Then which Salt is safe?

There was a recent test report published that the reputed Indian salt brands containing high levels of potassium ferrocyanide and that alarmed all of us, leading to a huge controversy. Also, Dr G Sivaraman a few years ago already spoke on this salt scam happening in our country. Following this issue, many enquired about the usage of salt and which one is healthy enough. Based on my research and analysis of salts and their composition I’ve penned down the detailed aspects of a safe salt.  Also, I would like to add that I’m not a Physician or a Dietician to recommend anything but my statements are purely out of research and extensive reading.

We generally use Sea salt (processed-refined and unprocessed- Kal uppu in Tamil) and Himalayan pink salt (Indhuppu in Tamil/ Rock salt) in India. Pink Himalayan salt is a type of salt that's naturally pink in colour and mined near the Himalayas in Pakistan. Many people claim that it's loaded with minerals and provides incredible health benefits. For these reasons, pink Himalayan salt is often thought to be much healthier than regular table salt. However, little research on pink Himalayan salt exists, and other people insist that these extravagant health claims are nothing more than speculation. This article looks at the key differences between pink Himalayan salt and regular salt and evaluates the evidence to decide which type of salt is healthier.

What Is Table Salt?

Salt is a mineral largely consisting of the compound sodium chloride- 98% by weight and other minerals. Salt can be produced by evaporating salt water or extracting solid salt from underground salt mines. Before it reaches your grocery store, table salt also goes through a refining process to remove impurities and any other minerals besides sodium chloride. Anticaking agents are added for the salt to flow freely without any lumps, and iodine is being included to help consumers prevent iodine deficiency. There’s also a ban existing on buying salt directly from open sea salt pan thus, in turn, making us buy the processed ones unavoidably (with added cyanide).

What Is Pink Himalayan Salt?

Pink Himalayan salt is a pink-coloured salt extracted from the Khewra Salt Mine, which is located near the Himalayas in Pakistan. The Khewra Salt Mine is one of the oldest and largest salt mines in the world. The salt here is believed to be hand-extracted and minimally processed to yield an unrefined product that's free of additives and thought to be much more natural than table salt. Like table salt, pink Himalayan salt is mostly comprised of sodium chloride. However, the natural harvesting process allows pink Himalayan salt to possess many other minerals and trace elements that are not found in regular table salt. Some research estimates that it may contain up to 84 different minerals and trace elements. In fact, it's these very minerals, especially iron, that give it its characteristic pink colour.

Considerations for Cooking

Whenever you're measuring any kind of salt by volume, it's important to consider how finely it's ground. You may need to use larger quantities of coarse salt to match the saltiness of finely ground salt. This is because finely ground salt is packed closer together than coarse salt, so there's more of it in a particular volume. For example, 1 teaspoon of any type of finely ground salt may contain around 2,300 mg of sodium, while 1 teaspoon of coarse salt will vary based on crystal size but could contain less than 2,000 mg of sodium. Furthermore, pink Himalayan salt contains slightly less sodium chloride than regular table salt, which you may need to account for when cooking.

Current dietary guidelines recommend that most adults consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. This is equal to around 1 teaspoon (6 grams) of finely ground salt. However, when you're using pink Himalayan salt, it's best to check the nutrition label, as sodium content can vary widely, depending on the brand and even good when it comes as a powdered salt (can be even ground at home). 

Pink Himalayan Salt Contains More Minerals

Both table salt and pink Himalayan salt consist mostly of sodium chloride, but pink Himalayan salt has up to 84 other minerals and trace elements. These include common minerals like potassium and calcium, as well as lesser-known minerals like strontium and molybdenum. One study analysed the mineral contents of various types of salts, including pink Himalayan salt and regular table salt. Below is a comparison of well-known minerals found in a gram of the two salts:

	Pink Himalayan Salt	Table Salt- Refined
Calcium (mg)	1.6	0.4
Potassium (mg)	2.8	0.9
Magnesium (mg)	1.06	0.0139
Iron (mg)	0.0369	0.0101
Sodium (mg)	368	381

As you can see, table salt may have more sodium, but pink Himalayan salt contains more calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron. Nevertheless, the amounts of these minerals in pink Himalayan salt are very, very small. They are found in such small quantities that it would take 3.7 pounds (1.7 kg) of pink Himalayan salt to obtain the recommended daily amount of potassium, for instance. Needless to say, that's an unrealistic amount of salt to consume.

Are these Health Claims True?

• Create an electrolyte balance
• Increases hydration
• Regulate water content both inside and outside of cells
• Balance pH (alkaline/acidity) and help to reduce acid reflux
• Prevent muscle cramping
• Aid in proper metabolism functioning
• Strengthen bones
• Lower blood pressure
• Help the intestines absorb nutrients
• Prevent goitres
• Improve circulation
• Increases libido
• Dissolve and eliminate sediment to remove toxins 

(the above list of health benefits were taken from an ayurvedic website)

Despite the fact that pink Himalayan salt only contains tiny amounts of additional minerals, lots of Ayurveda researches claim that it can provide a number of health benefits. And yes, Ayurvedic claims are certainly factual but at a slow pace.  

The Bottom Line

Given all of the misguided health claims, it's easy to see why some people are confused about which type of salt to use. But no studies have compared the health effects of pink Himalayan salt and unprocessed/unrefined table salt. If they were to, it's unlikely that they'd report any differences between ‘Himalayan pink salt and Unprocessed sea salt’ and not a refined one. 

Nonetheless, if you'd like to avoid the additives in regular table salt (processed ones), pink Himalayan salt is a great natural alternative. But don't expect to see the major health benefits immediately.

And remember that table salt (unrefined/unprocessed one) is a major dietary source of iodine, so if you're using pink Himalayan salt, you will need to get iodine from other foods like dairy products and fish to help avoid iodine deficiency. 

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