Himalayan Salt Versus Table Salt

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Himalayan salt is famed for its distinctive pink hue and held in high esteem for its extensive nutritional value.

The salt crystals are formed in ancient ocean deposits in the Himalayan Mountains and are mined by hand. The pink hue is a result of the vital minerals still contained within the salt.

Often the salt is bought in coarse grains but can easily be purchased as fine grains or whole blocks.

When talking about salt intake, it’s usually a fairly obvious health mantra to keep salt to the minimum. Sodium is however needed for healthy bodily functions including regulating the blood, nerves and heart. Therefore we must not avoid salt completely but rather we should be sticking to the daily recommended amount. Using a naturally occurring salt with a great concentration of nutrients and minerals is by far your best option.

Mineral Content

Himalayan salt contains no additives or chemicals, making it an ideal replacement to regular table salt. Table salt contains approximately 2% additives. Yet perhaps the main benefits are the wide array of essential minerals the salt provides to our body.

Himalayan salt contains 84 minerals, iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and chloride as well as many other essential nutrients and trace minerals. These minerals occur naturally without any chemical processing or refinement to take away from their potency.

Why Table Salt is Bad

Regular salt has been chemically cleaned thereby creating sodium chloride, an unnatural form of salt that your body does not recognize. As a result, your body uses up a lot of energy trying to metabolize this foreign substance. The body does this by providing excess water molecules to break up the sodium chloride, meaning your cells are left with fewer fluids.  This can commonly lead to arthritis, gout, cellulite or kidney or gallbladder stones.

As such, it is preferable to use a naturally occurring salt like Himalayan salt so as not to burden your body, but to also provide your body with essential nutrients that can be gained from consuming small amounts of sodium.

Joanna Simons
Joanna is a natural health coach specializing in nutrition and natural beauty products.