The other day while going through various posts on social media, I stumbled on a discussion between a couple of friends about the Pink Salt also known as the Himalayan Salt. It caught my attention because, several years ago, I was in a friend’s house and I had seen this pink salt. I thought nothing of it because I already used these salts in my bathe and was not really into the health stuff as I am today. However back then she did say she preferred these to the regular table salt or other sea salts in her dietary requirements.
I became quite interested again and popped into one of my locals and picked up some Himalayan Salt to try with my foods. The result so far has not been very noticeable, save for taste. I suppose it’s early days yet as I have only been adding this salt to my food only about 2 weeks or less. My past preference was the regular supermarket-bought Sea Salt.
Okay, I have since done a lot iof reading and comparing the Himalayan Salt with other commonly used Salts.
Here’s my findings:
The Himalayan Salt
Going by what Alanna Ketler of the Collective Evolution and many other commentators and experts write, the Himalayan Salt will be said to be one of nature’s gift to mankind. Not only does it contain same number of trace elements and minerals found in the human body, 84 last count, it also contains less quantity of Sodium per regular serving compared to other salts simply because of its unrefined nature and larger chunks. It is also said to store vibrational energy as the minerals are in colloidal form due to its unique cellular structure.
They also praise it’s detoxifying properties too, when added to your bathe.
Clinically speaking however, there has not been any conclusive evidence of its ‘superfoods’ qualities as touted by many. The composition of all Salts is 98-100% Sodium Chloride and about 0.2% of other minerals which may not have much health or nutritional benefits.
The Himalayan Salt, although unrefined and containing loads of trace elements needed by the body, most of these minerals are already present in many foods we already consume everyday. Such minerals include phosphorus, bromine, boron, zinc, amongst others.
Other Sea Salts
Sea Salt is made by the evaporating of seawater and like all salts, it is mostly composed of Sodium chloride. Sea Salt does also contain traces of minerals such as potassium, iron and zinc. It is also said that the darker forms of sea salt contain a higher concentration of ‘impurities’ and trace nutrients, which in my opinion, may also contain some trace elements of heavy metals like lead due to the pollution of oceans.
The regular table salt on the other hand is a highly refined form of salt with most of its elements removed. Also note that iodine is added to regular table salt.
My verdict
Whether it is Sea salt, table salt, kosher salt, flavored salt, fleur de sel, Hiwa Kai, Black Hawaiian Sea Salt, Kala Namak, ‘organic salt’ or Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, all basically contain the same chemical, sodium chloride. The difference is that they contain varying levels of other trace elements.
If you have an iodine deficiency, then the regular Table salt might be a better option as it is fortified with iodine which helps prevent goitre.
As for taste, I really love the Himalayan Salt and find its unrefined taste quite appealing. The verdict is still out on its nutritional and health benefits, but it’s detoxifying qualities also makes it a winner for me.
Whatever your preference, it is important ones level of salt intake is low for medical and health reasons.
LORHUES 