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Pink Himalayan rock salt to aid hydration..Benefits?

litwardlelitwardle Posts: 259
edited July 2013 in Training, fitness and health
Right, although a bit "exotic" sounding I'm told by many people that pink Himalayan rock salt is packed full of all the minerals and salts etc that we lose during sweating leading to dehydration/cramps etc etc. Putting a big pinch in your water bottle will replace what is lost during exercise. Also, I'm told that the majority of the water you take in is passed but the salt helps you retain it to keep you more hydrated.

I realize there are loads of things on the market to help with this but a 500g bag of salt is £3.99 and as you only use a pinch it lasts for months...

Anyone have any experience with it?

Lee
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Posts

  • imposter2.0imposter2.0 Posts: 11,849
    Sounds like the sort of thing Rapha should be selling...
  • hulla the hullahulla the hulla Posts: 338
    Are the bags it's sold in made from the finest silk, woven from the dried tears of unicorns ?

    If not, I wouldn't bother...
    A person who aims at nothing is sure to hit it

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  • litwardlelitwardle Posts: 259
    Sadly just plain old plastic ha ha It's not expensive or sold as such it's just mineral rich rock salt...used in cooking/bath salts etc...but the the rocks it derives from is rich in minerals...([url]LIsted here: [/url]http://www.atthemeadow.com/shop/Resourc ... layan-Salt among some:) so is rich in the minerals we sweat out like Zink/potassium etc....But I'm yet to hear of may cyclists the swear by it!! ?

    I feel I may have opened myself up to mocking, as is the way with Bike Radar! ha ha
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  • BloggingFitBloggingFit Posts: 919
    Definately worth a shout over more expensive electrolyte powders. Have used for years now through gym, rugby and bike sessions.

    Just a small pinch required.
    Bird Aeris : Trek Remedy 9.9 29er : Trek Procaliber 9.8 SL
  • napoleondnapoleond Posts: 5,990
    Must be good, it contains uranium and plutonium. :o
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  • No SweatNo Sweat Posts: 103
    It's >97% Sodium Chloride (i.e. same as table salt).

    If you are putting a (not very scientific) 'pinch' in your drinking water, then you are also getting 0.35% of a 'pinch' of potassium (I suspect mostly as a chloride salt again) and 2.38 millionths of a 'pinch' of zinc - you might be better off sucking a galvanised nail.... According to your link it also has more interesting things like plutonium and uranium in trace amounts! (Although that's not exactly suprising).

    Hmm.

    I don't suppose, of itself, it will do any harm, but put too big a 'pinch' in your water, and it will be harmful.

    If you want salty water, I'd use a reputable sports drink. Or you could drink skimmed milk when you get home and take on a little protein with your salts.
  • bucklesbuckles Posts: 694
    I bet the 'salt connoisseurs' out there would love this
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  • simon_esimon_e Posts: 1,697
    If you're doing big rides in hot weather and expecting to sweat hard for hours (where you can see the marks on your jersey) then you're working hard enough to warrant an energy drink with electrolytes and/or real food.

    Buying posh salt just to add to your water when you don't need it just seems silly.

    Some people reckon that brands add salt to energy drinks so that you consume more than you would if it were salt-free.
    Aspire not to have more, but to be more.
  • frisbeefrisbee Posts: 691
    Simon E wrote:
    If you're doing big rides in hot weather and expecting to sweat hard for hours (where you can see the marks on your jersey) then you're working hard enough to warrant an energy drink with electrolytes and/or real food.

    Buying posh salt just to add to your water when you don't need it just seems silly.

    Some people reckon that brands add salt to energy drinks so that you consume more than you would if it were salt-free.

    Salt is an electrolyte.
  • simon_esimon_e Posts: 1,697
    frisbee wrote:
    Salt is an electrolyte.

    Yes. Did I type something incorrect?
    Aspire not to have more, but to be more.
  • litwardlelitwardle Posts: 259
    Simon E wrote:
    If you're doing big rides in hot weather and expecting to sweat hard for hours (where you can see the marks on your jersey) then you're working hard enough to warrant an energy drink with electrolytes and/or real food.

    Buying posh salt just to add to your water when you don't need it just seems silly.

    Some people reckon that brands add salt to energy drinks so that you consume more than you would if it were salt-free.


    You know it's 28 degrees at the moment and I'm training for lejog....? II haven't ju/st bought posh salt to bung in my water ha ha!! I'm actually quite a sweaty git to be honest... I was just hoping for an alternative to expensive nutrition... For a large 500 Ml bottle I'm adding quarter of a tea spoon. It doesn't make it taste salty particularly, more like a slight metallic flavour. When die a bit of plutonium do anyone any harm eh?
    Chubbs Cycle Challenge! 3 Chubbs, 3 bikes, 1000 miles for S.U.D.E.P. Action
  • litwardlelitwardle Posts: 259
    Also I don't really like sticky sweet isotonic type drinks especially when out breathing hard as they rend to clag up my thought....
    Chubbs Cycle Challenge! 3 Chubbs, 3 bikes, 1000 miles for S.U.D.E.P. Action
  • izzaizza Posts: 1,561
    NapoleonD wrote:
    Must be good, it contains uranium and plutonium. :o

    So there is a benefit - you get electrolytes into your body whilst helping road safety by getting a 'Ready Brek' glow on the outside of your body.
  • keef66keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I think that's the stuff that featured at the end of The News Quiz on R4 the other day.

    Lain undisturbed in the foothills of the Himalayas for 3.5 million years etc

    Best before June 2014... :D
  • markp80markp80 Posts: 444
    Quite an interesting article on using salt during fluid replacement here -

    http://support.trainingpeaks.com/articles/nutrition/the-straight-dope-on-salt.aspx

    I don't see personally that pink Himalayan salt is going to be any better than table salt in replacing a sodium deficit, which i think the OP is alluding to. However, if you want a source of trace minerals in addition to the sodium, then sea salt will do this, as will the pink Himalayan stuff. You won't get this from table salt. Additionally, table salt contains additives such as anti-caking agents like sodium ferrocyanide, so you may choose not to use refined table salt.

    You pays your money.....

    Cheers,
    MarkP
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  • workatkamalworkatkamal Posts: 1
    HEALTH BENEFITS;
     Because of these minerals Himalayan pink salt can:
     Create an electrolyte balance.
     Increases hydration.
     Regulate water content both inside and outside of cells.
     Balance pH (alkaline/acidity) and help to reduce acid reflux.
     Prevent muscle cramping.
     Aid in proper metabolism functioning.
     Strengthen bones.
     Lower blood pressure.
    The healthiest forms of sea salt are the least refined with no added preservatives (which can mean clumping in the fine variety). Pink Himalayan salt is touted by healthy home cooks as the ultimate mineral-rich seasoning, said to be the purest of the sea salt
  • monkimarkmonkimark Posts: 1,044
    WelI, that highly accurate information is well worth resurrecting a 6 year old thread for - I always like to get my sea salt from land locked mountain ranges :p
  • orraloonorraloon Posts: 10,094
    This first time poster more subtle than the norm. No link to spurious website. Perhaps relying on individuals using Google. Just love the way BR 'moderators' operate.
  • ugo.santaluciaugo.santalucia Posts: 26,897
    ... and it dissolves in snake oil too...
  • webboowebboo Posts: 4,321
    Does it melt the ice on your drive like the stuff from the Cheshire salt mines.
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