A few years ago, salt was deemed as a necessary ingredient in all our foods. And this was not just because of the taste that salt imparts to our food, but also because of the health benefits we get by including salt in our diets.

Now that our world has started questioning even the most basic and mainstream constituents of our lives, there has been a lot of research showing that salt just might have harmful effects on our bodies.

This is where we come across a seemingly healthier option that is sea salt. Amongst all kinds of sea salt Himalayan pink salt is supposed to be the absolute pinnacle of healthy salt. It has all the benefits you can gain from your refined variety of table salt with not quite as many side effects.

We got interested in Himalayan salt quite a bit, so we decided to see for ourselves exactly how different it is from table salt. The first thing we noticed was that the differences between these two kinds of salt are not massive. You would be making a small difference in your lifestyle if you switch to Himalayan pink salt but sometimes that small difference is just what you need!

Himalayan Salt has Lower Sodium Content

Research has shown that Himalayan pink salt has around 95% sodium chloride content while refined table salt has around the 97% sodium chloride content. Sodium and chloride are both ions that are used to maintain the body’s pH level by acting as buffers.

Sodium is a particularly important ion for our body since it is useful in maintaining our blood pressure.Research has shown that consuming too much salt in our diet leads to high blood pressure and can exacerbate our condition further if we continue using it.

Since salt is an essential seasoning component in our food, it is definitely difficult to consume bland, salt-less food suddenly for our health. This is why it makes sense to switch to Himalayan pink salt.

We are by no means encouraging you to use massive amounts of pink salt in your diet since that can also worsen your blood pressure. But since pink salt does have slightly lower concentration of sodium, it can undoubtedly help in making a difference in your health without really making you compromise on food quality.

Pink Salt is Rich in Minerals

Pink salt is said to contain around 84 different minerals in trace amounts. Since they are in fact in trace amounts, they do not have a massive impact on our body and health. Even so, it is a significantly higher number of minerals than our regular table salt especially because table salt is highly refined. All the harsh refining processes it goes through strips it from a lot of minerals it contains.

Himalayan Salt is Purer

Table salt is initially sea salt that comes from the polluted seas and oceans of the world. This is exactly why it needs to undergo such harsh refining processes. After it goes through these processes it is not the same kind of salt that was extracted from the ocean and, even if it is not polluted, it is still not pure.

Himalayan pink salt is only found in the salt pockets of the Khewra mines in the Himalayan range in Pakistan. From there it is extracted by hand and packed as it is. Since these salt pockets are at such high altitude, they aren’t exactly polluted at all. So this salt is very pure and not refined. You basically consume exactly what nature intended you to.

Table Salt Has a Stronger Flavor

After using Himalayan salt in some of our everyday foods, we noticed that it has a milder flavor than normal table salt which is much stronger. However, the taste that pink salt imparts to your food is also somewhat different from the flavor that table salt gives.

Some people believe that you need to add more Himalayan salt to food to get the same flavor as table salt. Ihave quite enjoyed the mildness it offers.

Himalayan Salt is Pink in Color

How can we forget to add one of the main differences betweenthese two salts? Himalayan salt has a lovely pink color while table salt is very white.

It is believed that Himalayan salt is rich in iron content and that is actually the reason for that lovely pink color it has.

Table Salt has Added Iodine

You must have heard of the term “iodized table salt”. It is used because most of our refined table salt has iodine added to it to maintain our thyroid function. Salt has actually become one of the main sources of iodine consumption in our diets.

Since Himalayan salt does not contain added iodine, it might not be able to fulfill the iodine requirements of a normal person. However, in case a person suffers from Hyperthyroidism or another kind of iodine toxicity, Himalayan pink salt might be just what they need.

The Health Benefits of Himalayan Salt are higher

It is possible that the only edge that table salt has over Himalayan pink salt is that it is more suited for iodine intake for maintaining thyroid function.

Himalayan pink salt, on the other hand, has a lot more other benefits. For example, it helps regulate blood pressure, it relieves water retention in the body, and even helps you sleep better! The difference is not too harsh but a small difference can go a long way.

Himalayan Pink Salt is Much More Natural

A lot of people are switching to an all-natural diet now out of health concerns and are giving up refined foods and foods laden with preservatives. For these people, Himalayan Pink Salt is the best choice of salt because it is completely pure and natural, and does not undergo any refining and additive processes which will make it lose its uniqueness.