Salt Decoded: A Closer Look at the Crystals in your Cupboard

Salt is everywhere; in our kitchens, on our plates and in our bodies. Whether from mountains or from the sea, there seems to be a salt for everything – but how do we know which salt to reach for?

Let’s be honest: most of us season our food without much thought beyond flavour. But each type of salt carries its own unique fingerprint; in taste and in function. From supporting nerve health to adding that perfect crunch on a jacket potato, salt does more than we give it credit for. Here are some of the most popular salts I get asked about, explained.

Table Salt - The Classic

This is the salt we all grew up with; white, fine, and reliable. It's refined down to almost pure sodium chloride and often fortified with iodine, a mineral essential for thyroid function. That iodine addition has been credited with slashing goitre (a swelling in the neck linked to poor thyroid function) rates globally.

However high sodium diets and high table salt precisely has been linked to increased blood pressure and heart disease. A recent study even connected frequent use of table salt with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, so go steady with this salt.

Sea Salt - As Salty as the Sea

Sea salt has surged in popularity thanks to its natural sourcing. Sea salt is basically evaporated seawater with minimal processing, leaving behind traces of minerals like magnesium and calcium that our body loves. As island dwellers in the UK sea salt is all around us, and there are some beautiful brands like Blackthorn and Halen Mon creating incredible sea salts. The trace elements in sea salt specifically add complexity to its taste, and could support the body with better digestion due to its chloride content.

What sets sea salt apart from the rest is texture and taste; it finishes a dish beautifully, adding a subtle brininess and crunch that refined salt just can't match. It’s also a little less salty than table salt, so the flavour is more gentle.

Pink Himalayan Salt: Pretty in Pink

There’s something undeniably beautiful about Himalayan salt. Its rosy hue comes from trace minerals like potassium, magnesium, and iron though the amounts are too tiny to offer real nutritional benefit in the quantities we typically consume.

Despite wellness trends claiming detoxifying or pH-balancing powers, there’s little scientific support for these benefits. Equally although it has aesthetic appeal and trace minerals, it's important to consider the environmental costs associated with its production, as the mining of the salt in Pakistan leads to soil erosion and the destruction of plant and animal habitats while also consuming significant water resources and contributing to carbon emissions through processing and global transportation.

Celtic Sea Salt - Better than Regular Sea Salt?

Harvested off the coasts of France, Celtic sea salt is known for its damp, greyish crystals and subtle, mineral-forward flavour. Like its oceanic cousin, it holds on to trace minerals, but again don’t expect a nutritional windfall from sprinkling it on your salad.

Its fans swear by its more ‘alive’ quality, and while research as above doesn’t back up claims of superior health benefits, it definitely brings something different to the kitchen. Think finishing roast vegetables or rubbing onto grilled fish - places where moisture and texture matter.

Kala Namak - Black Salt that might just Surprise You

If you've ever tasted vegan scrambled eggs and wondered how they nailed the eggy flavour, look no further. Black salt, or kala namak, is rock salt fired in kilns with charcoal and herbs, giving it a unique sulphurous scent that’s surprisingly palatable in small doses.

It’s long been used in Ayurvedic medicine to aid digestion and reduce bloating, and it contains minerals like iron and magnesium. But it’s the flavour that’s the real win here. It’s transformative in chutneys, raitas, and even cocktails. Be careful though - a pinch goes a long way.

Magnesium Salts - The Calming One

These aren’t typically the kind of salts you keep next to your stove. Magnesium salts like magnesium chloride or sulfate are more likely found in your supplement cupboard or bath soak and they definitely deserve a mention.

Magnesium plays a vital role in muscle function, energy production, and nervous system support. Deficiencies have been linked to anxiety, insomnia, and even heart disease. Supplementing by taking magnesium salt baths (3 cups in a bath 2-3 times a week) can help with everything from managing high blood pressure to controlling blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes.

While you won’t be seasoning your dinner with it, it’s worth knowing this is an incredible mineral that can support our health from behind the scenes, so keeping a bag of these crystals by the bath is a must for moments of calm and relaxation for the mind and body.

Salt is essential, our bodies literally can’t function without it. But like anything, the type you choose and how you use it matters. Whether you're adding a flaky sea salt to caramel, a pinch of black salt to tofu ‘eggs’, or simply reaching for table salt out of habit, it’s worth understanding what each one brings to the table nutritionally and culinarily because even the smallest sprinkle can make a difference.