what comes to mind when you hear the word himalayan mountains sherpas yetis what about pink salt keep watching to learn why health fanatics and celebrity chefs can't get enough of himalayan pink salt alexander the great was the king of macedonia from 336 bc till his death in 323 bc he ruled over an empire that stretched from the shores of the aegean sea to india during his lifetime and the millennia since he has been remembered as one of the world's greatest military commanders the founder of the city alexandria and an astute political strategist alexander's reputation was built upon brutal military campaigns which led him and his army deep into asia after one of his most ferocious battles against king paris at the jalen river in modern-day punjab alexander was to discover yet another wonder in the strange and foreign land or rather his horses were they began to lick nearby rocks and alexander's perplexed calvary men copied them and to their surprise found the rocks to be salty alexander and his army first discovered salt and the punjab region of pakistan over 2000 years ago however extraction only began at what was to become the world's second largest salt mine in the 13th century due to the relative scarcity and thus valuable nature of salt it is thought that small-scale salt gathering operations would have occurred in the punjab region before the 13th century however there was little in the way of definitive proof of such activity taking place the name himalayan salt conjures in the minds and image of a mythical snow-capped peak draped and mist with hidden pink treasures residing deep in its bowels yet the reality is that himalayan salt is mined 186 miles away from the faint himalayan mountain range in the appropriately named salt range a series of much more diminutive mountains in the punjab province of pakistan standing at a measly average height of 2200 feet the salt range definitely does not live up to the lofty imaginations associated with himalayan topography however what it lacks in stature the salt range more than makes up for below the surface three main mines located in the salt range cura calabog and worca offer near inexhaustible reserves kira alone is estimated to have deposits of 6.7 billion tons of himalayan salt clocking in at an impressive 110 square kilometers the kira salt mine is the second largest salt mine in the world it turns out approximately 325 000 tons of himalayan salt per year located in the salt range the mine accesses seven salt beds which if combined would be approximately 150 meters thick however not all this salt can be mined as about half must remain for structural integrity to prevent the mind from collapsing this method is known as the room and pillar technique the mind boasts a number of amenities including an electronic railway mosque and the world's only operational post office made from salt unsurprisingly the beauty and status of such a place attracts a huge number of tourists upward of nearly half a million visit the mine annually in an attempt to widen the appeal of the mines and to exemplify the product's purported health benefits the pakistan mineral development corporation has built an asthma resort inside the mine it is suggested that inhaling the natural salt particles in the air can help to alleviate the symptoms of asthma as well as a host of other health issues we pump in pharmaceutical grade salt and all of the salt is antiviral antibacterial anti-fungal antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory such salt clinics exist all over the world although some find the claims of the treatment's efficacy to be baseless questioning the results [Music] himalayan salt is a rock salt which means it is already solidified before being harvested on the other hand white marine salt is produced by the evaporation of salty water as previously reported by mashed the difference between how the two salts are harvested does normally produce slight discrepancies in look texture and taste however in the case of himalayan salt the differences are much more evident for those who have never seen it himalayan salt looks markedly different from its counterparts most notably himalayan salt often has a pink hue this is not due to the addition of colorings or additives but remarkably because of the impurities found naturally within the product itself the trace minerals predominantly responsible for this color are calcium potassium and magnesium with up to 84 trace minerals being found in himalayan salt himalayan salt has a lower overall percentage of sodium chloride than its marine alternatives indeed it is the inclusion of these trace minerals that has led some to argue that himalayan salt is nutritionally superior to other salts despite the prevalence of numerous trace minerals ingesting himalayan salt has been shown to not be nutritionally superior to other pure assaults this is mainly because the concentration of these trace minerals is so small as to make no impact misinformation concerning the purported health benefits of himalayan salts is rife however governments and governing bodies have sought to crack down on misinformation as exemplified by the fda lawsuit filed against herbs of light this was a nutritional supplement business that made misleading claims about the benefits of various products including himalayan salt stating misinformation such as quote using salts would stop cholera and typhoid with decided and immediate success in every case iodine is required by the thyroid glands to produce hormones as iodine cannot be produced by humans we must ingest sufficient amounts in order to remain healthy if our diet lacks efficient iodine we can develop a deficiency that results in the enlargement of the thyroid gland and other serious complications as himalayan salt does not iodize like regular commercial saltes solely utilizing himalayan salt can contribute to individuals developing an iodine deficiency and the negative health impacts associated with lacking iodine furthermore the normal risks associated with consuming salt are still applicable to himalayan salt as reported by the harvard school of public health high blood pressure chronic kidney disease and osteoporosis can all be caused or worsened by diets high in salt as a gourmet product himalayan salt is sold at a much higher price than its common counterparts business insider reported himalayan salt as being up to 20 times more expensive but with its purported health benefits being highly contested the question must be asked what is it about this distinctive mineral that has customers shouting shut up and take my money it is thought that the salt's distinctive color gives it a definitive edge over regular salt however its beautiful appearance does a lot more than add color to a plate and also provides physical proof of the mineral impurities that carry himalayan salt's purported health benefits as reported by the atlantic the pink hue is a marketer's dream that's because without this visual cue it is expected that many would be slower to believe the sweeping health statements made about the product add to this the eastern connotation associated with the product and you have an item perfect for capturing the attention of a growing health-conscious western population as a product himalayan salt has moved from the culinary world into the wellness fear with startling ease what was once a condiment is now so much more with the raw product ending up in beauty products home decor and even spa facilities however this trend for products that ride the line between food and wellness products has been around before himalayan salts arrived on the scene as stated by restaurant editor of eater hilary dixler canavan to the atlantic gwyneth paltrow one step a french fry and goop face cream and ate it to show how organic it is there is this idea that your beauty supply should be food and your food should be beauty as a signifier that you really value natural and organic ideals however wellness fads can be at best expensive and at worst harmful one which potentially falls into the latter category is drinking so called soleil water a blend of himalayan salt and water this fad which has gained traction and wellness circles is suggested as having many of the same contested benefits of ingesting the salt in its solid form however drinking sole water will increase a person's salt ingestion dramatically a pertinent issue for western individuals whose diets are already overloaded with salt as well as being used as a garnish himalayan salt due to its structural integrity has been turned into a variety of products mainly for the western market kitchenware is a popular choice for craftsmen with himalayan salt often being carved into shot glasses and solid cooking blocks these blocks can be heated directly and used as a surface to fry a variety of ingredients from eggs to steak the idea being that sufficient salt is added during the process salt works a company that supplies such salt slab stated foods placed on a himalayan crystal salt slab take on a light clean naturally salty flavor while absorbing minerals necessary for good health and longevity however the most popular items have nothing to do with the kitchen salt lamps and so-called sand blocks meet the demand for himalayan salt wellness products by promising to purify the air and emit negatively charged ions however the effectiveness of such products has been challenged most namely because the lamps do not approach temperatures anywhere near the 1500 degrees fahrenheit required to dissociate ions the gourmet salt market is soaring as reported by british grocer tesco in 2019 demand for himalayan salt increased by an astonishing 2 000 however with gourmet salt now contributing to 40 of tesco's overall salt sales it can be suggested that this is no longer some passing trend well attuned to this fact is a whole host of celebrity chefs who are looking to profit off this sudden surge in gourmet salt sales first and foremost amongst these is nusret gauche better known as salt bay despite the fact salt babe refers to top as famous steaks with the flourish of malden salt he still sells a himalayan salt under the title salpe himalayan pink salt another enterprising chef who has jumped on the himalayan salt bandwagon is british star jamie oliver the celebrity chef's own brand of himalayan pink salt is being sold in british mega chain sainsbury's check out one of our newest videos right here plus even more mash videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon subscribe to our youtube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one [Music]
