Table salt VS Rock salt – which is better for your health?

We consume salt every day but do you know which type is better for your health? Find out.

By: Kriti Saraswat | | Published: April 7, 2014 1:12 pm

Salt is an important ingredient of our diet which adds flavour to food but too much of it can cause several health problems such as high BP, obesity, inflammation and more. Though you should moderate the quantity of salt you eat in a day, you should also pay attention to which kind of salt is better. Most of us use table salt on a daily basis but many believe that rock salt is a healthier choice. Is that so? Let’s find out. Poonam Singh, a Clinical Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Educator lists out certain pointers to help you make an informed choice.

Says Poonam, ‘When it comes to salt, what one should worry about is its sodium content which is more or less the same in both the types. As far as the mineral content goes that can be covered up by eating a variety of food groups. The golden rule is salt is salt whether it is the expensive rock salt or the commonly used table salt. If an individual consumes high amounts of salt, it may put you at risk of developing hypertension.’

As per the American Heart Association, the recommended intake of sodium is no more than 1500 mg/day. Once you manage to keep this quantity in-check, you can use any salt which pleases your taste buds and also switch from one to the other from time to time.

Poonam warns that many food items have naturally occurring sodium in them so it is best to refrain from adding salt in your salads, curd, fruits, etc. If you find eating them raw too bland, experiment with flavours such as lime, pepper, chilli flakes or dried herbs. These will improve their taste yet not increase your salt content.

You may also like to read:

For more articles on choosing healthy foods, visit our choose healthy section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.

Published : April 7, 2014 1:12 pm

Read Disclaimer

6 tips to beat muscle cramps

A step-by-step guide to do the Surya Namaskar (Gallery)

About The health Site

Useful Links