Himalayan salt where to buy

When the chef and food scientist Ali Bouzari first encountered pink Himalayan salt in a store, it was in a specialty spice shop in Denver. But it also works on another, less obvious level. Bouzari has seen a similar phenomenon among clients at his food-product consultancy.

Often that means single foods or ingredients end up with a vague reputation for quasi-medicinality, often based on notions of their purity or naturalness. Although many things become popular because of specious health claims attached to them on Instagram by people with lots of followers and few credentials, Himalayan salt seems to be a slightly different case: People saw it and liked it, and many of them reverse-engineered a justification for that desire from there.

That often hinges on the elevated levels of trace minerals in the salt, which are what give it its distinctive look. Although those minerals are indeed present, the health claims attached to them are fiction, according to Bouzari.

Read: Why are Millennials so obsessed with food? Hillary Dixler Canavan, the restaurant editor of the food-culture website Eater , sees that as part of a larger attitude in wellness. However, due to ocean pollution, sea salt can also harbor trace amounts of heavy metals like lead. Sea salt also contains microplastics — the microscopic remains of plastic waste. The health implications of microplastics in food are still unclear, but some researchers believe that health risks are low at current levels 7.

If you sprinkle it on your food after cooking, it may have a different mouthfeel and cause a more potent flavor burst than refined salt. The trace minerals and impurities found in sea salt can also affect its taste — but this varies greatly between brands.

Sea salt is made by evaporating seawater. Though very similar to regular salt, it may contain small amounts of minerals. It also contains trace amounts of heavy metals and microplastics. Himalayan salt is mined in Pakistan.

It also has small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium, making it slightly lower in sodium than regular table salt. Himalayan salt is harvested from a large salt mine in Pakistan. It has a pink color due to the presence of iron oxide. It also contains trace amounts of calcium, potassium and magnesium. Traditional Jewish law requires blood to be extracted from meat before it is eaten.

Because kosher salt has a flaky, coarse structure, it is particularly efficient at extracting blood. The main difference between regular salt and kosher salt is the structure of the flakes. Chefs find that kosher salt — due to its large flake size — is easier to pick up with your fingers and spread over food.

However, kosher salt is less likely to contain additives like anti-caking agents and iodine. Yet, keep in mind that a teaspoon of kosher salt weighs far less than a teaspoon of regular salt.

Kosher salt has a flaky structure that makes it easy to spread atop your food. Celtic salt has a light grayish color and is quite moist. It is made from seawater and contains trace amounts of minerals. The size of the grain also affects how the salty flavor hits your tongue.

Salt with a larger grain size can have a stronger flavor and last longer on your tongue. If you like to use your fingers to sprinkle salt on food, dry salts with a larger grain size are much easier to handle. One study determined the mineral content of different types of salt 8. The table below shows a comparison between table salt, Maldon salt a typical sea salt , Himalayan salt and Celtic salt:. As you can see, Celtic salt has the least amount of sodium and the highest amount of calcium and magnesium.

Himalayan salt contains a bit of potassium. However, keep in mind that these are trace amounts. For example, the 0. For this reason, the mineral content of the various salts is far from a compelling reason to choose one salt over another.

These levels are negligible compared to what you obtain from food. Salt contains only trace amounts of minerals. As a result, choosing one type of salt over another is unlikely to significantly affect your health.

Most salts are similar, consisting of sodium chloride and tiny amounts of minerals. Neti Pots Salt Inhaler. Bath Salts See More. Beauty See More. Peloid Mud Mask DeoBar. Salt Health Research See More. Get Support See More. About Us See More. Shopping Cart. Cooking Salt Add 84 minerals and a vibrant taste to every dish Shop cooking salt. Original Himalayan Salt Mountain to Table.

Where your salt comes from matters to your health and to the planet. No mineral is more essential to your health and survival than sodium. Shop our Products by Category. Sign up for personalized information from our Naturopathic Doctors and MDs including cutting edge health editorials, recipes, subscriber-only offers and to learn more about the health benefits of Original Himalayan Crystal Salt.