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Old 03-14-2007, 12:38 AM  
notabook
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Join Date: Apr 2006
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paterson3713 View Post
Please enlighten me with the facts; I'm always down for learning.
Table salt has nothing in it that makes it, in your own words, "build up in your arteries". Perhaps you are thinking about cholesterol?

Table salt is primarily made up of sodium and chloride (same as sea salt). The main difference in table salt from sea salt is it contains trace amounts of iodide; if you do not get sufficient iodide intake, you are subject to various health problems (most commonly goiter) and eventually lack of iodide will lead to death. Table salt also contains some magnesium carbonate to prevent the salt from sticking together.

Table salt content is at a minimum 95% sodium/chloride, the remainder of which is magnesium carbonate and iodide (usually either potassium iodide or iodate). Typically, the majority of table salt is made by shooting water into salt deposits (a salt mine), then evaporating the slurry until just the salt remains.

Sea Salt contains up to 4x more magnesium than table salt has in it. It also has a rather large amount of sulfate in it which may give it its more unique taste.
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