Table Salt vs. Himalayan Salt: Which Is Better?

Hey guys, Dr. Josh Axe here. Welcome to Ancient Medicine Today. On today's episode, I'm going to be talking about the difference between table salt, sea salt, and Himalayan salt.

This is a question I get all the time and you might be surprised by some of the answers because I've heard a lot of people say over the years, salt and sodium are unhealthy, they cause heart disease, other health issues, and other people are touting the benefits of Himalayan salt and sea salt.

Well, I'm here to tell you the truth today about salt and how it can be harmful but also helpful to your health. So also, I'd like to start off the show here by asking you to be on mission with me.

Help me spread the message, food is medicine, by taking a second right now, punching that share button, click that like button, help me spread the word because a lot of people don't realize there is a big, big difference between table salt Iodized salt and Himalayan salt and sea salt and even truffle salt and things like that.

So there's a big difference between the types of sodium we get in our diets on a daily basis. In fact, another thing I'll talk about is certain vegetables are even high in sodium like celery and they have tremendous benefits here as well. So let's dive right in and talk about which is better, table salt versus Himalayan salt. Now let me say this about table salt.

Table salt was developed in part because many people were developing iodine deficiencies. They were having iodine deficiencies and the diet was part of it. Also, it was anti-caking. It was actually smaller in many cases than Himalayan and sea salt. And so people preferred it because it was processed and companies can make a lot more money making iodized salt versus gathering real salt.

From the sea or from caves like Himalayan salt there as well. But here's the truth about table salt. Number one, it is highly processed. And we know anytime you take a food and process it, you change the way it interacts within the body. And so when you have a highly processed table salt, and by the way, most of these table salts come from very unclean sources. And again, they're actually changed.

So listen, it's not even a food. If you're consuming table salt on a regular basis, it completely moves out of the food category because it's processed to the point where something is added. This is literally not found in nature anywhere when you're looking at regular iodized table salt versus sea salt and Himalayan salt. These are found in nature.

So number one, it's highly processed so it affects the body in a different way. One of those ways is by raising the blood pressure. Now, sea salt and Himalayan salt may actually help balance out irregular blood pressure, whereas iodized table salt will every time in every instance cause your blood pressure to rise, which isn't good.

It actually puts extra pressure on your heart, on your arterial system long-term, may in fact cause heart disease or heart failure and increases your risk of a heart attack that's medically proven through scientific studies that table salt increases your risk of high blood pressure and of a heart attack both. So again, it's highly processed is one of those reasons.

Something else you may not realize about table salt is many of the minerals are stripped out. Now, if you look at Himalayan salt, for instance, 10% of it is going to be other minerals, trace minerals found in mountains and in our earth and in the ocean.

When you're buying sea salt or Himalayan salt, the problem is, is that table salt, all of those have been stripped out, so now you're only getting sodium. And remember this, minerals balance each other out. Sodium and potassium help balance each other out. Calcium and magnesium help balance each other out.

In fact, even chloride, all of these electrolytes and minerals help keep each other balanced. So if you're consuming regular table salt, what's going to happen is you're causing imbalances in potassium in your body. We know potassium is key for supporting the function of your kidneys, for supporting detoxification of your cells. It is crucial.

So your body actually becomes more toxic when you're consuming regular table salt. And by the way, if you're enjoying this live training and you agree with me that Everybody should stay away from table salt. Take a minute right now, punch that share button, click that like button. Remember, food is medicine, it should not be poison.

And I truly believe iodized table salt for many people acts as a poison to the body. Now, here's another thing, iodized table salt is not just salt. Actually, there are other chemicals added that are anti-clumping agents. Have you ever noticed, even if you go to the ocean, so if you're sitting at an oceanside restaurant, it's very moist out.

If you're using a sea salt, it tends to clump together a little bit. Sometimes you need to shake it up. Well, when you go and consume table salt around the ocean, it's still these fine crystals. They never clump or cake together. That's because they put in toxic anti-clumping agents actually in table salt today.

These anti-clumping agents can be toxic to your digestive tract, to your small intestine. Increasing your risk of leaky gut. Also, again, it's going to be toxic to your liver and your kidneys. Stay away from table salt. And last two things: Did you know this might surprise you? Table salt has aluminum additives. Again, aluminum additives are added to table salt. So this is another major problem.

We know aluminum has been connected with dementia and neurodegeneration of the brain, as well as as well as liver toxicity. So staying away from And then last issue here with table salt, it causes iodine imbalance. Remember, iodine is an essential mineral in our body. Even though iodine is added, it's not the type of iodine we need.

And listen, this is particularly important for anyone struggling with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and types of autoimmune disease. If you have a certain type of autoimmune disease and you're not getting a food-bound iodine supplement, something like kelp, you're going to have a lot of issues. Yeah.

In its natural form, if you're doing an isolated iodine like you're going to find in table salt, it can actually increase your risk and symptoms of Hashimoto's thyroiditis and autoimmune disease.

So this might come as a shock to you, but table salt, again, not good for you, highly toxic, has been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, as well as other issues such as toxicity So if you've got table salt, when you get home, throw it away.

There are great natural alternatives such as Himalayan salt and natural Celtic sea salt, wild truffle salt, which is found at the bottom floor of the ocean. These are the best types of salt you want to be getting in your diet. So hey, take a minute with me right now, help me spread this message, press that share button right now here on Facebook and YouTube if you're watching with me.

So hey, all right, let's jump in and talk about all the benefits of sea salt. All right. Number 1, it improves respiratory health. Now, one of the things that I recommend everybody gets in their home is a salt lamp. Have you ever seen those Himalayan salt lamps?

Actually, I'd like to ask you right now, if you're watching here on Facebook or YouTube, let me know right now if you use Himalayan salt, Celtic sea salt, or truffle salt on a regular basis. Those are the healthiest forms of salt, and truffle salt, I mean, I'm not talking about the That's found in the deep bed waters of the Pacific Ocean like Hawaii.

But getting those wild type of salts, I'd love to hear if you use those in your family, if you noticed a health difference. Also, do you use those pink salt lamps? Those salt lamps are great for respiration. Have you ever noticed this? Have you ever gone to the ocean and you just noticed that your health just got much better?

You know, you were on vacation, you went to whether it was Florida, whether it was Hawaii, Yeah. So if you go to Florida or Cancun or California, wherever you're at, maybe you go to the ocean and you notice you just seem to breathe better.

Well, that's because those minerals, specifically the types of sodium and those trace minerals found in the ocean, actually help drive things out of your system, especially if you have things in your lungs. So salt, sodium, and this is a principle of Chinese medicine, actually drives things down Yeah.

It helps drive things down, supports your kidneys, and helps you excrete things through your urinary tract. So that actually happens when you are around, especially when you breathe and inhale, not just drink, but more so when you're inhaling these healthy forms of salt that are found in Himalayan salt lamps or by breathing in ocean water. Those actually help with respiratory issues.

Anytime I have a patient that's really chronically ill, one of the things I'll do is I'll recommend they'll go spend some time by the ocean on the coast and spend time walking the beach, spend time in the ocean, and practicing deep breathing. It is incredible for your respiratory health.

And by the way, if you know what I'm talking about, if you've ever been to the beach and you noticed that it cleared your sinuses, it cleared your respiratory airways, you noticed an improvement. Let me know that right now here on Facebook Live and YouTube Live. I'd love to hear from you. Here's another incredible benefit of using Himalayan salt. It balances your body's pH.

Now, there's a really unique type of salt that I use that comes from Hawaii. It's a type of truffle salt and that actually has about almost 80% of it is sodium. The other 20% are trace minerals. Similar thing, Himalayan salt. Is probably at 10% to 12% other types of trace minerals that are found in caves and in the mountains.

These trace minerals include things like manganese, magnesium, calcium, potassium, chloride, iodine, selenium, and other powerful minerals, even zinc. So getting many of these trace minerals, actually even things like Silver is actually really beneficial for your health. It's great for killing off bad bacteria. Gold is actually good for your heart.

These actually are trace minerals found in sea salt today. And so again, or Himalayan salt, these help balance your body's pH. Now, I want to say this, you can have too much of a good thing. So I'm not telling you to go home and do multiple tablespoons of Himalayan salt every single day, but sprinkling a little bit on your food. Can help balance your body's pH and have tremendous health benefits.

So again, use it sparingly, but use a little bit of Himalayan salt or wild salt, sea salt every single day. It's also a natural digestive aid. I mentioned this earlier, salt actually helps dry things up. So have you noticed that doing a lot of salt, we know, is a natural drying agent? And so doing some salt is actually good for the digestive system, not too much, a little Himalayan and sea salt.

But it's actually good, especially if you have Candida, getting a little bit of salt goes a long way or getting some of those good electrolytes. Also, as I mentioned earlier, it's an air purifier. Getting a Himalayan salt lamp, having that by your bed at night. This is great for kids.

If you have a child who has respiratory or breathing issues, you know, and a lot of times rather than having those nightlights that give off the wrong color, some of that blue light, Himalayan lights are much better. They're good to have in the bathroom if you have a child or you need to go to the restroom during the night rather than turning on those brighter lights.

This actually is a type of light that's more red in nature, and red, orange, and yellow lights actually don't cause your melatonin production to drop. They help keep it elevated. So they're good to use at night or in the evening, but also they're great for purifying the air. As I talked about the benefits earlier of that ocean water and of these lamps, they are so good for your overall health.

Also, they actually help induce better sleep because of the type of light they give off. Also, did you know that minerals actually help your hormone production and actually help calm your system? This is why oftentimes magnesium is referred to as the relaxation mineral, but it's not just magnesium, it's trace minerals consumed or breathed in in the right amounts.

It's that combination of magnesium, calcium, iodine, potassium. Potassium chloride, all of these in combination in nature have tremendous health benefits. And so, and think about the ocean now. Well, there's obviously the ocean is a little bit different, but even using a salt lamp, it's very calming to the nerve system, it's very calming to the body, it has many, many benefits.

And I want to mention this last here as well, Himalayan salt is great for athletes. If you're an endurance athlete, Yeah. If you are a marathon runner, a triathlete, a swimmer, and you're doing any type of long distance or just a lot of cardio, you're out sweating a lot, it is crucial you're getting the right type of sodium in your diet on a daily basis.

And Himalayan salt, sea salt, these are some of the best forms of sodium.

In fact, when I used to race triathlons, one of the things I would always do is I would make my own sort of energy pack and I would get some raw local honey and I would drop in a little bit of Himalayan salt in there and that's what I would consume when I was actually doing a workout, a little bit of sea salt and a little bit of raw local honey.

It was a great natural energy booster there to use as well. So again, we know it's great for athletes. If you're sweating a lot, you can do a little bit there as well in that way. So let's review some of the side effects and the reasons you want to get rid of table salt.

By the way, if you are with me on this, that everybody should throw out their table salt and start using sea salt, press the like button right now. Also press the share button because more people need to know the difference. You know, I look at one of my grandfathers who had chronic heart issues and he used iodized, this table salt all the time. In fact, his doctor put him on a low-salt diet.

That wasn't the answer. He should have been using real salt from the sea or from caves, the salt that our ancestors consumed that has all of these health benefits. For the body. So help me spread this message. So here are some of the side effects.

Again, table salt risks, it's highly processed, it has the minerals stripped out of it, toxic clumping agents, harmful aluminum additives, iodine imbalance within the body. Also here, look at the benefits of Himalayan salt. Improves respiratory problems, balances your body's pH, it's a natural digestive aid. Purifies your air, and improves your overall sleep, all of these benefits.

And I want to give you this last tip as well. It's important that we are flooding our bodies with minerals on a daily basis. If you want to know the most mineral-rich foods as well, again, one of them is Himalayan salt. Along with this type of salt, what's also beneficial is doing fruits and vegetables.

You know, celery juice or juicing vegetables, incredible for flooding your body with vitamins and minerals. Also, certain types of food, grass-fed beef, chicken liver, bone broth is packed with minerals like potassium and healthy sodium. Actually, that perfect balance is found in bone broth.

So make sure, again, you're getting these beneficial types of minerals in your diet every day from great sources like fruits. Vegetables, organic wild meats, bone broth, as well as Himalayan salt and sea salt. And one of my favorites is doing Ocean Pacific salt that's found in things like truffle salt. So many benefits there.

So again, throw out the table salt or, hey, throw it over your shoulder for good luck and start using Himalayan salt both as a lamp in your house every single day and again sprinkling a little bit of sea salt or Himalayan salt on your food every day. And again, I would love to hear from you.

If you use sea salt, truffle salt, or Himalayan salt on a regular basis, let me know that right now here on Facebook Live and YouTube Live. I'd love to hear from you. And remember, every day Monday through Thursday, I'm coming to you live with more Facebook Live and YouTube Live topics, 10:30 a.m. Central Time. And every Friday, we do a live pop-in.

And if you're not subscribed here, make sure you subscribe to our live feed. Guys, this has been me, Dr. Josh Axe, talking about How to naturally improve your health with Himalayan salt.