What is Himalayan pink salt?
What is Himalayan pink salt? Everyone has heard of salt, but do you know there is a wide variety of salt. It comes in different colors, shapes and sizes, and all offering something unique?
Himalayan pink salt, is a coarse rock salt that contains trace minerals. These include potassium, magnesium, zinc, magnesium and small natural traces of iodine.
Where does the salt come from?
Himalayan pink salt comes from the Punjab region of Pakistan. During the Jurassic era over 250 million years ago the pink salt formed deep within the Himalayan Mountains. The salt gets its name due to the attractive pink-colored grains of salt and the region where it comes from.
Why is the salt pink?
The amount of iron oxide within each grain of salt dictates the overall hue of pink color. This is due to the pink salt containing 84 trace minerals. The salt crystals can range from pink to white, to deep red. This depends on the amount of iron oxide in the grains. Also the finer grains tend to be of a lighter pink color.
How was Himalayan pink salt created?
Approximately 250 million years ago pink salt deposits were formed in the Punjab region of Pakistan. The mountain ranges are a well-known area where deposits of salt formed. This happened when the Indian tectonic plate collided with the Eurasian plate. This caused the upward push of the mountain range and the Himalayas was formed. This also allowed the deposits of pink salt to also be pushed upwards.
How do they harvest the salt?
In order to protect the salts there are strict regulations in place regarding the extraction of the pink salt. Extraction takes place by hand, with mines stretching nearly half a mile into the mountains. To access the mines you must work through approximately 25 tunnels over 11 levels.
What is Himalayan pink salt used for?
Using Himalayan pink salt in cooking and food preparation has taken place over the centuries.
Used for the preservation of fish and meats pink salt is a versatile product. World renowned chefs, working in high-end kitchens, love to use Himalayan pink salt as a seasoning or garnish.
Used within the health and beauty industry Himalayan salt has many benefits as it is a natural, non-chemical and drug-free product . It is believed that the salt crystals offer many benefits, although more research is needed to support this.
Used as a supplement for animal health, salt licks are available for cattle, horses, wild deer, and even small pets such as guinea pigs and hamsters.
Himalayan pink salt benefits
What are the benefits of using Himalayan pink salt? Well, the potential benefits might be surprise you.
We have listed some of the health benefits below. But remember that some of these may benefit from further research to ascertain their overall effectiveness. Shared from generation to generation there must be some truth in it – right?
- Aid to a healthy diet
- Aids digestion
- Aids with weight loss
- Used to treat joint pain
- Used to stimulate good skincare
If you want to find out more about the effectiveness of Himalayan pink salt benefits then pop on over to Is Himalayan pink salt good for you to find out more.
Himalayan pink salt side effects
As with all food you consume you need to be aware of any possible side effects. Using any kind of salt sensibly within your diet should not cause you any serious health issues but it is always worth taking a sensible approach and being aware of what you are putting in your body.
If you suffer from any medical conditions such as hypertension, heart problems, and kidney problems, or have suffered liver damage, then it would be extremely important for you to follow the recommended daily guidelines for the consumption of salt. The over-consumption of salt can lead to serious health conditions. Have a look at the article on article dealing with potential salt side-effects to learn more.
The recommended guidelines advise that the minimum amount of salt an adult should consume should be less than 6g per day (2.4g sodium) – or about equal to 1 standard teaspoon of salt. This amount greatly reduces for children.
- Children aged 1 to 3 should have no more than 2g of salt per day (0.8g of sodium)
- Children aged 4 to 6 should have no more than 3g of salt per day (1.2g of sodium)
- Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 5g salt per day (2g sodium)
- Children 11 years and over should have no more than 6g salt per day (2.4g sodium)
More ideas
If you would like to find out more about salt why not check out our articles in the Salt Facts section? Ready to explore a bit more? Why not pop on over to our Salt Products and Salt Recipe sections?