I’m enjoying our conversation, Sarah, because I believe we both want to be truthful. I still have to disagree with you, however. I’ve done some further research — the actual sodium content in salt — both table and sea salt — is around 40% — the rest is chloride with trace minerals (sea salt) or an anti-clumping agent with or without iodine (minerals removed) for table salt. According to http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/consumer/wellness/disease-prevention/heart-disease-stroke/sodiumsalt.html : “Table salt, sea salt, and kosher salt have the same amount of sodium. This means that one kind is not healthier than the others.” I’ve checked numerous other sources as well. I truly appreciate your thoughts and comments.

Thank you for your response Penny. I should have been more clear, yes they both contain sodium chloride. However, to call them similar products is inaccurate. Sea salt contains about 84% sodium chloride with about 12% charged minerals (a great mineral source for us). Whereas processed/refined salt contains about 97% sodium chloride and 3% chemicals from processing and some iodine. That makes these two very different. You can not just compare the sodium chloride it’s the mineral content vs. toxic chemicals that make one a health food and the other a health concern.

As a side note, in my research as a nutritionist, I have found The Mayo Clinic to be an unreliable source for consistently accurate nutrition information.

I am not looking to be right… just truthful.

Thank you for your comment. However, the information is not inaccurate. All salt comes from the same source: sea water. The iodine added to table salt (although it is possible to buy table salt without iodine) stems back to the 1900’s when it was added to help treat goiter that was a result of iodine deficiency. This is still an issue in some parts of the world.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Sea salt and table salt have the same basic nutritional value, despite the fact that 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, not their chemical makeup.”