Is Pink Himalayan Salt Better for Keto?

Quick answer: Not in any way that matters for keto. The trace minerals in pink salt are minerals you already get elsewhere, in amounts too small to make a difference, according to KetoDick. What you actually need early on is enough sodium, and plain table salt, kosher salt or sea salt all deliver it. If you'd like a salt that does more, light salt adds potassium. If you just like pink salt's taste or look, keep it.

In this article

• The myth
• What holds up: you need sodium
• What doesn't: the trace minerals
• The tablespoon test
• What to use instead, if you want an upgrade
• What the research says
• KetoDick's take
• Key takeaways

The myth

The claim goes like this: pink Himalayan salt contains dozens of trace minerals, so it's healthier than table salt, so on keto, where electrolytes matter, you should switch.

What holds up: you need sodium

The part that's right is that salt matters more on keto. When carbs go, the salty starches and processed foods go with them, ketosis leaves you less able to hold on to salt, and more water through your system flushes more out (video -dHjt_Bpruk). Low electrolytes show up as headaches, cramps, irritability and low energy (video lbRPlGZ3Rvw).

So the instinct, "I should pay attention to my salt," is good. The upgrade to a special salt is where it goes wrong.

What doesn't: the trace minerals

His case against pink salt, from the beginners' video (video UygKGoP_BtA):

• The minerals aren't rare. They're ones you already get from the rest of your diet.
• The amounts are tiny. He says they're not in quantities that are biologically significant.
• "Trace" cuts both ways. He points out it also carries trace contaminants, and asks why, if trace minerals are good for you, trace contaminants wouldn't count.

His conclusion: "it's just pretty" (from the video), and some people like the taste. That's a fine reason to buy it. It's not a reason to think it does something regular salt doesn't.

The evidence pages behind this post don't measure pink salt's mineral content, so this part is his position, not a tested claim. What the literature does cover is the minerals that matter in real amounts: sodium and potassium.

The tablespoon test

In his 2018 electrolytes video he measured out 3,000 mg piles of pink salt and kosher salt, plus 3,000 mg of potassium as a potassium-chloride substitute, and put them side by side in a dish (video -dHjt_Bpruk). The pink salt pile was the biggest. It took the most tablespoons to reach the same amount, which by his reading means it delivered the least per tablespoon.

So if you salt "to taste" with pink salt, you may be getting less sodium per spoonful than you think. His comment on the pile: he doesn't think you're putting that much on your food every day.

The opposite mistake happens too. He's seen people talk about putting pink salt on all their food in excess, and says swelling in your feet or hands means you're taking in way too much salt (video lbRPlGZ3Rvw).

What to use instead, if you want an upgrade

Sources: videos UygKGoP_BtA, -dHjt_Bpruk.

On iodine: his reasoning in 2018 was that getting all your sodium from iodized salt can push iodine past its limit, so he suggested kosher or sea salt instead and got most of his sodium from bouillon (video -dHjt_Bpruk). The evidence pages here don't cover iodine, so that's his reasoning, not a sourced figure.

So what you do is pick the cheap salt you like, use enough of it, and if you want a real upgrade, look at potassium rather than trace minerals.

What the research says

• Sodium targets: NASEM sets adult adequate intake at 1,500 mg/day and says to reduce intake above 2,300 mg/day (NASEM, 2019). The AHA's 1,500 mg goal comes with a note that it may not apply to people losing large amounts of sodium in sweat (AHA).
• Potassium targets: adequate intake is 2,600 mg/day for women and 3,400 for men (NASEM, 2019).
• Where a salt swap has evidence: the large trial is about potassium, not trace minerals. In SSaSS, 20,995 people in rural China, a potassium-enriched salt substitute lowered stroke, major cardiovascular events and death, with no significant difference in serious high-potassium events (Neal et al., 2021). Details in light salt explained.

Nothing on the evidence pages tests pink salt against regular salt.

KetoDick's take

This is one of his "good for you vs needed for keto" calls. Same as with grass-fed butter and MCT oil: if you like it and can afford it, fine, but keto doesn't require it (video DWI8qQl5BbY). With pink salt he goes a step further and says light salt is actually the better keto choice, because it adds potassium (video UygKGoP_BtA). "If you like your pink salt, keep it" (from the video) is his kind way of putting it.

If you have kidney disease, heart problems or take blood-pressure medication, talk to your doctor before making big salt changes, and before switching to any potassium salt (video lbRPlGZ3Rvw).

Key takeaways

• Pink salt's trace minerals are too small to matter, according to KetoDick; no study here tests otherwise.
• On keto the point is enough sodium, and any salt delivers it.
• Pink salt may give you less sodium per tablespoon than finer salts; in his side-by-side it took the most spoons.
• Too much salt shows up as swelling in the hands or feet.
• If you want an upgrade, light salt adds potassium; check with your doctor first if you have kidney or heart issues.
• Like the taste? Keep it. Just don't pay extra for minerals you won't notice.

Related

• Guide chapter: Electrolytes · Sodium · Potassium and Magnesium
• Blog: Light Salt Explained · Broth for Keto Flu · Leg Cramps on Keto · Is Grass-Fed Butter Worth It? · Keto-Labeled Products · Keto on a Budget
• Videos: Keto basics for beginners · Electrolytes are absolutely critical · Making sense of electrolytes