Considering the number of options available to us today, it is a tough call to decide which salt to use daily.
There is iodized table salt, rock salt, Himalayan pink salt, low sodium salt, fortified salt with iron, sea salt, flaky sea salt, and so many other varieties.
What is the salt we use in food?
The salt we generally use in food is called table salt. Chemically, it is 98% sodium chloride. It also contains a very, very tiny amount of an anti-caking agent added to it, to prevent it from caking & clumping when it comes in contact with some moisture.
The other type of salts that are mentioned above like the rock salt, Himalayan pink salt, etc. are roughly 95 to 97% sodium chloride and a tiny bit of minerals – generally 1-2%, some moisture, etc.
To put it in perspective, the maximum amount of salt one should consume per day is 5g. (Source)
Now, 1-2% of 5g would be 0.05g to 0.1g. So, even if you are consuming the maximum recommended amount of salt every day, then the most amount of minerals you are getting is 0.05 to 0.1g. Moreover, this is not the amount of any single mineral, but a mixture of multiple different minerals. The amount of salt you will need to consume to get the minerals in an amount sufficient to make any difference to your health will be so huge that it would be almost deadly.
The purpose of consuming salt is to season your food. In your body sodium chloride plays a significant role and you do need small amounts of sodium to maintain normal functioning of your body functions and systems. Total avoidance of salt, unless recommended by your doctor is also not ideal.
So, if you can afford it and choose to exercise your privilege of paying more for what is statistically an insignificant amount of minerals, you can feel free to do so, but if you are doing it because it is good for your wealth, you are just burning money for no returns.
The math is on the side of anyone who wants to simplify their life and save money. Low-sodium salt might be recommended by doctors to patients with high blood pressure or other health issues. Apart from that, regular iodized table salt might be a good choice for everyone, especially because it is fortified with iodine, a critically important element in maintaining regular thyroid health. The Government of India introduced the rules for the iodization of table salt at a time in Indian history when goiter, a disease caused by iodine deficiency, was a rampant problem and it has proven to be very useful to combat this. However, if you choose to use any of the fancier salts except the iodized one, ensure you get your iodine from other sources like fish, eggs, dairy, etc.
So to answer the questions about which salt you should use, you can use any salt you want!
