Choosing Pink or Rock Salt Over Regular Table Salt Could Leave You Short on Iodine

Switching from regular table salt to pink Himalayan salt or rock salt in your daily cooking can quietly drop your iodine intake unless the packet explicitly says it has been iodised. Dr Tushar Tayal, associate director of internal medicine at CK Birla Hospital in Gurugram, explains that the human body cannot make iodine on its own, so it must come from food.

Thyroid Health

The thyroid gland uses iodine to produce T4 and T3 hormones. These hormones set the pace of your metabolism, help keep body temperature steady, and support organ function. In children, they also shape growth and the development of the brain and nervous system. A shortage during pregnancy can affect baby development, while long-term shortages in adults can lead to an underactive thyroid or goitre, which is swelling at the front of the neck. Most adults need about 150 micrograms of iodine a day, and the requirement goes up during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Salt Types

Regular table salt is the safest bet for iodine as long as the packet says iodised, because a small and controlled amount is added during processing. Pink salt is often sold as a purer, more natural choice due to its colour and trace minerals, but the pink shade comes from those minerals rather than iodine. Unless the packet specifically says it is iodised, the iodine in pink salt is likely to be too little to count on, and it still adds just as much sodium to meals since it is sodium chloride. Rock salt is a staple during fasts and traditional cooking, and because it is mined rather than processed, it usually lacks added iodine unless done so on purpose.

Context

Iodised salt programs were widely promoted across countries like India as a cheap and simple way to prevent deficiency across whole populations. Aside from salt, other dietary sources of iodine include milk, curd, eggs, seafood, and some fortified foods, though the amounts vary for those following specific diets.