White salt vs Himalayan pink salt: Which is the healthier option?

Salt is in almost everything we eat, from home-cooked meals to packaged snacks. But not all salt looks the same. Some swear by the fancy pink crystals of Himalayan salt, claiming it’s healthier and more natural, while others stick to the familiar white grains of table salt. With so many options on the shelf—table salt, sea salt, and Himalayan pink salt—what’s really better for your health? Let’s break it down with what doctors actually say.

In a YouTube video, Canadian doctors, Dr. Paul Zalzal and Dr. Brad Weening, weighed in on their opinion on the benefits of table salt, sea salt and Himalayan Pink salt.

In the video, the experts shared that the table salt, the most common type, is almost pure sodium chloride (around 99%). It’s highly refined and usually contains anti-caking agents to stop it from clumping. While some people worry about these additives, they pointed out that the amounts are tiny and nowhere near harmful. The bigger health concern lies not in the additives, but in how much salt you eat overall.


Sea salt, on the other hand, comes from evaporated seawater, Dr Zalzal and Weening shared. Along with sodium chloride, it carries tiny amounts of minerals like magnesium, manganese, and potassium. These sound promising, but they highlighted that the mineral content is far too small to make a real difference to your health. At the end of the day, sea salt is still mainly sodium chloride—just like table salt.


Then the doctors talked about the trendy Himalayan pink salt. According to them, its pretty pink colour comes from iron oxide, and the grains tend to be coarser and less processed. While it does contain trace minerals, it’s still overwhelmingly sodium chloride. The health impact isn’t much different from other salts—it just looks nicer on the plate.


So, which one is better?
The doctors stressed that it’s less about the type of salt and more about the amount. Regardless of whether it’s white, pink, or flaky sea salt, one should keep sodium intake under 2,300 mg a day (as recommended by dietary guidelines) as per the FDA.


( Originally published on Aug 28, 2025 )