Salt is used by most of us to season our foods on a daily basis. Moderation has been suggested and many fret about the amounts they consume. However, salt is very important for our health and shouldn’t be completely omitted. We just need to get it right.
Unfortunately, regular table salt, most commonly found in kitchens and restaurants around the world, has little in common with natural salt. Table salt is usually highly refined. It’s almost pure sodium chloride (97% or more), with added chemicals, such as absorbents and anti-caking agents. But there are other types of salt, such as sea salt and pink Himalayan salt, which have incredible health benefits. Probably, many people don’t know about it, or perhaps you have come across it, and you thought it’s just for beauty purposes. Well, Pink Himalayan Salt has more benefits than you imagined.
The Himalayas – the tallest mountains in the world – span 2400 kilometres across Asia at the joining of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Where these proud peaks now stand, 250 million years ago was a primordial sea. Within that ancient body of water existed a perfect pristine ecosystem. As the plates of the earth moved and over the ages pushed the Himalayas toward the heavens, the sea evaporated and all of its life-sustaining minerals crystallized under the heat of the sun to form what we now know as Himalayan pink salt.
Because of the conditions by which it was formed, this purest of sea salts is one of the best sources of natural minerals on the planet, and exponentially healthier than the bleached and processed table salt that most people use daily. In this article, some of the incredible benefits of Himalayan pink salt (HPS) and how you can use it to boost your health will be discussed.
1. Mineral Soak
Salt and mineral baths are a great way to relax at the end of the day while simultaneously infusing the skin and body with minerals and hydration. Through the process of dermal absorption, skin soaks up minerals from the water; often better than if the same minerals were consumed internally. Because it contains so many of the different minerals our bodies need to stay healthy, when it comes to the best things to put in your bath water, Himalayan pink salt is at the top of the list.
2. Soothes Away Soreness
Many people know the method of just soaking their bodies or feet in a warm water to get rid of the soreness without adding anything. But do you know that adding Pink Himalayan Salt to your bath water helps? A warm bath infused with Himalayan pink salt is also great for relaxing cramped muscles. The magnesium and some other trace minerals found in HPS absorb through the skin to help heal damaged muscle and other soft tissues. Minerals in HPS also work to fortify bones, skin, and connective tissues that may contribute to body soreness in other ways.
3. Detoxification
With the craze, especially among ladies to detoxify their body, adding this salt will be a good idea. When HPS is added to a bath of warm (preferably about the same as body temperature) water, it not only provides much needed nutrients to your body but also works as a powerful detoxifier. When dissolved in water, HPS becomes an ionic solution that helps to draw the toxins out of skin and tissues. This process, combined with the healing mineral infusion offered by a good Himalayan pink salt soak, will leave you feeling refreshed and energized. Plus, you will have a glowing and flawless skin, and there will be no need for you going after some creams that contain some chemicals that will damage your delicate skin.
4. Purify Air
Not only does Himalayan pink salt detoxify the body, you can also use it to clean the air you breathe. You may have seen one before and not known what you were looking at: a big chunky pink crystal lamp sitting on a table or desk. This decorative bit of lighting is actually made of HPS, which acts as a natural air purifier by pulling moisture from the surrounding environment into the salt. Heat from the bulb quickly vaporizes the water back into the air.
5. Regulate Hydration
When consumed as a sole (pronounced ‘solay’) – a brine solution of water that has been fully saturated with natural, unrefined salt – HPS provides the body with electrolytes which regulate hydration, among other things. The good news is that HPS is about 85% sodium chloride with the other 15% featuring notable amounts of potassium, calcium, and magnesium, as well as bicarbonate. These six minerals are all electrolytes that are necessary for proper functioning of the human body, or more specifically for bodily fluid regulation.
6. Lower Blood Pressure
Because of its high sodium content, saying that Himalayan pink salt has the ability to lower your blood pressure makes a lot of people skeptical. After all, we have been told our whole lives that too much salt makes your BP skyrocket. However, with a little digging you will find that there are holes in the research on this topic. That said, when all natural HPS is used in lieu of (but not more than) processed NaCl table salt, your body actually has an easier time processing the minerals. Your system won’t need as much water to clear out the excess sodium, therefore you won’t retain as much water, and your body won’t have to work as hard. Remember that natural is always better than processed, and the same holds true for salt. So swap out that old salt shaker for a Himalayan pink salt grinder.
7. Balance pH / Reduce Acid Reflux
Unbalanced pH is a problem for many people that can lead to all kinds of health problems from immune deficiency and loss of bone density to kidney stones and weight gain among other health challenges. You can test your body’s pH using test strips. Urine should have a pH around 6.5 with it being lower in the morning and slightly higher in the afternoon. Saliva pH should maintain between 6.5 and 7.5 throughout the day. The majority of people with a pH imbalance lean toward acidity (lower pH number) and can fix this problem fairly easily by drinking sole made with Himalayan pink salt.
8. Improve Digestion
Nutrients in HPS can actually increase the ability of our gastrointestinal tract to absorb other nutrients. For this reason, trading your shaker of table salt for Himalayan pink will help you to better digest your food. Better digestion means you will feel less hungry which, especially for those wanting to shed a couple of extra pounds each week, is very good news, indeed!
9. Strengthens the Body
Many of the minerals found in HPS are also vital for the human body to maintain strong bones and connective tissues, as well as proper muscle regeneration and blood circulation. If you are prone to chilled extremities, arthritis, broken bones, or even mental fatigue – regular use of Himalayan pink salt to season your food may be just what you need to jump start your body back to good health.
- It wards off signs of aging
Yeah right it does! You may be a little bit surprised, but adding this great salt to your food means you will always look younger than your actual age. Ditch that refined salt for the Himalayan Pink Salt.
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It helps with blood sugar regulation.
Those suffering from diabetes can opt for this salt rather than for the normal table salt we all use in our homes. But this notwithstanding should be taken in moderation.
- It regulates healthy sleeping patterns.
If you are having problems with sleeping at night, then this salt will ease the problem and regulate healthy sleeping patterns. Just go to a store and see if they are selling it and say goodbye to sleeping problems.
Now that you know a lot of health benefits of the Himalayan salt, won’t you rather opt to start using it instead of the normal refined salt that is not really healthy? Apart from its health benefits, you can also use it for beauty purposes, such as using it to scrub your skin to get rid of dead skin and dirt, and also in your bath water.
By: Pupwaya Timothy Dibal
