Re: Hawaiian Deep Sea Salt

[Guest guest]

Hi Tom!

I think this is a classic case of numerical placebo nutrition because the

differences between this and other unrefined sea salts is statistically

irrelevant for any given mineral, especially for macro-minerals like calcium

and magnesium. It's like the difference between eating or not eating that

tiny piece of kale that slipped out of your salad bowl or stuck to the side

of the soup pot. We're talking about incredibly tiny quantities here.

I think the only thing that matters is that you're getting trace minerals

from it, and those aren't even given in the data, and the variation would be

so large for such trace amounts that the data wouldn't be relevant anyway.

It comes down to questions like " Did my one serving of kimchi yesterday have

that one atom of zirconium that might have been in that tablespoon of sea

salt I made it with? " .

Or maybe that doesn't even matter at all if you're getting trace minerals

from other seafoods, whether plant or animal. Here's a question I don't have

the answer to: Suppose you consumed an amount of sea veggies and refined

salt (mostly NaCl) that supplied exactly the same minerals in exactly the

same quantities as the unrefined sea salt you would consume otherwise? Is

there any difference in health effects?

My advice is to either harvest the salt yourself to save money, or to buy

the most affordable unrefined sea salt available from a source you can trust

to be uncontaminated, also eating sea veggies on a regular basis, which are

quite affordable. The sea veggies are a better source of the minerals

anyway, and have other nutritional benefits. Either way you save a ton of

money compared to ridiculously overpriced exotic sea salts.

That said, I actually did buy a container of that same salt you're talking

about in a store once because I was in a bind and needed it right away to

make a batch of kimchi and it was the only option at the time.

-Mike

On Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 8:59 AM, <tjeanne@...> wrote:

>

>

> I wrote Selina Naturally (www.celticseasalt.com) for the mineral analysis

> of their Hawaiian Deep Sea Salt, which has the highest non-NaCl content I've

> seen. It has high amounts of sulfate, magnesium, and calcium in addition to

> trace minerals. It is " extracted from 2,000 feet below the surface off the

> coast of Kona. "

>

> Sample Name Selina Naturallyâ„¢ Hawaiian Deep Sea Salt

> Calcium (%) 0.95

> Chloride (%) 48.45

> Copper (ppm) 0.01

> Iron (ppm) 0.32

> Lead (ppm) 0.002

> Magnesium (%) 1.83

> Moisture (%) 13.97

> Potassium (%) 0.65

> Settleable Solids

> (10% solution) < 0.01

> Sodium (%) 28.45

> Sulfate (%) 4.73

> Zinc (ppm) 0.19

>

> pH (10% solution) 10.22

>

> The analysis only adds up to slightly over 99%. I wish they would include

> the complete analysis--what do they have to hide? Trace minerals? Mercury or

> other toxins? Regardless of that and the high price ($15 for a half pound) I

> think I'm going to order some, unless someone has found another source for

> salt with a similarly high mineral content.

>

> http://www.celticseasalt.com/Selina_Naturally_8482_br_Ha_C342.cfm

>

> Tom

>

[Guest guest]

Good points, Mike. I was also thinking the flavor might be different or better

with the additional macrominerals even though they aren't necessary if one is

eating nutrient-dense foods. But it's probably not worth the high price when

there are so many unrefined sea salts out there.

I do have a couple of shakers of sea veggie flakes that I use for seasoning.

Thanks for reminding me, though--I often forget about them and just use salt and

pepper.

Tom

> Hi Tom!

>

> I think this is a classic case of numerical placebo nutrition because the

> differences between this and other unrefined sea salts is statistically

> irrelevant for any given mineral, especially for macro-minerals like calcium

> and magnesium. It's like the difference between eating or not eating that

> tiny piece of kale that slipped out of your salad bowl or stuck to the side

> of the soup pot. We're talking about incredibly tiny quantities here.

>

> I think the only thing that matters is that you're getting trace minerals

> from it, and those aren't even given in the data, and the variation would be

> so large for such trace amounts that the data wouldn't be relevant anyway.

> It comes down to questions like " Did my one serving of kimchi yesterday have

> that one atom of zirconium that might have been in that tablespoon of sea

> salt I made it with? " .

>

> Or maybe that doesn't even matter at all if you're getting trace minerals

> from other seafoods, whether plant or animal. Here's a question I don't have

> the answer to: Suppose you consumed an amount of sea veggies and refined

> salt (mostly NaCl) that supplied exactly the same minerals in exactly the

> same quantities as the unrefined sea salt you would consume otherwise? Is

> there any difference in health effects?

>

> My advice is to either harvest the salt yourself to save money, or to buy

> the most affordable unrefined sea salt available from a source you can trust

> to be uncontaminated, also eating sea veggies on a regular basis, which are

> quite affordable. The sea veggies are a better source of the minerals

> anyway, and have other nutritional benefits. Either way you save a ton of

> money compared to ridiculously overpriced exotic sea salts.

>

> That said, I actually did buy a container of that same salt you're talking

> about in a store once because I was in a bind and needed it right away to

> make a batch of kimchi and it was the only option at the time.