Plastic is dominating our daily life and it is about time we kick our plastic addiction. Not only is it killing the oceans and its inhabitants, we are so hooked on it that we are eating and drinking it on a daily basis. Yikes!
Tests on major brands of bottled water have revealed that nearly all of the water we are drinking is contaminated with tiny particles of plastic. Plastic, although very convenient, has become a serious problem we need to address straight away.
For years it has been polluting our oceans and environment. Look around you. There is plastic everywhere. It is so pervasive in our environment. Not only Mother Earth is suffering from this polluting material, we are too! Microplastics have been found in beer, bottled and tap water and now researchers have also found plastic in most major brands of sea salt.
Since we live close to the ocean and have many salt fields around us, we have been opting for local sea salt for many years now. Though we always have some Himalayan pink salt in the house, the majority of our cooking was done with the cheaper sea salt.
Recently, however, we came across a study that found microplastics in 90% of commercially available sea salts. According to leading scientists, most people consume up to 2,000 particles of plastic a year via their sea salt consumption. What’s more, the researchers stated that the problem was worse in sea salts produced in Asian countries, which is exactly where we live and get our salt from.
As a result, we threw out all the sea salt we had left and are now solemnly cooking with the more expensive Himalayan pink. But hey, our health is worth a few extra bucks, right?
What the Heck Is Himalayan Pink?
Pink Himalayan salt – or Himalayan pink or pink salt for short – is a truly unique salt. Unlike sea salt that comes from the oceans, Himalayan pink is classified as rock salt or halite. It comes from very rich and very old salt fields found deep within salt mines below the Himalayan mountain range (about 1.5 km or 5,000 feet deep) in the Punjab region of Pakistan (about 190 miles from the Himalayas).
The salt fields date back to the Precambrian age – over 4 billion years ago – when planet Earth was first formed. Pink salt is believed to be composed of dried remnants of the original, primal sea. Before plastics were even invented. Yep the salt you are eating there is that old and deserves some respect, right?
Himalayan pink is touted to be one of the purest salts you can find on Earth. It is said to be over 99% pure. Chemically Himalayan pink is made of sodium chloride (NaCl), just as most other salts. This mineral is essential to all human and animal life. But how did this type of salt got that beautiful color? Iron, when oxidized, becomes pink, red or orange, giving the Himalayan salt crystals their beautiful pink hue.
What makes pink salt the better option for you to cook with? Scroll down for more info.
Himalayan Pink Salt vs Sea Salt
Though you might find a lot of peculiar claims about Himalayan pink salt, the one reason we started using it for everything is that Himalayan salt doesn’t have plastic, aluminum, anti-caking agents and other nasty chemicals in it.
One of the most dubious claims you’ll find about Himalayan pink ist that it contains 84 trace minerals our body needs. Though this has a slight grain of truth, the concentrations found are in such low concentrations that they actually do not matter.
All types of salt – sea salt, Celtic, Himalayan, etc. – have a different taste, texture, and color. That’s why many chefs pick their type of salt based on these features. Bigger flakes will have a stronger flavor, and pink salt looks great when sprinkled on a dish. But which one is the healthiest? Believe it or not, in terms of nutrients they are all the same.
For more info read my previous article: Know Your Salts: Which Is The Healthiest?
Without Salt, You’ll Die
Though salt has got a bad rap over the years, we all need salt or we’ll die. It is as simple as that.
Salt plays a vital role in the functioning of the nervous and muscular system, it is needed to maintain a proper fluid balance within our body, furthermore, it is important to the healthy functioning of our cells and digestion and promotes nutrient absorption and the elimination of waste products.
As I’ve mentioned earlier, though many health claims have been made about Himalayan pink – and honestly, the pink color looks kinda cute on your plate – these are not the reasons why you should make the switch too.
So Why Make The Switch?
Not only because it is plastic- and chemical-free, it also looks and taste so much better. Though I use Mamami Organic Himalaya Rock Salt (because I can find it in a local shop here), there are many other good pink salts available on the market. If you cannot find it near you, Amazon has some great offers too.
As said before, unlike most other salts, Himalayan salt isn’t laced with chemical additives or microplastics. It is just a pure salt your body needs to survive. Yes, it comes at a slightly higher price, but then it’s not that we are going through a bag a week.
In contrary to the refined table salt most of us use, Himalayan pink is a high-quality unrefined salt. Meaning, it has not been processed and comes to us in its purest form. It is typically mined by hand. No unnatural interference or processing steps involved.
With most table salts being highly refined – some even contain toxic anti-clumping agents, bleaching agents, and aluminum – Himalayan pink is my new go-to salt. Aluminum, found in most anti-caking agents, has been linked to the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), aluminum found in our food is the primary exposure route for most people.
For many years I believed sea salt to be the healthier, aluminum-free alternative to regular table salt. Multiple emerging studies, however, are showing that the majority of sea salt brands contain microplastics due to ocean pollution. This breaking news has convinced me to make the permanent switch.
Pink salt can be used in the same way as your normal table salt to season meals or preserve food. Some people use it to make scrubs and peelings or add it to water when they live in a tropical climate to keep some water in.
Are you with me? Though there are so many other things endangering our family, making this small change will bring you one step closer to living a healthy and happy life.
And don’t forget to go plastic-free as much as you can. Though it is getting nearly impossible to avoid all plastic, there are some ways that you can help. Always carry cotton or other reusable shopping bags with you. Say no to one-use plastics like straws or plastic smoothie cups. Instead, bring your own bamboo or metal straw and use your own cup.
There are so many small things you can do to protect the health of your family and planet Earth.
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Thanks for reading. I hope this information was helpful. Until next time!
Amy Goodrich
Crazy cat lady, life and food lover, certified biologist, and holistic health coach.
