SHORT ANSWER (TL/DR):
No. All baking soda are chemically 100% sodium bicarbonate. And do NOT contain aluminum.
LONG ANSWER (see below)
Ok, then where does this idea come from?
It comes from baking soda’s cousin, baking powder.
Baking powder is baking soda plus an acid that it reacts with to create the rise in your baked goods. Sometimes this acid is cream of tartar (like in our homemade grain-free corn-free baking powder recipe, we’ll share it at the bottom if you’d like to make your own too!). And sometimes baking powder contains a different acid salt like:
MCP: Monocalcium Phosphate (also called calcium acid phosphate)
SAS: sodium aluminum sulfate
SALP: sodium aluminum phosphate
SAPP: sodium acid pyrophosphate
Most “double-acting” baking powders actually use a combination of these acids like:
MCP+SAS
MCP+SALP
MCP+SAPP
Because of the recent connection of aluminum and cognitive decline/Alzheimer’s, one baking soda brand started putting an “aluminum free” label on their box. Even though ALL baking sodas are naturally aluminum free, this insinuated that the other brands did contain aluminum, which has started all the confusion. No baking soda actually contains aluminum.
It’s kind of like “Twizzlers” saying they’re gluten-free. They’ve always been gluten-free!! It’s misleading, and confusing.
So if you’re worried about aluminum, check the ingredients on your baking POWDER. Your baking SODA is just fine. And if you want to be super safe (AND avoid cornstarch in regular baking powder) you can so easily make your own. Here’s how:
DIY BAKING POWDER RECIPE
2 parts cream of tartar
1 part baking soda
Combine and store in an air tight container. If you don’t use it very frequently you can mix it in smaller amounts (like only do a few tbsp at a time) OR you can add a corn-free starch like tapioca or arrowroot to keep it from clumping, and prevent it from losing it’s reaction strength over time. (That’s why regular store bought baking powder has cornstarch in it to begin with).
Simply add part starch when you make it, and shake it up.
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