Table Salt vs. Himalayan Salt
Posted by Liezel Maree on
Himalayan Salt
One of the purest salt on earth. Contains over 84 trace elements in their natural mineral form, free from contaminants, pollution or added chemicals.
Production
It is hand-mined from in Pakistan where it has been preserved under lava, snow and ice for millions of years.
Health Benefits
One teaspoon of Himalayan salt added to a glass of water will relieve acid reflux/heartburn, give you a boost in electrolytes and minerals, lower blood pressure, reduce muscle cramps and improve digestion.
It’s black, pink and red colour signals its iron-rich content, which has been shown to boost red blood cell count and increase oxygenation throughout the body. This helps to boost cognitive function, rejuvenate cells and improves the strength of tissues and bones in the body.
How Does the Body Respond to Himalayan Salt?
The natural crystals are preserved in their true form, which makes Himalayan salt highly absorbable and easily recognised by your body. The incredible amount of minerals which includes calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc helps to detoxify your body and strengthen immunity while rejuvenating every cell in your body.
As soon as Himalayan salt is ingested it stimulates the salivary glands and essential digestive enzymes, which ensures proper digestion. Himalayan salt is also highly alkalising, which restores pH balance in the stomach. This helps to reduce acid reflux and improves nutrient absorption, as well as improving the rate at which food is broken down. This increases cognitive function, energy and overall health.
The natural antibacterial and antimicrobial properties further help to destroy germs and harmful bacteria, which prevents colds and flu and heals infections faster. Himalayan sea salt has even been linked to decongesting sinuses and reducing asthma, which is why modern therapeutic centres often include a salt bath, salt inhalation therapy or Sinus Rinse (Neti Pots) for better health.
The best part is, Himalayan sea salt contains absolutely no negative side effects. It’s 82% lower in sodium than table salt, which helps to reduce blood pressure and water retention, the opposite of what table salt does.
How to Use Pink Himalayan Salt?
Replace your normal cooking salt with Himalayan Salt. Himalayan salt is also available in cooking slabs, which you can gently warm on top of the stove or braai to cook or flavour veggies, meat or eggs.
Regular Table Salt
Typically made up of 98% sodium chloride and 2% of synthetic iodine, bleach, anti-caking agent, preservatives and unnatural chemicals.
Production
Sea salt crystals are exposed to 650 degrees Celsius heat until all natural minerals are stripped and ground down, after which it is bleached and combined with iodine and anti-caking agents.
Health Benefits
Detrimental to your health. Iodine supplementation comes at the price of toxic chemicals and a substance unrecognisable to your body. The added anti-caking agent and preservatives are toxic and terrible for your health.
When salt and anti-caking agents are added to a bowl of water it is evident that the anti-caking agent does not allow the salt to be dissolved. The same happens inside of the body, where excess salt gets deposited in organs and tissues and causing severe health problems over time.
How Does the Body Respond to Table Salt?
Table salt crystals are totally isolated from each other, taxing your body with enormous effort in metabolising it efficiently. This causes a major disruption in fluid balance and can lead to chronic inflammation and multiple diseases and discomforts.
More than 90% of processed food contains in excess of the recommended daily amount of sodium, which is limited to 2000 milligrams per day according to the World Health Organisation. This can lead to developing high blood pressure, weight gain, oedema and a complete imbalance in your body.
Additionally, each teaspoon of table salt contains 2325 milligrams of sodium, which exceeds the daily limitation by 16%. Surveys have shown that the average person gets anywhere from 6000 to 10 000 milligrams of sodium per day. If your body cannot eliminate all of the sodium, it is forced to neutralise it by using 23 times the weight of salt in water. This water is taken from your living cells, which can cause dehydration, unsightly cellulite, rheumatism and kidney stones. which explains why as much as a third of the population suffers from hypertension.