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ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Sea salt is hot right now.
But is it less "salty" than plain old table salt?
"I get that question a lot," Dr. Ayanna Buckner, Chair of the Metro Atlanta American Heart Association's Health Equity Committee, says. "I get that question about varieties of salt. I get that question about varieties of southern seasonings."
The American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 1500 milligrams, or between a half and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt a day, especially if you have high blood pressure.
At the grocery store, you'll find sea salt in everything from potato chips to gourmet chocolates.
In one survey by the American Heart Association, more than 60% of respondents mistakenly thought sea salt was a healthier alternative to table salt.
"I wouldn't say it's necessarily better," Dr. Buckner says. "Salt is salt. People have preferences. If your preference is sea salt, then that's fine. But, from my perspective as a physician, you don't get any extra leeway because you're using sea salt or any other variety of salt."
Sea salt, which is harvested from evaporated sea water, is less processed than table salt, which is mined from the ground.
So, sea salt may have trace amounts of minerals like magnesium.
Table salt does have added iodine, which plays a role in thyroid health.
But, Dr. Buckner says, both types of salt are about nutritionally equal, each about 40% sodium by weight.
Much of the salt we eat, however, has already been mixed into packaged and preprocessed foods.
The American Heart Associate says about 75% of the sodium Americans consume is added during the food manufacturing process.
"What I tell people is, you should be looking at your food labels, and seeing how much sodium is there, and tracking it throughout the day," Dr. Buckner says. "And don't go about that 1.5 grams or 1,500 milligram (recommendation.)”
So, why is limiting salt intake so important?
"Eating salt can actually increase blood pressure," Dr. Buckner says. "When the blood pressure increases, it makes it harder for the heart and the blood vessels to work. So, your body isn't getting the blood and oxygen at the rate it needs to get it. That is what can stress your heart."
Over time, Buckner says, that pressure on your heart can raise your risk of stroke and heart attack.
So, Buckner says, pick the salt that you prefer, but take it easy on the salt shaker.
"The heart can't tell between sea salt and table salt," she says.