logo
Pink salt vs regular salt: Is one healthier than the other?

Pink salt vs regular salt: Is one healthier than the other?

Time of India05-06-2025
What is salt? Salt is a common ingredient used from prehistoric times to now. It has changed civilisations, and is now an integral part of one's food. Of course we cannot forget the fight against the British for taxation on salt in the form of Dandi March.
We are today talking about different types of salts debating whether pink salt is better than white salt.
Salt has been used as if food preservative, currency, religious findings, drug and medication, item of taxation, symbol of victory, as a mummifying agent and an integral component of one's diet.
Salt is a compound sodium chloride. Sodium plays an important role in several biological functions, including fluid balance, nerve conduction and muscle contraction.
Salt in excess can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease. Because of the potential dangers of consuming too much table salt, many people have turned to using pink Himalayan salt, believing it to be a healthier alternative.
Let us now explore the difference between the Pink salt and the normal salt.
What is Pink Himalayan Salt?
Pink Himalayan salt is a pink-colored salt extracted from the Khewra Salt Mine. The salt is hand-extracted and minimally processed to yield an unrefined product that's free of additives and thought to be much more natural than table salt.
However, the natural harvesting process allows pink Himalayan salt to possess many other minerals and trace elements that are not found in regular table salt.
Some people estimate it may contain up to 84 different minerals and trace elements. In fact, it's these very minerals, especially iron, that give it its characteristic pink color.
Pink Himalayan salt contains more minerals
Both table salt and pink Himalayan salt consist mostly of sodium chloride, but pink Himalayan salt has up to 84 other minerals and trace elements.
These include common minerals like potassium and calcium, as well as lesser-known minerals like strontium and molybdenum.
The Pink Himalayan salt lacks Iodine which is an ingredient added to Table salt.
Below is a comparison of well-known minerals found in a gram of the two salts:
Pink Himalayan Salt
Table Salt
Calcium (mg)
1.6
0.4
Potassium (mg)
2.8
0.9
Magnesium (mg)
1.06
0.0139
Iron (mg)
0.0369
0.0101
Sodium (mg)
368
381
Pink Himalayan salt Contains may favor good microbiome.
Studies using advanced genetic techniques showed that wide variety of microbes, with two main groups of bacteria thriving in different environments, one in the soil and the other in the salty brine. The soil had more diverse bacteria like Lactobacillus, while the brine supported different groups, including halophiles that thrive in extreme salt conditions.
Dr. Narasimhaiah Srinivasaiah, Senior Consultant - Colorectal Surgery, Apollo Hospitals Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru
One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The virtues of the tomato, a healthy vegetable
The virtues of the tomato, a healthy vegetable

The Hindu

time16 hours ago

  • The Hindu

The virtues of the tomato, a healthy vegetable

The evolution and growth of the humble tomato as an essential ingredient of our daily diet across the world is a fascinating story. Yolanda Evans writes in the June 5, 2025, issue of National Geographic magazine about the rise in tomatoes with myth and folklore and how tomatoes weren't always a beloved ingredient. Once deemed sinful, stinky, and 'poison apples', they were linked to superstition and illness, in part due to their reaction with lead in copper-based dinnerware. The use of a more appropriate vessel by farmers from Salem, New Jersey, to cook tomatoes shifted public opinion in the US. Tomatoes were not native to India but brought to us by the Portuguese traders in the 15th century. They were then adopted by the British colonisers in the 16th century who started growing them across the country and added them to their menu. But the people were still wary of it. As the independent journalist Ms. Sohel Sarkar has written, in 1938 the physician Dr Tara Chitale and her colleagues tried to convince people about the benefits of using tomatoes to cure common cold, scurvy, and iron deficiency, but the response was lukewarm. The change finally transpired when more and more inputs came from travellers who recommended tomatoes in our diet, and experts from the National Institute of Nutrition in India pointed out the importance of vitamins and minerals in our daily diet and how tomatoes are rich in them. Health benefits Plant biologists classify tomato as a fruit. The benefits that tomatoes offer to our daily health have been described among others by the dietitian and public health specialist Ms. Cynthia Saas of California. Let us highlight some of these. Tomatoes are rich sources of antioxidants that offer health benefits for the heart and brain. They have nutrients that reduce the risk factor for heart disease significantly. Increased tomato intake decreases high blood pressure, a noteworthy point for senior citizens. The cellulose fibre content in tomatoes helps to prevent constipation. The red carotenoid pigment called lycopene in tomatoes might help protect people above 70 years of age from Alzheimer's disease. Ms. Saas has warned that before cooking tomatoes, one must ensure they are thoroughly washed and free of any dust-borne germs. Tomatoes are grown in farmlands all over India, numbering between 5,000 and 10,000 plants per acre. According to one estimate from the Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, India produced 210 lakh tonnes in the year 2022-2023, second only to China (680 lakh tonnes). The Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, has been researching a variety of tomato plants. One, called 'Arka Rakshak', is a disease-resistant hybrid while another, 'Arka Shreshta', has a long shelf-life, making it easier to transport. The top seven tomato cultivating States are Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu. The average whole-sale price is estimated to be about Rs 1,700 per quintal. Today, just about every house in the country uses tomatoes in their daily diet. A typical Indian dish these days invariably has some tomatoes in it, be it as a soup, added to a vegetable curry, chutney, added to rice or wheat as a 'rasam', and as ketchup for sandwiches and pizzas. Having tasted the tomato and learnt that it is not sinful but in fact has several health benefits, let us enjoy this vegetable.

Keir Starmer Outlines UK's Efforts For Gaza Aid Airdrops, Child Evacuations
Keir Starmer Outlines UK's Efforts For Gaza Aid Airdrops, Child Evacuations

NDTV

timea day ago

  • NDTV

Keir Starmer Outlines UK's Efforts For Gaza Aid Airdrops, Child Evacuations

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday spoke to his French and German counterparts and outlined UK plans to get aid to people in Gaza and evacuate sick and injured children, his office said. "The prime minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance," a statement said. In a phone conversation, Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza "which they agreed is appalling". "They all agreed it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently needed ceasefire into lasting peace," according to a readout released by Downing Street. "They discussed their intention to work closely together on a plan.... which would pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region. They agreed that once this plan was worked up, they would seek to bring in other key partners, including in the region, to advance it," it added. The discussion comes a day after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres slammed the international community for turning a blind eye to widespread starvation in the Gaza Strip, calling it a "moral crisis that challenges the global conscience". Aid groups have warned of surging cases of starvation, particularly among children, in war-ravaged Gaza, which Israel placed under an aid blockade in March amid its ongoing war with Hamas. That blockade was partially eased two months later. The trickle of aid since then has been controlled by the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

SOS from the fringes
SOS from the fringes

New Indian Express

timea day ago

  • New Indian Express

SOS from the fringes

Bonacaud, a remote forest-fringed settlement in the state capital, is grappling with healthcare challenges due to the absence of medical facilities. Located on the edge of the Western Ghats, deep within the Vithura panchayat in Nedumangad, the area is vulnerable to human-wildlife conflicts, with wild elephants and bears often sighted. The nearest government hospital is over 20km away, leaving the ageing former tea estate workers living here without access to timely medical care. In emergencies, help often arrives only after a minimum delay of two hours. This delay could be fatal, say the residents. Selvaraj T, 62, a resident of the estate, had a near-death experience after a snakebite a few months ago. 'I thought I wouldn't survive. Another person was bitten earlier, and the only ambulance available took him first,' he says. 'I had to wait for four hours before I was picked up.' He was first taken to Vithura taluk hospital, from where he was referred to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. He spent three days in the ICU and incurred an expense of Rs 30,000. Selvaraj is among the 180 families, mostly elderly, who reside at the estate. The residents have submitted a representation to the district collector and the Vithura panchayat, demanding a health sub-centre or a primary health centre in the area. Once a flourishing British-era plantation known as Bonaccord, Bonacaud was a hub of activity and employment for hundreds of workers, many of whom had migrated from Tamil Nadu. Established in the 19th century, the estate remained a major tea producer until its decline in the late 20th century, culminating in the factory's closure in 2000.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store