A little less than 10 years ago, biochemist and strict vegan Dr James Costello was holidaying on Hainan Island. His routine was to work out before a poolside lunch. He would request dishes with no added salt, as he believed that eating too much of it could lead to high blood pressure and a greater risk of heart disease.
The operator running the restaurant also ran the health club, and one day while taking Costello's order inquired about the no-salt diet. 'We Chinese know that salt is a battery for your kidneys,' the operator admonished. 'Salt is key to life and strength.'
Costello went home and looked into the matter. Sure enough, he found that the body's cells need sodium chloride to balance bodily fluids and help nerve and muscle functions. One of the most common ways to get sodium is through salt.
'But we grew up with table salt, which is highly processed at 650 degrees Celsius and stripped of its minerals. It has an anti-caking agent to stop it from sticking together. Table salt is something unnatural the body can't recognise,' Costello says.
Instead, he turned to saffron-pink Himalayan salt. It was created 300 million years ago, he says, 'before pollution.' As sea water dried out, its salt became embedded into the rock, where it is now found. Crushed crystals contain from 70 to 90 trace minerals and have properties that can balance blood pH (acidity/alkalinity) levels and blood pressure.
Costello saw how it was different to the 'bad' salt and began importing pink salt crystals. These are double ground in Hong Kong and sold by the company he formed with his brother, Stephen James Luxury Organics.