Salt is commonly thought of as something to avoid entirely, as too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. And while it is true that an excess of salt in the diet increases the risk of high blood pressure and heart failure, it turns out that salt is actually necessary for the human body for a myriad of reasons. You need salt to maintain a healthy blood pressure, a proper balance of fluids in the blood and optimum muscle and nerve function. That being said, most of us already get plenty of salt in our diets that we needn’t be worried about adding more. Additionally, when it comes to the nutritional value of salt, both sea salt and pink himalayan salt are commonly seen as the healthier alternative to plain old table salt, but that just isn’t the case. Although salts do vary somewhat in their mineral content, pink himalayan salt and sea salt are both nutritionally very similar to table salt in how much sodium they contain. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on your salt intake, but no, you don’t need to avoid it altogether.