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By Amanda Ennett

Imagine everyone sitting down for a big family feast. The best china set gently upon silk cloth, crystals brimming with fresh apple-cinnamon-ginger juice. An array of baked, steamed and sautéed vegetables decorate the table. Suddenly Grandma reaches for the salt, startled she rears back and exclaims, “Why is the salt PINK?!”

Oh Grandma, “Its Himalayan salt, and it’s wonderful!” 

Origins

The Himalayan mountain range stretches across Asia passing through China, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan, and India. Most people associate the Himalayans with Mount Everest, the highest peak on this planet, but here is something new to think about- salt.

Once upon a time (a couple of hundreds of millions of years ago) crystallized sea salt beds, now deep within the Himalayans, were covered by lava. Aside from being kept it in a pristine environment that has been surrounded by snow and ice year round, the lava is thought to have protected the salt from modern-day pollution leading to the belief that Himalayan Pink salt is the purest salt to be found on earth. It is now hand-mined from the mountains and brought to the culinary market.

Why Pink? 

The many hues of pink, red and white are an indication of this salt’s rich and varying mineral and energy-rich iron content.

Benefits

In the same manner that vitamins and minerals are perfectly packaged in fruits and vegetables, because this salt was formed naturally the minerals within the sodium work in synergy.

(Synergy is the interaction of multiple elements in a system to produce an effect different from or greater than the sum of their individual effects.)

Iodine- Natural salts are rich in iodine, so it doesn’t need to be artificially added in.

Less sodium consumed per serving- Himalayan salt is made of the same components as table salt but since the crystal structure is larger than refined salt, and by volume- this salt therefore has LESS sodium per 1/4 t. serving- because the sea salt crystals or flakes take up less room on a teaspoon than highly refined tiny table salt grains.

Packs a hearty 80+ minerals and elements- Himalayan salts are mineral packed crystals which formed naturally within the earth made up of 85.62% sodium chloride and 14.38% other trace minerals including: sulphate, magnesium, calcium, potassium, bicarbonate, bromide, borate, strontium, and fluoride (in descending order of quantity).

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
• Help the intestines absorb nutrients
• Prevent goiters
• Improve circulation
• Dissolve and eliminate sediment to remove toxins

It is even said to support libido, reduce the signs of aging, and detoxify the body from heavy metals.

Pink Salt vs. Sea Salt

Even though pink salts come from the mountains, they are technically sea salts as well. All salt comes from a salted body of water—namely, an ocean or salt-water lake. However, Himalayan salt is said to be the purest form of sea salt.

Why Table Salt is Inferior

Commercial refined salt is not only stripped of all its minerals, besides sodium and chloride, but is also chemically cleaned, bleached and heated at unnecessary high temperatures.

In addition, it is treated with anti-caking agents which prevent salt from mixing with water in the salt container. These agents also prevent dissolving within our system leading to build up and then deposit in organs and tissue, causing severe health problems.

Finally, the iodine that is added into salt is usually synthetic which is difficult for your body to process properly. Shockingly under U.S. law, up to 2% of table salt can be additives.

The Many Uses of Pink Salt

Cooking and curing– use pre-ground salt or grinders like any other salt.

Salt Slabs– used as serving platters, the slabs will impart an enhanced salt taste and mineral content. Chilled: decorate with fruits, sushi, vegetables or cheese. Frozen: present cold desserts and even sorbets. Heated: use the slabs to sear vegetables, shrimp, fish fillets or thinly sliced beef or even to fry an egg. The dense salt blocks conduct heat beautifully with near perfect heat distribution.

Best of all, Himalayan salt is naturally anti-microbial, so clean up requires just a quick scrub or rinse.

Decoration– use the salts in containers, as décor crystals and sprinkled on food for presentation.

Bathing- throw in the tub for a detoxifying Himalayan salt bath. The replenishing nutrients stimulate circulation and soothe sore muscles. Naturally rich in 80+ nourishing and skin-replenishing minerals, bathing with pink bath salt is a healing and therapeutic experience for mind and body.

Potpourri Holders and Essential Oil Diffusers– many on-line sites sell beautiful home décor featuring the pink salt as crystal rocks.

Air purification– crystal rock lamps for air purification are also found and sold on-line.

Hopefully now you will not be as shocked as Grandma when you reach for the salt shaker and find pink crystals staring back at you!

If you eat meat, brining should be in your bag of tools. Brining makes meat very juice and succulent! Here’s is an extremely simple recipe for it.

Basic low sodium brine for pork and poultry. (Brine will work for up to 8 lbs. of protein.)

Ingredients

• 1 gallon water
• 3 ounces sea salt
• 3 ounces sugar (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. citrus zest (lemon, lime or orange – optional)

Instructions

• Add the salt, sugar and other aromatics to a pot and bring the water to a simmer until the salt and sugar have dissolved.
• Remove the pot from the heat and chill before using the brine.
• Let your protein brine for 6 hours.
• Drain the protein, and let it rest and air dry in fridge for 2 hours.
• Roast, broil or grill as you would!

People often ask. What herbs are good to juice that will help tighten up my tummy? What herbs can I add to my juice that will make a significant impact on my overall physique?

Or if you are a guy. “What herbs are going to get me shredded!”

Mind you, if you think that you can just add these following things to your juice and not work your booty off this winter, you can stop reading now. It takes hard work with a tenacious discipline and desire to get the body you want.

Easy for me to pick my favorites.

You ready?

Coconut Oil with extra MCT’s.

You’ve heard the expression that it takes fat to burn fat, right?

True with this, when you give your body fast absorbable awesome energy it will send a signal to the rest of the evil little body fat tyrants that like to huddle around your handles to beat it.

“Get lost skippy!” is what the MCT oil says to my unsightly body fat. The body fat puts it’s head down and just walks away like someone just stole his girlfriend.

Cayenne Pepper

Capsaicin is the main capsaicinoid in chili peppers.

When adding this ingredient to your juice, it’s likened to dumping gas or lean on a camp fire. It has been said to speed up your metabolism up to %300. It is not messing around. You shouldn’t be messing around when it comes to your health and fitness goals either…let’s get you the perfect winter body you deserve.

Ginger

Ginger is like my secret weapon when I want to get a flat tummy in a hurry. When it comes to building muscle and losing body fat it all comes back to

What are you absorbing?

When you absorb everything correctly your body knows what to do with excess calories and can assimilate everything correctly. The major problem with the population at large now is the in-ability to absorb whole foods correctly so we eat more to solve the problem. We need to be eating less and absorbing more to get the perfect winter body.

Ginger increases the PH value of stomach acids, reducing gastric secretions and accelerating enzyme activity necessary for proper digestion.

In layman’s terms –

Eat Less + Absorb More = Feel Better

This is just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to what will help you get the body you want this winter.

Weight loss is a journey. It takes time, thought and effort. There are no quick fixes. No flab to fab in 45 minutes. Still, we want to help you succeed.

Why juicing works:

Aside from the fact that juiced fruits and vegetables have very low calories and no fat, they are loaded with a variety of high quality vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes that help your body function at its best. Our bodies spend a good deal of time trying to repair, detoxify and protect cells. When we are undernourished our bodies go into protection mode and store fat for survival (yay, survival instincts, not). But, when your body is functioning at it’s at peak condition and being nourished it can focus energy on fat loss. Juicing delivers a concentrated health cocktail straight into your belly. No extra effort is needed to break down the juice and so it is absorbed quickly and starts working magic immediately.

Keys to weight-loss success while juicing:

Juice mostly vegetables and herbs while limiting fruit. Yes, fruit makes it taste so delicious and yummy! Yes, fruit sugar is better than refined table sugar… but it’s still sugar and will still cause spikes in your insulin and if your body cannot clear those sugars out they will convert to fat stores. Also, watch how many carrots you use, those sneaky guys have a lot of sugar too.

Save juicing fruits for before and/or after workouts. For the same principle as above, when you work out your body becomes primed for using glucose (sugar).

Skip snacking and start juicing. It seems that people always get hungry between meals. The solution to avoid noshing on things you probably shouldn’t be eating right before dinner is to juice up a big green glass of goodness. Hopefully the liquid will tide you over until your next meal or at least gets your brain thinking about health-conscious snacks.

Snack while juicing. Not on cheese and crackers or anything man made but on the vegetables you are getting ready to juice. Sometimes our brains like chewing and feeling food in our mouths and tummies, give it that satisfaction while nurturing you.

Healthy habits don’t end with juicing. Whether you are having 1 juice a day or 10, remember that beyond your green mason jar, you need to be eating healthy all day long. It kind of defeats the purpose of juicing for weight loss when you eat a big bowl of sugary cereal for breakfast, pizza for lunch and burgers and fries for dinner.

Fill up on fresh juice before meals or going out. Even though juice is digested quickly and doesn’t leave you full for long, your hunger may be quenched by the nutrients more than the feeling of full.

Vary you veggies. Two ways that this works: you don’t get bored and you get a variety of nutrients.

Add chia seeds, avocado, or oils. Healthy fats and fibers are not only good for you, but will keep you fuller longer. No one wants to diet, or live with someone who is dieting, who has a big hungry monster in their belly.

Create lasting healthy habits:

Remember, juicing for weight loss is not a diet. Let juicing be your caveat for healthy living. If you are taking the time to wash, chop and juice fresh fruits and vegetables than you should be making time to prep and cook healthy homemade meals.

Some people start cold turkey with a juice fast. Others like to test the water with one, slowly adding more as they feel necessary. If you prefer to start with a balanced, nutrition-rich eating plan, you will find that having at least one glass of vegetable juice per day will make it easier to reach your weight loss goals in the long run. Try replacing your morning, afternoon, or before-bed snack with a juice and you are on your way! And remember, we are in this together.

Morning-time concoction:

• 1 beet
• 1 pink lady apple
• 1 small slice of ginger

Before dinner:

• 4 tomatoes
• 2 green onions
• ½ green pepper
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery ribs
• Handful of parsley
• Handful of cilantro
• 1 peeled lemon

Before bed:

• 2 cucumbers
• 4 romaine lettuce leaves
• Handful of mint
• (+lime if you want a mojito)