Sea Salt

I would like to clarify the difference between iodized/kosher table salt and unprocessed sea salt. To do this, I quote Donna Gates, author of The Body Ecology Diet. "We haven't been eating salt in this country. We have been eating this stuff in a blue cardboard box that has a little girl with an umbrella on it, and that's not really salt. In order to make that stuff, they took salt and refined all the minerals out of it, they put in sugar, bicarbonate of soda and lots of other chemicals. They really honestly should not be allowed to call that stuff salt. It confused millions of Americans for generations and generations into thinking that they were eating salt. Then we ran into problems with blood pressure."
Iodized table salt has had all the minerals removed by processing that uses chemicals such as sulfuric acid, chlorine, and hydrochloric acid. The salt is then heated to temperatures around 400 degrees to dry it completely. Usage of this type of salt can lead to excess iodine buildup in the body and impair thyroid function. But unprocessed sea salt has numerous minerals including iodine (not just sodium and iodine) and does not throw the body out of balance.
Unprocessed sea salt, such as Celtic brand hand-harvested sun-dried sea salt, clumps together and does not work in a saltshaker. This type of salt is either pinched out or used in a salt grinder (similar to a pepper grinder). When a salt grinder is not available, I soak the hard salt crystals in a small amount of water and then pour the water on my food. This is the only type of salt that I recommend. There are several companies that package unprocessed sea salt other than Celtic brand. I harvest and sun-dry my own sea salt, but that's a topic for another book.
Most health food stores sell sea salt that has anticaking agents and is less processed than iodized table salt. I suggest going for the better unprocessed salts. They cost a little more but are worth it because of their heath benefits and their wonderful flavor! Real unprocessed salt is very alkalinizing to the tissues and loaded with trace minerals. But don't overdo it; use this food in very small amounts.