What is Pink Himalayan Salt? Pink Himalayan salt, is a salt that’s naturally pink and mined near the Himalayas of Pakistan.
Many people claim it is rich in minerals and has incredible health benefits.
Pink Himalayan salt is thought to be healthier than regular table salt.
However, there is very little research on pink Himalayan Salt. Some people also insist that these outrageous health claims are speculative.
This article examines the key differences between pink Himalayan salt salt and regular salt. It also evaluates the evidence to determine which salt is better.
What is Salt?
Salt is a mineral that is largely composed of the compound sodium chloride.
Salt is so high in sodium chloride (around 98% by weight) that most people use the terms “salt” or “sodium” interchangeably.
Salt can be made by either evaporating salt water, or by extracting salt from underground salt mines.
Table salt goes through a refinement process before it reaches your grocery shop. This removes impurities and other minerals.
Anticaking agents can be added to absorb moisture. Iodine is often added to prevent consumers from becoming deficient in iodine.
Salt has been used by humans to preserve and flavor foods for thousands upon thousands of years.
Interestingly, sodium plays an important role in many biological functions, including fluid balance and nerve conduction.
It is essential to eat salt or sodium.
Although many health professionals believe that too much sodium can cause high blood pressure and heart disease recent research has refuted this belief.
Many people believe pink Himalayan salt is a healthier option due to the dangers of too much table salt.
Where does Pink Himalayan Salt come from?
The Khewra Salt Mine, one of the largest and oldest salt mines in the world, is located in Khewra. This mine produces pink Himalayan salt that was formed millions of years ago by the evaporation ancient water bodies. This salt is extracted by hand and minimally processed to produce a salt product that is natural and free from additives.
Pink Himalayan salt, like table salt, is mostly made up of sodium chloride. The natural harvesting process of pink Himalayan salt allows for many other minerals and trace elements to be added. It may contain as many as 84 different minerals and trace element. It is these minerals, especially iron that give it its pink color.
How Is Pink Himalayan Salt Used?
Pink Himalayan salt can be used for both dietary and non-dietary purposes.
You can eat it or cook with it
You can cook with pink Himalayan sea salt in the same way as you can with regular table salt. Use it in sauces, marinades, or to your dinner dishes.
Some people even use pink Himalayan Salt as a cooking surface. You can buy large blocks of salt to use to grill, sear, and add salty flavor to meats and foods.
Pink Himalayan salt can also be purchased finely ground, just like regular table salt. However, it is not unusual to find coarser varieties in larger crystal sizes.
Considerations for Cooking
It is important to consider how finely the salt has been ground when measuring salt volume.
To match the saltiness and saltiness of finely ground sea salt, you may need to use more coarse salt. Finely ground salt is more concentrated than coarse salt so you can use it in larger quantities.
For example, 1 teaspoon of any kind of finely ground salt could contain around 2,300 mg sodium. 1 teaspoon coarse salt, on the other hand, may contain less than 2,000 mg sodium depending on its crystal size.
Pink Himalayan salt also contains slightly less sodium chloride (than regular table salt), which you might need to account when cooking.
The US recommends that adults limit their sodium intake to 2,300 mg per day. This is equivalent to approximately 1 teaspoon (6 grams), of finely ground salt.
It’s important to make sure you check the nutrition label before you use pink Himalayan salt. The sodium content of different brands can vary greatly.
Non-Dietary Uses
Pink Himalayan salt is used in many dietary ways, but it also has many popular non-dietary uses.
Some bath salts contain pink Himalayan salt, which is said to soothe sore muscles and improve skin conditions.
Salt lamps made from pink Himalayan salt are often claimed to remove pollutants from the air. These lamps are made up of large blocks of salt and an inner light source that heats them.
People who want to improve their skin and respiratory health enjoy spending time in man-made salt caves made out of pink Himalayan Salt.
However, the evidence supporting these three non-dietary uses for pink Himalayan salt seems to be weak. These claims need to be confirmed by more studies.
Pink Himalayan Salt Contains More Minerals
Both table salts and pink Himalayan sodium salt are mainly made up of sodium chloride. However, pink Himalayan pink salt contains up to 84 minerals and trace elements.
These include common minerals such as calcium and potassium, as well as less-known minerals like strontium and molybdenum .
One study examined the mineral content of different types of salts, including pink Himalayan salt (and regular table salt).
Below is a comparison between well-known minerals found within a gram of each salt:
As you can see table salt may contain more sodium, while pink Himalayan salt has more calcium, potassium and magnesium
However, pink Himalayan salt contains very little of these minerals.
They are so small that it would take 3.7 lbs (1.7 kg) to get the recommended daily intake of potassium. This is a ridiculous amount of salt to consume.
The majority of the extra minerals in pink Himalayan Salt are so small that they are unlikely provide any health benefits.
Are Health Claims True?
Although pink Himalayan salt is very low in minerals, many people still believe it can have a number of health benefits.
Most of these claims are not supported by research.
Some of the most popular health claims for pink Himalayan salt include:
- Improve your respiratory health
- Balance your pH levels
- Reduce signs of aging
- Improve sleep quality
- Blood sugar regulation
- Increase libido
Some claims regarding non-dietary uses for pink Himalayan salt might not be based on enough research.
A few studies have evaluated the use of salt caves to treat various lung diseases. Although there may be some benefit, more research is needed to determine their effectiveness
However, these health claims may be just normal functions of sodium chlorineide in the body. You’ll still get these benefits from any type of salt.
Researchers have shown that very low-salt diets can cause sleep problems.
This suggests that a sufficient amount of salt may be required for quality sleep. The study did not include pink Himalayan salt, and the results are likely to be a function of any salt containing sodium chloride.
The minerals in pink Himalayan Salt are not sufficient to balance the body’s pH. Without pink Himalayan salt, your body’s pH is tightly controlled by your lungs and kidneys.
Additionally, blood sugar levels, aging, and libido can all be controlled by other factors than salt in your diet. There are no scientific studies that suggest pink Himalayan salt can improve any of these aspects.
There is no research that compares pink Himalayan salt with regular table salt for their health effects. Even if there were research, it is unlikely that any differences would be found in their health effects.
It’s easy to see how people get confused about salt, given all the misleading health claims.
However, no studies have been done to compare the health effects of pink Himalayan salt with regular table salt. It’s unlikely they would report any differences if they did.
Pink Himalayan salt is an excellent natural alternative to regular table salt. However, you won’t see the health benefits that you read online.
Remember that table salt is a major source of iodine in the diet. If you use pink Himalayan salt to avoid an iodine deficiency, you will need to obtain iodine through other foods such as seaweed and dairy products.
Pink Himalayan salt can be more expensive than regular salt. If you don’t mind the additions, regular table salt should work fine.