by TC Luoma
That expensive salt really isn't worth it. In fact, it could be causing a deficiency. Here's why.
"Sea salt is healthier than table salt."
Okay, maybe your fancy pink sea salt contains a few more nano particles of certain elements like calcium, iron, copper, and a few others, but they're trace elements.
For instance, a teaspoon of sea salt contains around .2 mg of iron. That's fine, but your daily value of iron, if you're a man, is about 8 mg. If you're a woman, it's about 18 mg. Either way, if you're depending on sea salt to fulfill your daily requirements for certain minerals, you're not a human – you're a flounder.
You Need Iodine
It's true that table salt is heavily processed and has virtually no trace elements, but it usually has what sea salt is missing, and that's iodine.
The Morton Salt Company started adding the chemical to their table salt back in 1924 because too many people who lived far away from the ocean weren't getting any seafood and hence little to no iodine. Huge thyroid nodules and goiters became commonplace and a significant portion of America looked like a traveling circus freak show.
Kids in the 4H club would take their parents and grandparents to the state fair to show off their prodigious goiters and hopefully take home the first-place ribbon. Okay maybe not, but it was bad.
And because of all the attention fancy salts have been getting, iodine deficiencies and thyroid problems (e.g., a malfunctioning metabolism, nodules, and even goiters) are again on the rise.
So put away your pink Himalayan sea salt. Or add least add some plain old iodized salt to your pantry.
