There’s been a lot of recent media buzz about the January 7 update to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. The update calls on Americans to limit sugar to no more than 10% of daily calories (no more than 12 teaspoons a day on a 2,000-calorie daily diet) and sticks with its recommendation for Americans to cut sodium to no more than 2,300 milligrams per day.
Does this mean salt is bad for you? No – it simply means that most Americans consume too much sodium every day. An overabundance of processed food is the major contributing factor, leading most to consume about 3,440 milligrams of daily on average.
By binding water in the bloodstream, too much salt in your diet can raise blood pressure, but salt is not all bad for us. We need salt to maintain our bodies’ essential functions, and the body does not make salt on its own. When we focus our diet on whole, unprocessed foods, we can add some salt to our meals without compromising our health.
When adding salt, however, moderation isn't the only consideration you should make. The differences between table salt and pink Himalayan salt are significant.
When salt is processed to make conventional table salt, essential minerals needed for your body are removed through a chemical refining process that leaves behind a substance that is 99% sodium chloride. Dried at over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, excessive heat alters the natural structure of the salt. After this refining process, what’s left is 99% sodium chloride, which is not in its natural form, a high concentration that may contribute to cellulite, rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney and gall bladder stones, and more.
Pink Himalayan salt, on the other hand, is regarded as the purest salt on earth, protected deep in the Himalayan Mountains and untouched for millions of years. Consisting of 85% sodium chloride and carefully hand-mined, pink Himalayan salt contains more than 80 essential minerals that your body needs to function.
Pink Himalayan salt is one of the top choices for salt, giving flavor and supporting essential functions in our body. To best support your health, concentrate on filling your diet with fresh vegetables, fruits, and other unprocessed foods, and when you do add salt to your diet, choose pure pink Himalayan salt.