Originally Posted by greatbasin

The term "salt" or "salts" is general. We often associate it with "table salt" which is sodium chloride, but all of those other minerals also have salt forms, like potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride. But those aren't all the salts formed with these minerals. There are also the sulfates like calcium sulfate. And then there are the carbonates like calcium carbonate. These are all "salts." Just adding sodium chloride to your water could be a bad idea because not only does it fail to replenish the other necessary electrolytes, it also increases your intake of sodium which is probably the least necessary given the abundance of it in most people's diets.