You’ve Seen It At Your Local Supermarket, At The Café And Sprinkled All Over Your Favorite Recipes Online. We Are Of Course Talking About Himalayan Salt.
Over the last 10 years or so this unique pinkish salt has sky-rocketed in popularity and can be found virtually everywhere today. As with everything, the spike in popularity of this gourmet salt has attracted not only new fans but critics, as well as some very exaggerated marketing about its benefits!
Having worked hands on with pink salt for the last 2 years and visiting the salt mines where it’s extracted, I have learned some things about it that can’t be found on most blogs. Facts that aren’t well known but make all the difference for you, the consumer. After all, it’s important to know what you’re putting in your body, where it comes from, and what it can and can’t do for you.
The benefits of pink Himalayan salt
- A quick google search of ‘the benefits of Himalayan salt’ will return millions of results. However, many of the claims out there about Himalayan salt are very exaggerated such as Himalayan salt can regulate our blood pH (acidity/alkalinity) levels, or that it can strengthen bones.
- Simply put there is no real basis for such claims. However, Himalayan salt IS indeed more beneficial than regular table salt and sea salt for a few simple reasons.
Himalayan salt versus regular salts
- Himalayan salt is one of the very few salts out there that is completely unprocessed and ready to consume right after it is extracted. This is because it’s a rock salt and doesn’t need to be processed with the same chemical reactions that sea salt or regular table salt does.
- It comes from a specific high-altitude region in Northern Pakistan where the Himalayas begin, known as Khewra.
- Himalayan salt is abundant in naturally occurring trace minerals that are very beneficial for our overall health, and that regular salts (including sea salts) don’t contain. The pink colour itself comes from Iron Oxide – aka rust - which is present in the salt. It’s a great source of iron, which is needed in our bodies to help blood cells carry oxygen.
What To Watch Out For
- This is where some articles cross the line from real to exaggerated, claiming that some of the trace minerals like potassium and magnesium can increase libido and help hydration. The trace quantities of minerals in Himalayan salt are not high enough to meet our recommended daily intakes and don’t provide such benefits. Himalayan salt should be used not as a super food, but to bolster and enhance an already balanced and healthy diet.
- There is also the very real taste benefit of Himalayan salt. The higher trace minerals and lower sodium content of pink salt does make it less bitter than regular salt, which has made it popular among both professional chefs and home cooks alike.
- Himalayan salt is definitely an improvement over regular table salt and even most sea salts. Very few salts are as mineral-rich and minimally processed as genuine Himalayan rock salt. But just like any decent product that gains popularity, it has attracted it’s fair share of critics and flashy marketing. Hopefully, with this information you will be more informed the next time you are buying or using this unique salt.
Guest Blogger: This awesome article was written by our friend, Eddie Gilani. Check him out at The Salt Lamp Shop.
Disclaimer: FreshJax does not give medical advice. You should consult your physician or other healthcare professional before starting any new diet program or exercise routine as results may vary.
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