In its purest form, dead sea salt is a light green, fine grained salt that's so very porous it's almost like glass. Dead Sea salts are often used in dishes and cosmetics because of their ability to absorb color. According to scientists, this makes Dead Sea salt ideal for use in food.
Though it sounds amazing, it's actually true. People have been using Dead Sea salt in the food we eat for many years, and now the use is expanding. As food experts continue to study the effects of food on health, they are also taking notice of the nutrients that are lost through heat.
This might not sound all that remarkable. After all, sea salt isn't hot enough to cause temperature-related loss of nutrients. But in fact, foods that contain dead sea salt may be more nutritious than foods containing regular table salt. They are, in fact, richer in minerals, vitamins, and other substances.
A study done at Hebrew University in Israel found that when scientists exposed certain foods to high temperatures, the contents actually got better. When foods were boiled in water with Dead Sea salt, there was no loss of some essential nutrients. The minerals that were lost are considered to be important for good health. Now it seems that many foods that are heated and eaten aren't as nutritious as they could be.
Another study concluded that microwaving vegetables in a solution of Dead Sea salt does not cause loss of nutrients. The way to get nutrients is to soak them in a solution of sea salt, instead of letting them cook. In that respect, the content isn't diminished; the way to diminish nutrients is to cook them.
An interesting aspect of these studies is the notion that there are multiple health benefits to eating foods with Dead Sea salt. Since somany nutrients were lost during cooking, the idea is that soaking them in salt has a part to play. These vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are then flushed out through the skin of the vegetables.
Another study, done in Israel, found that by soaking foods in Dead Sea salt, the nutrients weren't lost even after cooking. If you put a glass of Dead Sea salt in the microwave, it doesn't seem to lose any of its vitamin C content. It also didn't lose any iron. This could mean that if you eat a can of spinach with Dead Sea salt and lemon juice, there's no loss of iron or vitamins B and C.
Dead Sea salt may actually help improve the quality of life for seniors. Researchers have found that it was related to the amount of antioxidants they had. That's an important area of interest for researchers, who are trying to understand the relation between diet and health.
Scientists are concerned that our diets may be less than balanced. High doses of antioxidants may not be the best way to counter the damage caused by high levels of pollutants and other chemicals. In this case, adding the Dead Sea salt to our meals may make a great deal of difference.
There are still many questions left to be answered about the benefits of Dead Sea salt. One that gets a lot of attention is the question of how it works with vegetables. It has been suggested that Dead Sea salt is absorbed through the skin, while regular table salt doesn't.
But because it's absorbed through the skin, the increased consumption of Dead Sea salt isn't as harmful as eating table salt every day. It's simply the fact that our diets today don't include a wide variety of vegetables that make us eat too much table salt. By eating it a little bit less often, we can avoid the pitfalls that table salt can cause.
Still, studies continue to be done on the effects of Dead Sea salt. They could very well prove that the benefits of this wonder mineral are really there. Just don't forget to take it with plenty of other types of salt, though.