🎧 Podcast 77: I Researched Salt for 120 Hours—This Is the Cleanest One to Avoid Heavy Metals & Microplastics

Hey Detox Warriors!

In this episode, I continue to geek out on salt. In the last episode, I talked about what I learned after spending 60 hours researching the best salt products to avoid microplastics. Honestly, after I finished my research and writing my blog article about what I learned, I wondered, Was that just a complete waste of time because microplastics seems unavoidable in salt?

I knew I was drowning in 60 hours worth of research and it was time to move on. Also, because heavy metals were detected in the salt products that my family uses often, I was eager to dive into identifying the salt products with the least amount of heavy metals.

There was even more information available on heavy metals in salt than microplastics in salt! But, as always, information was conflicting so it was hard to arrive at conclusions. Since there were laboratory test results made available by manufacturers and independent parties, I organized all the test results I could find on 19 salt products, which you can see as Table 1 in my blog article that's titled "Are There Heavy Metals in Your Salt? Safest Options for Clean Eating"

I was loooving this Table 1 because it helped me understand why I felt so confused and overwhelmed before creating Table 1: The information is very confusing and contradictory! Table 1 brings a lot of clarity and organized transparency to 19 salt products that I encounter most often.

Before I share which salt product I've chosen for my family, I'd like to address four other questions that I was trying to answer:

1) What's a rational level of concern over contaminants in salt?

As I studied heavy metals in salt, it began to feel very rational to avoid any heavy metal exposure when possible. Laboratory tests detected aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury in most salt products. You can see in Table 1 of the blog article, which I'll link in the podcast show notes, that the levels of heavy metals can vary greatly. The thing is, these heavy metals are very toxic to the brain and nervous system, and some (like cadmium and lead) contribute to cancer development. Pregnant women and children should be especially protected from heavy metals because heavy metals can cause very serious damage to young, developing brains. It's well-established, for example, that there is no detectable level of lead that's been found safe for adults but especially children.

Furthermore, heavy metals can accumulate in us. Lead is stored in our bones for decades, for example, and can be released later in life or cause harm after reaching a tipping point.

Aluminum can accumulate in your brain, contributing towards both the onset and the aggressive progression of all forms of Alzheimer Disease.

And this body burden can effect our unborn children and shared with them in utero and through breastmilk (but the benefits of breastfeeding generally outweigh the risks from it).

2) What are the health risks from ingesting heavy metals with our salt?

I addressed some of the health risks already, which includes neurotoxicity and cancer.

There's more though, like endocrine (or hormone) disruption.

And lead, for example, is considered a systemic toxicant, affecting virtually every organ system," but [it] primarily affects the central nervous system," and the developing brain is particularly vulnerable.

The effects on children can be seen much sooner and include mental retardation, neurocognitive disorders, behavioral disorders, respiratory problems, cancer and cardiovascular diseases (Muwaffak et al, 2019). On adults, the health outcomes from heavy metal toxicity depends on various things including which heavy metals you're suffering from. Generally, they can harm your brain, nervous system, bones, and kidneys. If you're concerned, please talk to your trusted healthcare practioner.

3) Since I wondered, What can I do? You may be wondering, What can you do to avoid heavy metals in salt?

While we can't avoid heavy metals completely — there's a lot that we can't control—there's also a lot that we can control.

We can cut down on our heavy metal exposure through what we buy, own, and do. For example, costume jewelry and children's toy jewelry often have heavy metals in them. There are also many other household items that contain heavy metals. In this episode, however, I want to raise awareness to the heavy metals in many salt products. 

4) Which salt products are the "cleanest" of heavy metals?

After 120 hours of research for the cleanest salt for my family, I've chosen Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. You can check the blog for details on how I arrived at this selection, but you'll see from Table 1 in the blog that it stands out as the safest. I was delighted to realize that I had already selected it years ago to add to baths. It was hard for me to find salt that didn't have chemical additives but Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt was the cleanest I could find for baths. I will now be using it in our family meals and transitioning my family to it as we phase out the other salt products in our kitchen.

I tried to use it on food but it was hard for me to adjust to its flakey, larger shape. However, reading more about it on its website helped me appreciate it in more for meals. The website says:

The Diamond Crystal Salt Co. Kosher Salt Flakes appears as a staple in many culinary schools, and are faithfully used by high-profile chefs and cookbook authors. Diamond Crystal Salt Co. Kosher Salt Flakes stand out from the rest as an additive free product that is produced without any form of mechanical compaction. The carefully crafted crystal shape contributes to the many functions our Salt Flakes offer including seasoning control, strong adherence to food surfaces, and a salty burst when bit into. They even contain 53% less sodium by volume compared to table salt.  While we are beloved by restaurant professionals, Diamond Crystal Salt Co. products are now available for home chefs that are carrying on their own culinary traditions while crafting new recipes to share with family and friends.  

Which salt product is the least contaminated? I organized all the test results from various providers into a table. From there, the #1 cleanest salt became obvious.

4 Life-Changing Takeaways From My Research on Heavy Metals in Salt

In the big picture, will which salt I consume make a meaningful difference?

When considering heavy metals, any reduction can help especially for children! This is how my life is enhanced after researching the safest salt for my family over 120 hours:

1. Use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt for meals and baths
2. Eat more homecooked meals to avoid whatever salt and other toxic exposures come from foods prepared outside the home
3. Keep avoiding microplastic exposure—avoid plastic water bottles and food containers, and cut down on synthetic fibers in my home
4. Eat more nutrient-dense meals because vitamins and minerals can help counter or protect the damage from heavy metals. In a 2022 article "Lead and Children: No Amount of Lead is Safe" for Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Vicki Iannoti, MD, a pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, provides the following tips to protect yourself from the damaging effects of lead exposure. She advises that:
   • Iron can reduce the amount of lead absorbed through the GI tract and into the bloodstream.
   • Calcium can reduce the amount of lead delivered to the brain and other organs.
   • Vitamin C is helpful because it helps the body absorb iron and calcium. 

Sources

Muwaffak et al, 2019. Al Osman M, Yang F, Massey IY. Exposure routes and health effects of heavy metals on children. Biometals. 2019 Aug;32(4):563-573. doi: 10.1007/s10534-019-00193-5. Epub 2019 Apr 2. PMID: 30941546.