Choose Pink Salt for Health

The Himalayan region in Indian sub-continent is not just a natural beauty and tourist heaven but also rich in flora and fauna besides being home to vast wealth of minerals. It has certain mystiques hidden under it. One such Himalayan mystique is Pink salt.

t’s type of a salt that is naturally pink in colour and mined near the foothills of Himalayas in Pakistan. It is believed this salt is loaded with minerals and provides incredible health benefits and is the purest form of salt available. And it is precisely for these factors that this salt is often thought to be much healthier than the regular table salt. However there is not much by way of research but others claim it is these properties of the pink salt that make it special.

The Pink Himalayan salt is pink in colour and extracted from the Kherwa salt mine which is located near the foothills of Himalaya in Pakistan’s Punjab provience. It is one of the oldest and largest such salt mines the world over. The salt harvested from these mines is believed to have been formed millions of years ago. In fact, this salt is hand-extracted and minimally processed to yield an unrefined product that is free of additives. But like table salt, it mostly comprises sodium chloride. For this reason Pakistan now wants to geotag it for future.

However, the natural harvesting process allows pink Himalayan salt to possess many other minerals and, according to some estimates, it may contain up to 84 different minerals and trace elements. The salt has several dietary and non-dietary uses.In general, one can cook with pink Himalayan salt just like one would with regular table salt. Some people even use it as a cooking surface. This salt can be purchased finely ground just like regular table salt.

But whenever one is measuring any kind of salt by volume, it’s important to consider how finely it is ground. One may need to use larger quantities of coarse salt to match the saltiness of finely ground salt. The pink Himalayan salt is chemically similar to table salt and contains up to 98 per cent sodium chloride. The rest of this salt comprises trace minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium which give this salt its distinct light pink tint.

This salt is used like any common table salt, that’s, as part of cooking, to season meals and to preserve foods. Blocks of pink salt sometimes become serving dishes, coking surfaces and cutting boards. Some even use it in place of bath salts.

Sodium is an essential trace mineral found in salt and is vital for body as it can support contracting and relaxing muscles, maintaining proper fluid balance and preventing dehydration, sending nervous system impulses, preventing low blood pressure, assists the body in detoxification, reduces blood pressure, improves digestion as also respiratory health among others. Some recent research has also suggested that eating salt can considerably reduce the risk of infection and even kill harmful bacteria.

As pink salt often has larger crystals than table salt, it technically contains less sodium per teaspoon and also has a saltier flavour that the normal table salt, meaning that one can use less salt in serving to achieve the same taste. The American Heart Association advises that over 75 per cent of sodium intake comes from the salt already present in the processed and prepared foods and the table salt does not add the bulk of sodium content to a meal.

The theory that pink salt is more natural than the table one seems to have some merit. While table salt is usually heavily refined and mixed with anti-caking agents to prevent clumping, such as sodium aluminosilicate or magnesium carbonate, Himalayan salt is less artificial and does not usually contain additives.

Although the pink Himalayan salt may naturally contain some iodine, it most likely contains less of this substance than iodized salt. So those who have iodine deficiency or are at risk of deficiency may need to source iodine elsewhere if using pink salt instead of table one. And it is because of these qualities that the pink salt comes at a price, literally. It can be up to 18-20 times costlier than the table salt. But then we have to analyse reasons for this. And for that, we need to look at different types of salt in the industry.

Table salt is often made by drilling into underground sea beds, pumping out the salt water, and then refining it in purification plants. This makes pure sodium chloride, taking away natural minerals like magnesium or potassium. Sea salt is made by evaporating seawater using the sun or indoor heaters. It’s not as processed as table salt, but there are normally no extra chemicals added, and its natural minerals stay intact.

Rock salt is different. In certain regions of the world, buried hundreds of feet below the ground are remains of evaporated seas. This mineral – halite – gets harvested by drilling the rock face, crushing the salt, and splintering it into pieces.

So if pink salt different and healthier than the other types and therefore should cost more? If one were to go by the argument that it is more mineral rich, may be. For the wellness market, a common perception of the salt is that it contains less sodium, which makes it a prized feature in healthy cooking. The artisan salt market is booming though. Global salt consumption was reportedly worth $ 14.1 billion by 2020. For the consumer, the pink salt is marketed as tasting more flavourful and luxurious.

Most of the pink salt mines in the world are based in the Punjab region of Pakistan, where the mineral stems from 200-million-year-old sea salt beds.

Here the cost of mining is relatively low, and the raw material is in abundance. The Khewra Salt Mine is the largest of these, producing 350,000 tons per year. Even though there is a big supply, skilled workers here still use traditional methods to harvest the salt.

For the wellness market, this rare salt also has healing properties. The producers of pricey salt lamps claim Himalayan salt helps to remove mucus and allergens from the air. And salt chambers at spas promise detoxification. It can be easily bought from a medical store or an ethnic food shop.

In the light of this all, though there is no scientific evidence to prove that the Himalayan Pink salt is healthier than the regular table salt, replacing fine-grain table salt with crystals of the pink one may well help reduce sodium intake. And especially in today’s fast, materialistic world, when one is always on the move; one has to be health-conscious. So you don’t mind trying anything which you feel helps you reduce your stress!

Source: Himalayan News Chronicle