November 13, 2015 · Written by Foodtolive Team
Coarse Sea Salt: a Potent Medication and a Delicious Seasoning
Coarse sea salt is one of the numerous types of salts that are available today. This salt is becoming more and more popular due to its particular properties. Firstly, this is widely used in culinary due to the distinct briny taste. Secondly, being a real treasury of minerals, coarse sea salt is considered to be a reliable natural remedy for treating certain health disorders.
Peculiarities of Coarse Sea Salt
This kind of salt is produced through evaporating of ocean or sea water by the sun, and isn’t subjected to any processing. This means that this doesn’t contain any harmful additives or substances, as well as isn’t iodized and bleached. As a result, coarse sea salt possesses better taste characteristics and preserves more healthful qualities than other kinds of this food product. This salt consists of irregular crystals 1 to 3 mm in size, and may be of different colors – from slightly grey to pink or brown. The color depends on the place of its production. For example, coarse sea salt made from the water of the Pacific Ocean is light grey, which is the color we’ve got used to.
Nutritional Value of Coarse Sea Salt
Depending on the place of production, sea salt can contain 75 to 90 trace minerals – about 1/3 of the whole periodical table of elements, including magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, iron, bromide, and many others. The two main compounds are sodium and chloride, but due to the presence of a large amount of minerals, their percentage is lower than that of the other types of salt. This means that consuming coarse sea salt, you intake less sodium, which can be appreciated by those people who need or want to decrease its consumption. The content of trace minerals isn’t high, but taking into consideration the fact that we eat salt with many dishes every day, the overall consumption of these vitally important substances is essential.
Health Benefits of Coarse Sea Salt
This type of salt is widely used in both official and natural medicine. This is helpful in treating many diseases and relieving certain health conditions, such as:
- Supporting electrolytic balance.
The proper cellular functioning of the body is maintained by ionized body fluids that conduct electric current. This is important for transmission of nerve impulses between the cells of the nervous system. Minerals are an inseparable part of this process, as they play the role of ions. The decrease in their number may instantly cause electrolytic misbalance, which can result in disorders in blood composition and circulation, as well as affect the overall functioning of the body. - Psoriasis.
Different skin conditions, including such a dangerous disease as psoriasis and its complication – psoriatic arthritis – can be cured with baths containing coarse sea salt. Studies have shown that people suffering from these health disorders began to feel better after several séances of treatment. Salt baths reduce spinal pains and improve flexibility of the spine. - Arthritis.
Baths with coarse sea salt have proved to be helpful in the treatment of different kinds of arthritis. These baths provide anti-inflammatory long lasting effect due to the healing properties of minerals. - Rhinosinusitis.
Solutions with sea salt are often used for nasal irrigation and sprays. This is an old natural remedy, which makes a good alternative to patent medications. These solutions provide anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic treatment without any side effects. They eliminate swelling and relieve congestion.Sponsored by Food to live
- Spasms, cramps, and pains.
Muscle fatigue and tension are the main consequences of the buildup of toxins in the body. Magnesium and potassium found in coarse sea salt provide detoxifying as well as rejuvenating effect. Baths enriched with minerals maintain muscular strength, sooth pains, and eliminate spasms. - Asthma.
Coarse sea salt may act as a medication for a quick relief of bronchospasm. In urgent cases, if you have no inhaler at hand, put several grains of the salt on your tongue and drink some water. This will ease breathing. On the whole, sea salt reduces inflammation in the respiratory system due to the lowering of mucus production and providing a certain anti-bacterial effect. - Cardiovascular diseases.
Calcium, potassium, and magnesium are vitally important for maintaining heart and vessel health. These minerals improve the circulation of blood, regulate heartbeat, relieve stress, and strengthen the arteries, preventing atherosclerosis. Coarse sea salt lowers cholesterol levels and helps prevent heart attacks. - Dehydration.
In certain cases, the state of dehydration may present a threat to a person’s life. Chronic dehydration may lead to a kidney disease, stress, chronic fatigue, and other health disorders. In urgent cases, such as vomiting, the intake of water solutions with coarse sea salt is necessary. Salt helps hold water in the body, and minerals regulate water balance. - Obesity.
Salt is necessary for the production of the digestive juices. Its insufficient intake can result in constipation and having excess weight. - Skin problems.
Coarse sea salt is one of the best remedies for the treatment of oily skin. This often provokes the buildup of dead skin cells and dirt, which block the pores and cause the inflammation, acne, as well as other unpleasant conditions. Scrubs with coarse sea salt mixed with ingredients such as oils, honey, and some others, provide deep cleansing of the skin.
The Benefits of Coarse Sea Salt in Cooking
This kind of salt is used in foods and on foods. It dissolves quickly in boiling and warm water, so it can be used in soups, stews, salad dressings, and other usual dishes. However, it’s more interesting to use this on foods, by creating a salt crust just before a dish is ready. For example, this is a great finishing touch for sweet desserts, baked foods, and caramels. Large crystals of this salt, being sprinkled over the foods, create a briny flavor and crunchy texture, giving you the possibility to enjoy contrasts. Nowadays, there are lots of recipes that are made specially to be cooked with coarse sea salt.
What You Should Pay Attention to While Buying This Salt
The choice of the most suitable kind of coarse sea salt can be challenging because of the great number of various types of this food product. To buy the salt of good quality, pay attention to:
- Sea salts of white color are surely refined. Your choice should be made among unrefined ones, and these can be gray, beige, red, and of some other colors. This depends on the place where they have been harvested and the content of minerals. This doesn’t mean that the darkest or the most colorful salt is richer in minerals. Very often, only one or two minerals influence this feature.
- Mineral content. You can learn about this only from the label. Certainly, not all the minerals will be marked there, but only those with the largest content. For the additional information, you can refer to the manufacturer.
- Coarse sea salt may be packaged with a little moisture. It’s done for keeping the trace minerals in a better condition.
- Grain size. The grain size of unrefined coarse sea salt is 1 to 3mm.
- The date of manufacture. You should know that this product’s shelf life is up to 10 years.
How to Store This Food Product
Coarse sea salt should be kept in a container with a tight fitting lid in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. In the kitchen, keep the salt in a ceramic, glass, or wooden container. Only under these conditions, this will preserve its flavor and healthful qualities.
Precautions
The daily intake of this kind of salt (as well as any other) shouldn’t exceed 1,500 to 2,300mg. Larger consumption increases the risk for high blood pressure and heart disease.
