Here’s a link, Clay. http://www.realsalt.com/media/files/realsalt_analysis.pdf

Great question, David. As you mentioned, several studies implicate aluminum as a potential source of Alzheimer’s, and we don’t have reason to doubt that aluminum in some forms is toxic. But nature is generally pretty careful with the form and combination of elements; as with many areas of natural chemistry, the form of the element makes a big difference.

For example, pure sodium is a caustic alkaloid that explodes when it contacts water, and pure chloride is deadly. Combined by nature, these two dangerous elements become sodium chloride, crucial to the survival of our cells. Both oxygen and hydrogen are explosive gas, but when two hydrogen atoms join a single oxygen atom, we have water — another life giving element. These examples are certainly oversimplified, but it illustrates how potentially harmful minerals can be used by nature to provide healthy benefits. The aluminum in Real Salt is in natural balance with other minerals and elements, and isn’t harmful.

I’m kind of butchering the topic, but here’s a quote that should explain better than I can.

“Aluminum is a natural element that the human body does have inside it. Actually, human bodies contain just about every element on the Periodic Table, but the key is that they are in the natural, organic forms. The body has a use for all elements, but some are in trace amounts. We have nickel for heart health, iron for blood health, cobalt for hormone health, copper for nerve health, etc.

“The aluminum that causes memory loss and health concerns is the manufactured kind that has no natural use in body function. The difference is like eating elements found in spring water and rich soil versus a manufactured piece of aluminum foil. There is no comparison to the body; it can’t utilize aluminum foil, but can use aluminum from plant roots.

“We forget that we have electrical systems that need electrons from organic metallic sources to operate efficiently – it keeps our wiring system functioning, so to say. Natural metals in small trace amounts are, and always have been, consumed in natural diets. But the manufactured forms of metals used in products not meant to be eaten are the ones harmful to humans when they are put in foods, medicines, and diet products.”
Dr. Janet Starr Hull

You bet! The downside of a great water filter is that although they can remove essential trace-minerals that your body needs. To combat this, many natural health professionals recommend adding minerals back into water after it has been highly filtered or passed through reverse osmosis – and one of the best ways to do this is with a good mineral salt. In fact, Dr. Batmanghelidj, M.D. and Dr. David Brownstein, M.D. both recommended adding up to 1/4 teaspoon of natural salt (they both recommend Real Salt as a good brand) per quart of water you drink to get these essential minerals.

Hi, Zelica.

The Real Salt deposit is not from Lake Bonneville; geologists tell us we’re quite a bit older still. The Real Salt deposit was left by what geologists call the Sundance Sea, and then buried under protective bentonite clay after massive prehistoric volcanic eruptions. We harvest the salt from deep underground using food-grade grinders, and the bentonite deposit overhead has protected it from any modern pollutants that might have been inclined to muck it up. (Without the bentonite clay, the salt would have been washed away long, long ago. Not even water can reach the Real Salt deposit!)

So, Zelica, it sounds like you are every bit as glad as we are that our salt doesn’t come from anywhere near the salt flats or Great Salt Lake! Thanks for asking your question!

Great question, Emil. Since Real Salt is taken from an ancient underground deposit, our environmental footprint is a lot smaller than open-air salt producers that rely on huge evaporative ponds. The mine’s entry area is about the size of a baseball diamond–you could walk within 100 yards of it and not even notice any change in the natural landscape–and its deepest tunnel is about 250 feet underground. (That might sound deep, but since geologists tell us the deposit extends nearly 5,000 feet below the surface, it would take thousands of years to exhaust the supply.) I don’t want to leave you with the impression that we’re harvesting salt with futuristic, solar-powered machinery (we should invent that!) but we recognize our place as stewards of the land, and we do what we can to minimize our impact.

Hi Jill,

We don’t introduce anything into the product that nature didn’t include (not even to wash or sterilize) but we take care to keep it as clean as nature made it long ago. Real Salt is harvested from the mine using a nifty food-grade, carbide-tipped grinder to be sure we don’t introduce anything unsavory into the product. From there it makes its way to the mill in equipment reserved for food grade product before passing into our clean room. On its way into the sterile clean room, all Real Salt is checked by a sensor that diverts any unsatisfactory salt into a reject bin. I would feel confident feeding Real Salt to a loved one with a compromised immune system, and many people seeking a completely natural diet have done so.

Best of luck.

Hi Simon, we do know a little about Selina’s Celtic salt. Selina DeLangre owned the original Celtic salt, which isn’t a bad salt. As more companies started selling gray salts from the region, things got a little confusing and Selina couldn’t control the “Celtic” brand name. Her products can be researched at celticseasalt.com — if you strike up a conversation, tell her way say hello!

Your question highlights potential challenges with Celtic and gray salts. Most brands buy salt in bulk and put their own label on it, which makes it hard to know the source of your salt–and as you noticed, can lead to surprising taste and quality differences. Celtic and gray salts also come from current oceans, which is a kind of romantic idea until you think about all the oil and garbage floating in our modern oceans. Of course we’re a little biased, so we think you’ll like Real Salt the best, but the original Celtic salt is Selina’s. There are so many other brands out there, it would be hard to guess which one you might have tried before that one!

Thanks for the question.

Susan, we have a summary of iodine and Real Salt in another post. Let us know if it doesn’t answer your questions!

Patrick, I can’t say for sure what the author’s definition would be, but Real Salt contains more than 60 natural trace minerals. You might email the name of the book you’re reading to our customer service group — they’re probably familiar with the material and might have some good insight.

Jean, here’s an excerpt from an article that answers your question:

You may come across an analysis of organic salt minerals, or a commentary on such, that mentions fluoride as a constituent. But there are two types of fluoride. One, Calcium Fluoride, is an element that occurs as a natural process over time within the earth`s soil, rock, and water areas. This is the fluoride that originally was claimed as a deterrent against tooth decay. Wikipedia notes that while all other fluorides are dangerous for human consumption, calcium fluoride is not. And it`s Calcium Fluoride that would be in any unrefined salt analysis.

Here’s a link to the article, as well.