White salt vs pink salt: What is better for weight loss?
White vs Pink salt
One ingredient that is common in all the cuisines across the globe is salt. The popular seasoning is both irreplaceable and unavoidable. A pinch of salt not only adds flavour to your food, but it also makes it more nutritious and healthy.
Salt, in general, is sodium-chloride, a mineral required by our body to carry out several functions like transporting and absorbing nutrients, maintaining blood pressure and transmitting nerve signals. White salt is the most common type of salt used to prepare food, but when it comes to health, pink salt is always considered better. Here in this article, we have tried to find out which among the two is considered the best when it comes to weight loss.
The connection between salt and weight loss
Salt has always been considered crucial for promoting good health, provided it is taken in moderation. High intake of salt or sprinkling them on top of your food can cause several health issues like weight gain. Excessive sodium in food causes water retention in the body, which can lead to fluctuation of your weighing scale. But this is not the only way high salt intake affects your body. Studies suggest that a high salt diet can lead to high body fat percentage, particularly around the waist.
Pink salt
Pink salt, on the other hand, is less refined and contains more nutrients. It is extracted from the foothills of Himalayas and is naturally pink in colour, which is due to the presence of iron. That's a reason why it is also known as Himalayan pink salt or Himalayan salt. It is estimated that pink salt contains 84 different minerals and trace elements. This type of salt is also known as finishing salt because it is generally used at the end of cooking to add flavour and crunch.
White salt
White salt or table salt is generally iodized. That means it is fortified with iodine to overcome the deficiency of this common nutrient important for preventing diseases like goitre and thyroid. But another truth is that this salt is highly processed. After being extracted, it goes through an anti-caking, bleaching and several other processes, before reaching your table. During all these processes, the most of its natural minerals are stripped away.
Which is better for weight loss
No doubt, pink salt is healthier than
table salt as it is less refined and contains more nutrients. By
consuming pink salt, you will get zinc, iron, calcium and even iodine.
If we only look into the health perspective, then pink salt is more
nutritious and better. However, when it comes to weight loss, the
difference is marginal. Both types of salt contain the same amount of
sodium by weight. That means if your salt intake is high then it does
not matter which kind of salt you consume water retention and weight
gain is unavoidable. Try to consume salt in moderation and refrain from
sprinkling it on top of your cooked food. As per World Health
Organisation (WHO), a person's daily salt intake should be less than 5
grams, which is equal to one teaspoon.