Sea salt vs table salt: sodium, iodine and what is in the jar

It is one of the most common questions about salt: is sea salt healthier than table salt? The honest answer is that salt is salt, but what comes with it, and how much you use, can be different.

Sodium

By weight, sea salt and table salt are both almost entirely sodium chloride, so a gram of one has about the same sodium as a gram of the other. Where they differ is volume. Large, hollow flakes take up more space than fine grains, so a teaspoon of flaky salt weighs less than a teaspoon of table salt. And because flakes dissolve fast on the tongue, many people find they need less of it to make food taste properly seasoned.

Iodine

Iodine is an important nutrient, and in the US much of the table salt sold is iodized. Saltverk has no added iodine; it is just salt from seawater. If you rely on iodized salt for iodine, it is worth knowing, and other common sources include dairy, eggs and seafood. If you have questions about your diet, your doctor is the right person to ask.

Additives

Fine table salt often contains an anti-caking agent so it pours in humid weather. Our salt has nothing added: no anti-caking agents, no bleaching. That is why flakes can clump a little in a steamy kitchen, so keep the lid on and store the jar away from the stove.

Purity and testing

Sea salt is only as clean as the water it comes from. Ours comes from Arctic seawater in a remote fjord in the Westfjords of Iceland, far from industry and shipping lanes, and every batch is third-party tested for heavy metals.

Taste

This is where the difference is easiest to feel. Table salt is sharp and fast. Good flaky sea salt is crisp, clean and briny, with no bitterness. It turns salt from a background seasoning into part of the dish.

This article is general information about food, not medical advice.