What Are the Health Benefits of Pink Himalayan Salt?
Would you consider yourself a salt addict – adding a pinch here, a larger pinch there – to your daily meals? Are you a fan of the coarse granules and the way they flavor the rim of your margarita? Do you love a piece of salmon with a hint of salt and pepper added?
Then this one’s for you. If you’re going to use salt, why not take it up a notch?
You may have heard of its purer, older, more flavorful counterpart: Pink Himalayan Salt. Even the color is a testament to the fact that it is healthier to ingest; traces of minerals give it its pink hue. The taste is more potent, meaning you can use less and still get great results.
So – why should you table the salt that is bleached and altered before it reaches your table? Keep reading to find out why Pink Himalayan Salt is a better alternative.
A Glimpse at the Origin of Pink Himalayan Salt
If you want to think about where your salt comes from, consider this. Himalayan salt can only be found where its name suggests: the Himalayan mountains. It doesn’t get much more organic than that.
Himalayan salt is gathered straight from a salt mine in Pakistan. The Khewra salt mine, located in Punjab, is famous for producing most the Himalayan salt used today because it is pure, natural and free from harsh additives. Their salt can be found around the world, both in stores and online.
The Khewra salt mine is the second-largest salt producer in the entire world. It extends across 186 miles and is more than 1,600 feet deep.
Because the salt mines are so vast, thousands of miners skillfully excavate Pink Himalayan Salt by hand, producing up to 325,000 tons of salt per year!
It does not come from a factory somewhere that we know nothing about. We know the exact journey our salt takes as it makes its way from the mountain to the table.
Miners dig from underground sea deposits. These salt deposits have been there for thousands of years, since the Precambrian era. An ancient sea evaporated, leaving us with a gold mine – or salt mine – of a priceless resource.
If you dream of a little history with each bite, you’ll get it with Himalayan salt.
What Are Its Benefits?
The first sign of this salt’s benefits is in its color. The pink hues of Himalayan salt come from the traces of minerals present within it.
What are some of these healthy, natural additives?
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Potassium
- Copper
- Iron
Much of Himalayan salt’s body is sodium chloride – but unlike table salt, it’s rich in minerals, too.
Dr. Axe – a certified doctor of natural medicine – names many other amazing benefits of Himalayan salt:
- Improves respiratory problems
- Balances the body’s pH levels
- Purifies the air (when used as a salt lamp)
- Naturally aids digestive
Plus, it’s from the foothills of the mountains! So, if you’re one who is all about organic products, this is as close as you can get when it comes to salt.
Sodium is necessary for many biological functions. It balances fluids in the body. It also improves nerve conduction and muscle contraction.
What Can Himalayan Salt be Used For?
Pink Himalayan Salt can be used in a variety of ways extending far beyond a substitution for white, processed salt in food and drinks.
It commonly used to remove toxins from the air in the form of a Himalayan salt lamp. Many people also soften their skin and detox their bodies using Pink Himalayan Salt bath bombs, soaps, and salt scrubs.
Podcaster/entrepreneur Aubrey Marcus uses a little bit of Himalayan salt every day. She starts each morning with “the morning mineral cocktail.” This drink is a simple mixture of:
- Pink Himalayan Salt (as desired)
- A lemon slice
- A pint of water
And that’s it! Since salt is a digestive aid and helps with dehydration, this is a great kick-start to the day.
What’s So Bad About Table Salt?
Himalayan salt and table salt are both sodium chloride. But instead of having the added benefit of minerals, regular salt gets treated differently.
Since salt is naturally water-attracting, it’s treated first so that it doesn’t congeal by adding sodium aluminosilicate. And if you can’t even say that word, do you want it added to your every meal?
Table salt doesn’t have the smoothness that its Himalayan counterpart offers. Himalayan salt is purer and has a distinguishably smoother of taste, meaning you don’t need as much. Table salt is considerably harsher, with more of a bite – making it easy to accidentally use too much.
Of course, too much of anything isn’t a good thing. Too high of sodium intake can be detrimental to your health. It can contribute to a variety of issues from high blood pressure to heart disease.
Should You Make the Switch?
There’s no doubt about it. Whenever you reach for the salt shaker… you may as well splurge for the best there is. We’re talking hand-mined, ancient, intense, pink Himalayan salt.
It’s the only option for those who want natural sodium in their diets – with a healthy dose of minerals and flavor, too.
Making zucchini fritters or candied nuts any time soon? Then grind up a bit of Precambrian-aged product and notice the smoother flavor it offers.
You can call Himalayan salt a splurge. Or you can consider it a steal. Because of its potency, you won’t be using as much, meaning you’ll be buying less and appreciating more.
Need salt grinders, salt lamps, or bags of that pure goodness? Don’t be salty – check out our inventory!