The Best Non-Toxic Salt Without Heavy Metals for Your Family’s Table
You don’t need seven specialty salts cluttering your pantry. You need two good ones that won’t slowly poison your family.
Salt is a foundational nutrient—our bodies rely on it for nerve function, hydration, digestion, and even mood regulation. Yet most of the salt at the store has been bleached, stripped of minerals, and cut with aluminum-based anti-caking agents.
Even worse? Many “natural” sea salts—including those fancy pink Himalayan ones—contain microplastics or detectable levels of heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium. This is especially concerning for pregnant women and growing children, whose developing bodies are more vulnerable to accumulation.
What Makes Salt Clean?
No additives (including anti-caking agents)
Minimally processed
Low heavy metal levels (with public test results)
Sourced from ancient sea beds or tested for modern contaminants
The Only Two Salts You Actually Need
For: All your cooking
Why: Pure sodium chloride, no additives, non-detectable heavy metals
The details: Light, flaky texture that dissolves evenly
Via Amazon or Whole Foods
For: Finishing dishes
Why: Independently tested, low contaminants, no anti-caking agents
The details: Crunchy texture that makes everything taste better
Via Amazon and Amazon Fresh
Note on iodine: If you’re not getting iodine from seafood or dairy and are concerned about deficiency, consider an iodine supplement rather than iodized salt, which often contains unwanted additives.
Popular Salts I Keep Away from My Family
Himalayan Pink Salt - Many batches tested high in lead, some exceeding California’s Prop 65 limits. The pretty pink color isn’t worth the heavy metal exposure.
Redmond Real Salt - Independent testing revealed detectable levels of lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals. While not acutely toxic, why choose accumulation when cleaner options exist?
Generic Sea Salts - Often harvested from polluted modern oceans full of microplastics that leach endocrine disruptors. Especially concerning for daily family use.
The Simple System
Keep Diamond Crystal by the stove. Keep Maldon on the table. That’s it.
Once you taste real, clean salt, you’ll never go back to the bleached stuff. Your food will taste better, and you’ll have one less source of toxins to worry about.
Note: This post includes affiliate links to products I use daily. If you purchase through these links, I earn a small commission that helps keep Minimalist Mama running. I only recommend what’s in my actual kitchen.