Is Sea Salt Healthier Than Table Salt?

Sea Salt vs. Table Salt

You see it all the time, "flavored with sea salt", "New french fries with sea salt". But is sea salt really any healthier for you than table salt?

We went to the Mayo Clinic for the answer. Sea salt and table salt mostly consist of two minerals — sodium and chloride. However, sea salt is often marketed as a more natural and healthy alternative. The real differences between sea salt and table salt are in their taste, texture and processing. By weight, sea salt and table salt contain about the same amount of sodium chloride. So at face value it seems one isn't really healthier than the other, sea salt may taste slightly different (more flavor).

According to Mayo Clinic Nurtritionist Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.

Your body needs only a couple hundred milligrams (mg) a day to stay healthy, but most people get far too much — mostly from sodium in processed foods. So regardless of which type of salt you prefer, keep sodium consumption between 1,500 and 2,300 mg of sodium a day if you're a healthy adult. People with high blood pressure, African-Americans and anyone middle-aged or older should aim for the low end of that range.