Different Types Of Salt

Salt in food is like a soul in the body. In addition to giving food flavour and making it more pleasant, salt preserves food, lowers its bitterness, and sources sodium for the body.

Salt is such a prominent ingredient that we hardly ever explore it is typed. Table salt, rock and black salt are major types people are aware of. However, there are several varieties of salt, each with a unique flavour, colour, and texture. 

Table Of Content 

1. What Is Salt?

2. Do You Know How Many Types Of Salt Are?

3. Symptoms Of Salt Deficiency And Salt Restriction

4. Advantages Of Salt

5. The Final Say

6. FAQs

What Is Salt?

Sodium chloride, found in salt water and other rock formations, is used to make salt. It exists worldwide, from France to Pakistan. Salt provides the body with sodium in addition to improving food flavour. The sodium in it helps transmit electrical signals to the brain and other body parts. It was once a form of payment in Ancient Roman times.

Salt contains anti-bacterial properties and has been used to clean utensils since ancient times. Various types of salt have different effects on food. To obtain the maximum flavour and benefit from salt, it's critical to understand the different varieties and their properties.

Types Of Salt

1. Table Salt

Table salt, commonly known as iodised salt, contains potassium iodide and an anti-caking agent to avoid lumping. It is very finely grained and can only be used in limited quantities. As baking requires less salt, table salt is used in savoury dishes. 

2. Kosher Salt

Kosher salt is regarded as the best salt to use since it dissolves fast, and the texture is also less coarse. In Jewish cuisine, kosher salt is generally used and is mainly used in all processes,  including cooking, baking, finishing, and curing. There is no metallic taste or smell to kosher salt.

3. Himalayan Pink Salt

Nowadays days, everyone rants about how healthy Himalayan pink salt is. It is mainly produced in the Khewra salt mine in the Himalayan Mountains in Pakistan.

Himalayan pink salt contains 84 minerals that are present in the human body. It's an expensive salt with a strong flavour used to garnish the dishes.

It is a form of rock salt filled with minerals and elements that benefit the human body. It also removes toxins from the meat.

4. Sea Salt 

Sea salt is made from evaporated sea water. The salinity of this salt depends on where it is produced. It typically has a medium grain size that is less coarse and has a distinct flavour.

This salt preserves sea nutrients, and minerals generally lost in refined salts. Iodine, potassium, zinc, and other complex flavours are all present in it.

5. Celtic Grey Sea Salt

Celtic grey sea salt produced on the coast of France (the Atlantic tidal ponds) is also known as grey salt. The grey colour salt is obtained due to the minerals it absorbs from evaporating water. They are primarily utilised while roasting or grilling vegetables, meat, or shellfish.

6. Flower Of Salt (Fleur De Sel)

Salt from the coast of Brittany is also harvested from sea water evaporation which is the reason it smells and tastes like the sea. It is the sticky and moist one. Due to the presence of moisture, the salinity of the salt stays on the tongue for a long.

7. Flake Salt 

This salt, which is flaky and has a variety of textures and shapes, is obtained by evaporating seawater. Flake salt is low in minerals, pungent in taste, and expensive.

8. Red Hawaiian Salt 

This salt is made up of volcanic clay rich in iron oxide. It tastes like nuts. Due to its vibrant red colour, this salt is used to season dishes.

9. Black Hawaiian Salt

This salt has a strong flavour and is formed from a combination of sea salt and activated charcoal. Additionally, it has an earthy flavour and is used to sprinkle on finished dishes.

10.  Smoked Salt 

This salt is cold-smoked for up to two weeks using wood (such as alder, apple, hickory, or mesquite). The flavour of the salt is purely on how long it is smoked and the type of wood used. Due to its smoky flavour, it is typically used for spicy meals like BBQ.

11. Himalayan Black Salt

Himalayan Black Salt, Also known as Kala namak, is a common ingredient in every household. It is produced by cooking salt over charcoal for a day. People use it in vegan recipes to taste like eggs since they claim it smells like boiling eggs.

12. Pickling Salt

 This salt contains no minerals and iodine, and it is coarse in texture and primarily used as a pickling or caking agent.

13.  Salt Powder 

Salt Powder is mainly used on a larger scale to make soups, batters, and sauces. It is also used to season salads and coat snack mixes. As the name implies, it is magnificent in texture and comes in powder form, giving a uniform taste to the meals.

Symptoms Of Salt Deficiency And Salt Restriction

Excessive salt restriction can have adverse effects on your body and result in health issues. Since salt contains sodium, the body needs it for some functions.

Here are some symptoms of salt insufficiency that you could experience.

• Higher risk of heart attack
• Irritability
• Headache
• Weakness
• Muscle cramps
• Low hydration in the body
• Cognitive decline in the elderly mostly

Advantages Of Salt

1. It Helps To Keep You Hydrated

A correct potassium and salt balance is necessary to keep your body hydrated. Only a high blood sodium level causes swelling. Sea salt is preferable to table salt and sodium chloride, making pink Himalayan pink and Celtic salt healthier.

2. Encourages Healthy Vascular Function

The research showing that sea salt reduces heart disease markers directly contradicts decades of advice against using salt in diets. It is only essential to know which salt you are using. Sea salt is beneficial in preventing cardiac problems.

3. Prevents Muscle Cramps And Maintains Electrolyte Balance

The calcium, potassium, magnesium, and sodium found in sea salt help lessen cramping and maintain electrolyte balance. Electrolyte deficiency can result in weariness, heart palpitations, nausea, and seizures.

4. Promotes A Healthy Nervous System

The nervous system needs salt to transmit and receive electrical signals. The brain needs a perfect balance of electrolytes, which can only be produced when we regularly take the correct quantity of salt. Sodium is known to control water flow in the body.

5. Enhances Sleep

Sea salt includes electrolytes that control hormones. Nutritionists and medical professionals advise against consuming a lot of salt before sleep to promote restful sleep and hormone balance.

Using table salt instead of sea salt will help you sleep well and feel less hungry and thirsty.

The Final Say 

Salt is an essential spice to improve the flavour of the meal. Providing potassium and electrolyte balance is crucial in preserving health and promoting better sleep. Various types of salt are readily available worldwide, and each has a distinct flavour, colour, and texture.

FAQs

1. Are salt and sodium similar?

No, sodium and salt are not similar. We get about 90% of the sodium from salt.

2. What medical conditions do high salt diets link to?

Kidney diseases, high blood pressure and stroke are the most common diseases linked with high salt intake.

3. How much is sodium intake advised regularly?

As per USDA, 2300mg is the ideal daily salt requirement for adults, a teaspoon of table salt.

4. What is the recommended dose for adults and diabetics?

People over 50 years of age or diabetic are advised to consume not more than 1500mg/day of salt. 

5. Does the human body crave a specific number of salts every day?

No, it depends on the quantity you eat, e.g. You consume more salt regularly,  crave more and vice versa.

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