Salt, Sodium… Are They The Same Thing?
Let’s take a look at the sodium vs salt question and clear up some common misconceptions. We’ll start out with brief explanations to help you understand what sodium and salt are, how they are related, and how they differ.
Is sodium salt? Sodium explained.
Sodium is a chemical element (Na) that is a very soft silvery-white metal. It is not salt, it is a component of salt. It has many uses, but is best known for its role as a dietary mineral. That’s why many people think they are the same thing and it’s what we’ll focus on here.
Sodium helps maintain your body’s mineral to water fluid balance, it helps contract and relax muscles so that they work well, and it is essential in helping conduct nerve impulses throughout your body. The body does require some sodium each day in order to function properly. That’s how some people justify eating sodium without any limits, and why they argue with anyone who says it’s best to cut down on salt and eat a low sodium diet.
How much sodium do you need per day?
An adult needs about 500 mg of sodium daily for its purpose as a dietary requirement. (Source: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt-and-sodium/) This is easily achieved because almost all food, even in the most natural state, contains sodium. No thought or planning is needed to get enough, sodium is unavoidable. But that’s okay, we do need some sodium.
Despite the fact that we do need sodium, the requirement is a very small amount. If you start looking at sodium content in foods, you’ll very quickly see that it would be almost impossible to fall below 500 mg per day. The problems start when we consume too much sodium.
Consuming too much sodium has been linked directly to many health problems, including hypertension (high blood pressure) and kidney damage. Too much sodium can also greatly increase the chances of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and cause serious complications for people with liver problems and Ménière’s disease. And it’s very easy to eat too much sodium.
A simple definition of salt.
Salt is a powder or crystals that is a purified version of sodium chloride which is mined or taken from ocean water. It is made up of 40% sodium and 60% chloride. It is commonly used to season and preserve food. Salt is a flavor enhancer for food, helping flavors “pop” and balancing sweetness and bitterness.
That’s it. That is what salt is. And not all sodium is salt, but all salt contains sodium.
Why is salt called sodium?
I believe that the biggest reason why the two words are used interchangeably is because we don’t measure “salt” in our bodies, we measure sodium. If you have a blood test, it measures sodium, the mineral. However, we consume most of our sodium in the form of salt, whether it’s shaking some on at your table or what’s added during preservation and preparation. It would be difficult to go over a sodium allowance with just the amounts naturally found in foods if no salt was added. It is also the thing we have the most control over.
Most of us receive very little accurate information about sodium, so we only know it as “salt”.
Why is salt added to food?
Salt is used to preserve food because it draws moisture out, which slows down the process of spoiling and inhibits bacterial growth. Salt is also active in some chemical processes related to food making, storage and preservation because of how it reacts to other chemicals in the food. But this question is very often related specifically to cooking, food preparation and those salt shakers on tables everywhere.
Salt enhances the taste of food without much effort. Adding it fixes a lot of problems like too much bitterness or sweetness, or generally bland food. It is said to “wake food up” by boosting the flavors of natural ingredients. There are lots of people that would be perfectly happy if all they had to season food was salt and pepper. (Salt adds the pop, pepper adds spiciness.)
And… I won’t lie about it, salted food just tastes good. I used to be a proud “saltaholic” myself.
When you hear the term “added salt,” it means that salt has been consciously added to food, it is not the sodium naturally in the food. Adding salt greatly increases the food’s sodium content. Salt is used as a preservative in almost everything, even otherwise very healthy natural foods. It is especially prevalent in canned and frozen food, as well as dehydrated meat. Salt is added to food during food preparation like cooking, bread making, brining, pickling, marinading, and fermenting. Most people add even more salt at the table.
Packaged, convenience, fast food and “junk” food are some of the worst offenders. They contain very high levels of sodium due to the food companies’ extremely liberal (over)use of salt. Grabbing a slice of pizza or a burger and fries for lunch can easily add hundreds of milligrams of sodium to your daily intake. Not only do these foods, as commonly prepared commercially, offer little nutritional value, the added salt makes them even more dangerous to our health. Even healthier choices contain lots of sodium. For example, Honey Nut Cheerios cereal has 210 mg of sodium per cup, and salt is listed as the sixth ingredient. Considering the overall nutritional profile of this cereal reveals that it’s not actually very high in valuable nutrients, the sodium it contains is just not worth it.
natural sodium in food + salt added as a preservative + salt added during preparation and cooking + salt added at the table
=
chronic health problems, more medications, more doctor visits and tests, preventable deaths, national health crises worldwide
What is the healthiest salt to use?
Most people are aware that high sodium consumption can likely have serious health consequences, but in reality we just aren’t willing to make many changes. Now enter the food companies and their marketing departments.
That question is 100% based on a fundamental misunderstanding about salt. All that talk? It’s just marketing. There is no science behind it. There is no salt that is healthier or less healthy than another. Salt is salt.
The question really got started when so many types of salt became widely available. Sea salt, kosher salt, Himalayan Salt, black salt, Celtic salt, Maldon salt and more! Smart marketing has made us think that one type is better/healthier than the others. As far as sodium goes, that is just not true. Salt is salt.
What is true is that different types of salt have different textures. Some are fine, others are flaky, while others are large crystals. Measure table salt in a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, then measure 1/4 teaspoon of coarse salt using the same measuring spoon. If you pour the results of each into little heaps side by side, you’ll notice that the table salt is finer in appearance and more dense, so more of these small grains fit into the spoon versus the coarse salt. This is why people think that ¼ teaspoon of sea salt is healthier than ¼ teaspoons of table salt. In reality, just less salt fits in the spoon, that’s why there is less sodium.
If you measure the same two salts by weight, let’s say 2 grams, and put those results in side by side heaps, you’ll notice the coarse salt takes up a lot more space. The volume is different, but both have the same sodium content for the same weight. Because… salt is salt.
It may help cut down the volume of salt you consume if you eat salt with coarser grains but only if you use the same amount you would for finer grains. Less sodium has less salty taste, so it’s really easy to keep adding more. So that’s not a good way to think about controlling the sodium in your diet. It just never quite works out for most people.
The FDA says it’s okay to have 2300 mg daily. If sodium is so bad, why isn’t the FDA doing something?
Currently, the FDA’s recommended daily allowance for sodium is 2300 mg. This number is the top limit allowance, not the daily requirement needed. Many lines on a nutrition label show the percentage a serving contributes to the recommended need for a nutrient (such as calcium, vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals). That can be very misleading. How many people do you know that only uses 1 tablespoon of soy sauce when enjoying Chinese food? (In case you don’t know, soy sauce has about 900 mg of sodium in just ONE tablespoon! Yikes!)
The percentage of sodium per serving is irrelevant, and not what to aim for. You should focus on keeping under what your health care team instructed or 1500 mg, whichever is lower.
It is important to understand that the FDA’s number is widely considered outdated based on current information and decades of studies. Scientists and health professionals worldwide are calling for a reduction of this number to 1500 mg per day due to the health impact that sodium is having on us as individuals and as a nation.
The FDA hasn’t changed its formal recommended daily allowance, but its actions in the past decade clearly show that they know something’s wrong with their number. In 2016, the FDA updated the Nutrition Facts label requirement after a long and exhaustive study about sodium. It is currently undertaking a “Sodium Reduction Strategy” which, in their words…
I leave it for you to form your own opinion about that statement. Personally, I think it shows very clearly that the FDA is tippy-toeing around a critical public health crisis, leaving it to individuals to cut back on sodium if they choose to. Well, no one needed the FDA’s permission to cut back on salt, and their “encouragement” to do so doesn’t carry much weight when they won’t change their own recommendation. But people do look to their guidance, even if it’s outdated or incorrect.
“The FDA is responsible for protecting public health by regulating human drugs and biological products, animal drugs, medical devices, tobacco products, food (including animal food), cosmetics, and electronic products that emit radiation.” (https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/it-really-fda-approved)
However they speak of themselves, their lack of action causes harm.
The bottom line on salt and sodium.
For the average person, all of this stuff muddies the facts and makes sodium and salt more confusing than it needs to be, so let me help.
- Sodium is required in the body for proper fluid balance and for muscle and nerve function.
- That amount is very small, around 500 mg per day.
- All food has some sodium, so you don’t need to try to consume sodium or add it to foods for any health reasons.
- Consuming too much sodium increases your chances of high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, heart disease and/or failure, kidney problems, stomach cancer and premature death. (That’s not a complete list.) It can make many diseases and health problems worse, such as liver disease and Ménière disease, among others.
- The government and FDA are not responsible for your health, you are. Decreasing your sodium intake immediately and permanently can help prevent the development or worsening of many illnesses and diseases.
- You have full control over how much sodium you consume.
And remember, the bottom line is that salt is salt, it can wreck your health if you let it. But you don’t have to if you take action and stick with a low salt lifestyle!