Some well-known scientists and nutritionists claim that there is nothing particularly beneficial for human health in Himalayan salt. In contrast, preachers of a healthy lifestyle are delighted with the beautiful effect of the product on the body. The research conducted in special laboratories and the invaluable folk experience of using Himalayan salt helped resolve the dispute.
Himalayan salt contains a large number of different elements. Depending on the concentration of specific components, salt can be pink, orange-red or black.
Polyhalite and iron oxide give Himalaika its pink or red colour. Pink Himalayan salt consists of large crystals with a diameter of up to 3 centimetres. Currently, it rivals table salt in popularity but surpasses its usefulness.
For Hindus, Himalayan black salt is more familiar; they call it “Kala namak.” It is black only in the stone state. Crushed, it becomes pink, but in a humid environment, it darkens again.
What is pink salt, and where is it mined
Pink Himalayan salt is native to the Punjab region, where the source of salt production is the Khevr salt mine. This product is sedimentary deposits of the ocean once located in these places. Therefore, the age of this unique gift of nature is estimated at millions of years. More than 600 years had passed since the salt of the ancient ocean Tatis merged with the lava of the Himalayan mountain formations. Hence in its name, a tribute to this mountain range.
In addition, this salt cannot be compared with others in terms of its environmental friendliness. This is the purest natural product. The explanation for this fact is that there are no settlements near the places of salt extraction. The purity of the product is also facilitated by the fact that no explosives are used in its extraction. All work is carried out manually. The extracted salt is dried under the rays of the sun. More than 300 thousand tons of pink salt are produced by this deposit per year.
Why is Himalayan salt pink?
Salt crystals contain a large amount of iron oxide, which gives it a particular shade: something between red and pink. Iron oxide got into his fiery lava crystals. Volcanic lava, rushing to the foot of the Himalayas, flowed into the ocean, mixed with salt and evaporated naturally due to high temperatures. The result of these processes was the unusual colour of the product and the appearance of many minerals in it.
What is the difference between pink salt and ordinary salt?
The main features of pink salt are light, refined taste and only its characteristic smell. Connoisseurs determine the authenticity of this product in this way. Of course, the main difference between Himalayan crystalline salt and ordinary table salt is in colour. The iron and minerals are preserved in the pink salt, which gives it its unusual colour. Bleaching of cookware in production using chemicals deprives it of its natural color.
Pink salt is dried in the purest natural conditions under the influence of solar heat, which cannot be said about ordinary salt: it is heated to high temperatures. But unfortunately, it also hurts its chemical composition. Often table salt is saturated with iodine for preventive purposes. But it is poorly absorbed by the body because it is not a purely natural element.
To transport and store the Himalayan, do not use any extraneous means. Whereas ordinary salt is treated with particular substances so that it does not cake, does not stick together in containers and does not dissolve in water. Salt accumulated in the body can lead to severe diseases. The body entirely absorbs pink Himalayan.
All these manipulations with table salt have given her a bad reputation. But instead of chemically processed ordinary salt, you can purchase a wholly natural product, pink Himalayan, which will not create health problems.
The microelements present in the Himalayan composition, which exceeds 80, allow the body to absorb sodium and chlorine completely, without deposits. In contrast, due to the poverty of its design with such elements, table salt leads to the deposition of sodium, threatening health problems.