need about 1,500 mg of sodium each day until about the age of 50, after which the daily requirement drops to 1,300 mg, with another drop to 1,200 after 70.

Generally, the sodium limit is 2,300 mg a day, though many people actually get closer to 3,000 mg a day due to poor diets and food choices. Those with high blood pressure need even less, and many experts recommend no more than 2,000 mg a day.

How Does Salt Increase Blood Pressure

When you eat too much salt or sodium, extra water is retained in the bloodstream to flush out the salt from the body. This makes your kidneys work overtime to release chemicals such as renin and angiotensin, which cause the blood vessels to narrow and blood pressure to increase temporarily.

Additionally, the renin-angiotensin spike causes the release of another hormone called aldosterone, which increases blood pressure through water retention. Consistent high intake of salt thus results in a constant increase in blood pressure, eventually leading to hypertension.

Additionally, excess salt consumption causes hardening of the blood vessels, leading to increased resistance in the small arteries. This causes the heart to have to work harder to pump blood, resulting in hypertrophy of the heart muscle. Over time, the heart is unable to pump the blood with increased force, causing gradual weakening of the muscle.

Improves respiratory health: It is believed that salt therapy, which involves the inhalation of air infused with salt, is beneficial for respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease . However, more research on this point is needed.

Prevents dehydration: Salt is necessary to maintain adequate and balanced hydration levels in the body. Getting enough salt, especially before or after vigorous exercise, is important to prevent dehydration caused by lost water and salt, a condition called hyponatremia.

Read Also: What Causes High Blood Pressure In Young Adults

Which Salt Is Best For High Blood Pressure Why

Sodium chloride is the main mineral in sea salt.

The sodium ion is the electrolyte that regulates and balances the fluid in our body, sends electrical signals to the nervous system and balances the blood pressure. Lack or insufficient it in our body can result in Hyponatremia which causes dehydration, confusion, muscle spasm, seizure and even death.

Excess sodium can cause your body to retain water, and when you eat too much of it, your body can retain too much water which can increase your blood pressure and putting more strain on your heart, kidney, arteries and brain. This can result in stroke, kidney problem, heart attack and dementia.

Sea salt contains almost the same amount of sodium chloride as our common table salt. So, using too much of it for cooking is not different from using too much table salt.

American Heart Association recommends that one should not consume more than 2,300 milligrams of salt daily. For a person with high blood pressure reducing your salt intake to 1000 to 1500 milligrams daily will help to improve your blood pressure.

Dead sea salt in its basic form is not edible because it has a bitter taste due to the high amount of other minerals like magnesium and bromine in it. But it has a lower amount of sodium. Using it for therapeutic purpose can help to reduce high blood pressure and some of its triggers.

How Exactly Does Salt Affect Blood Pressure

Salt contributes to a rise in blood sodium, which increases fluid volume. It makes sense that this would lead to higher blood pressure. But it seems that for every study that supports this theory, there is another one that contradicts it.

How can there be such conflicting evidence out there?

Human beings have bio-individual responses to salt, affected by many different factors, particularly kidney function. The kidneys are responsible for eliminating sodium from the body and regulating fluid balance.

Kidney function is complex and varies greatly depending on age, genetics, and lifestyle factors. This may explain why the link between blood pressure and salt intake isnt so clear.

Also Check: What Are The Dangers Of Low Blood Pressure

Eating Salt When You Have High Blood Pressure

Salt is essential to our bodies. Normally your kidneys control your level of salt. If you consume too much salt, the kidneys pass it into the urine. But when our salt intake levels are very high, the kidneys might not be able to keep up, and the salt can remain in the body.

Salt attracts water to balance the concentration in the blood. When there is too much salt in the blood, the salt draws more water into the blood. More water increases the volume of blood, which raises blood pressure.

Blood pressure refers to the amount of pressure on the walls of your arteries. Think of a garden hose. When the water is off, there is no pressure on the walls of the hose. When the water is on halfway, there is some pressure on the walls of the hose. When the water is on full the way, there is more pressure on the walls of the hose.

Frozen Meals Can Be Freakishly Salty

The frozen foods section of your grocery store can be another hiding place for salt. A single slice of a frozen pizza can contain up 750 mg of sodium and who eats just one? A single serving of frozen meatloaf might have 900 mg.

All that excess salt causes your body to retain fluid, which will not only leaving you feeling bloated, but can also lead to high blood pressure. Look for low-sodium options, or better yet, cook your own meals from scratch in bulk, and freeze leftovers for days you dont feel like cooking.

You May Like: Does Thick Blood Cause High Blood Pressure

Measurement Of Blood Pressure

Blood pressure was measured in week 1, 2, 3, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 by tail cuff method using LE 5002 Storage Pressure Meter . The rats were kept at 3234°C in temperature-controlled heating chamber for 15 min before the cuff was fitted to the tail for 5 min. Blood pressure was measured five times, and the lowest value was used for the results.

Myth : Pink/black/rock/sea/himalayan Salt Is Better For You Than Other Types Of Salt

You might have seen some varieties of salt advertised as having extra health benefits that regular table salt doesnt, like containing minerals that are good for your body. Consumer advocacy group CHOICE say that Australians should be wary of these kinds of health claims, as the minerals found in salts like Himalayan Sea Salt are often present only in very small amounts.

Himalayan salt, sea salt, rock salt, black salt, pink salt, unicorn salt in the end, its all still salt. Upping your salt intake to try and get the benefits of an advertised mineral might lead you to consume far too much salt, putting yourself at risk of disease.

If youre looking for a great way to get healthy minerals and other nutrients in your diet, fruits and veggies are a great source of these. Head on over to the Healthier. Happier. Colour Wheel to find out what nutrients are in your favourite fruit and veggies.

You May Like: How To Raise Low Blood Pressure

How Much Is Too Much Salt

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Americans consume an average of 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day. Yet we should consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium or one teaspoon per day.

Because 75% of the excess sodium in American diets comes from prepared and processed foods, the FDA has asked food companies and restaurants to lower their sodium levels over the next 10 years.

Meanwhile, heres what you can do to lower your sodium intake:

• Avoid processed foods. Anything that comes in a box, bag or can or thats labeled quick and easy may be loaded with sodium.
• Ask restaurants to hold the salt. When dining out, ask that foods be prepared without adding salt and ask for low sodium menu options.
• Always read labels. Pay special attention to soups and processed meats like deli meats, hot dogs, sausage and ham. Theyre packed with sodium.
• Buy salt-free snacks. Choose low sodium or salt free varieties of crackers, nuts or snack foods to munch on. Consider naturally salt free whole foods such as yogurt, fresh fruit or vegetables.
• Flavor foods with herbsspices, fresh garlic or onion. Hold the salt. Herbs wont raise blood pressure, and many have anti-inflammatory benefits.