Can Pink Salt Help Curb Hunger?

Himalayan pink salt is a type of salt found near the Himalayas in the Punjab region of Pakistan (via Verywell Fit). Himalayan salt is naturally pink in color and is generally coarser in texture than regular table salt. Mined in the Salt Range mountains for hundreds of years, Himalayan pink salt gets its pink hue from trace minerals and impurities found in the salt, which can appear as either a subtle or more vibrant pink.

Compared to table salt, Himalayan pink salt generally tends to contain a larger variety of important nutrients and minerals, like magnesium, calcium, and potassium, per Verywell Fit. It also has less sodium than regular salt. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), table salt contains 581 milligrams of sodium per ¼ teaspoon, while Himalayan pink salt only contains 388 milligrams of sodium per ¼ teaspoon. Because of this, pink salt is often marketed as a healthier alternative to regular salt. However, there is no concrete evidence to suggest that Himalayan pink salt is associated with any additional health benefits.

Some intermittent fasters, however, claim that Himalayan pink salt can help curb hunger and cravings while fasting (via LIVESTRONG). According to proponents of intermittent fasting, consuming more pink salt can supposedly replace lost electrolytes, since electrolyte loss is what triggers increased thirst and hunger pangs in the first place. While some nutrition experts agree with this thinking, there is no scientific evidence to support this claim.

Although your body can certainly lose sodium while fasting, it's not enough to cause any major side effects. "Low sodium is not a concern for someone fasting 12 to 16 hours per day," North Carolina-based dietitian Elizabeth Barnes told LIVESTRONG. "If the body was so sensitive that it couldn't go 16 hours without extra sodium from pink salt, the human population would have died out long ago." All you need to do is make sure you drink enough water throughout the day. However, if you want to try eating pink salt, it can't hurt, as long as you consume it in moderation.