Himalayan salt is no better than ordinary, says nutrologist –

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Pink salt is extracted from dry Himalayan mines in Asia and does not go through the refinement process. Therefore, many researches and books claim that the seasoning maintains more than 80 minerals (such as calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium) and only 240 milligrams of sodium per gram of the product (260 less than refined salt). Despite having the same flavor as the refined version, natural salt is much more expensive, around R$35.

According to research carried out at the request of manufacturers, the spice offers benefits such as preventing cramps, improving circulation and sleep quality. But is it really better than the traditional version? For nutrologist Celso Cukier, pink salt contains more minerals than white salt, but not enough to offer such benefits. This is because the concentration is low and to make a real difference in the functioning of the organism it would be necessary to ingest high doses of salt, which would lead to an exaggerated consumption of sodium.

See also: 6 Foods That Look Healthy But Are Loaded In Sodium

In an interview with the blog A Chata das Dietas, from the newspaper Folha de São Paulo, he cited a simple example: one gram of pink salt contains 4 mg of calcium. According to Anvisa, an adult should ingest 1,000 mg of calcium per day. This is equivalent to 250 grams of Himalayan salt. An almost impossible mission to accomplish, right? In fact, we shouldn’t even consume that amount of salt, since excess sodium causes liquid retention, increased blood pressure and kidney changes, in addition to an increased risk of thrombosis, heart attack and stroke.

As we must manage the intake – and the concentration of minerals in the products is low – there is no difference in replacing one for the other. It is worth mentioning that, regardless of your choice, consumption should always be lower.