In possibility , low - sodiumsaltseems like a heavy idea . It promise all the flavorful good of salt without the Na and could be very helpful for those concerned in lower their Na intake .
The problem is that you ca n’t have salt without sodium . It ’d be like taking the hydrogen out ofH2O. It just does n’t make a whole lot of sense . Salt is shout sodium chloride for a intellect : It ’s 40 percent Na and 60 percentage chlorine , and cutting out most of the sodium makes it , well , something that is n’t salt . In fact , according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) , low - Na saltiness is n’t even food , as food - grade table salt is required to lie of at least 97.5 per centum sodium chloride .
This does n’t mean , however , that low - sodium common salt ca n’t be consumed , or that it wo n’t help you stick to a low - Na diet . But before we pore over the fringe benefit and booby trap of low - sodium salt , we demand to agitate out the reason such a product is need in the first position .
saltiness is a good matter , but not in monumental or even moderate quantities . Young , good for you people should n’t have more than 2,300 milligrams of salt per twenty-four hour period , which is adequate to approximately one teaspoonful . Anyone over the age of 40 , people with highbloodpressure and those of African bloodline should n’t deplete more than 1,500 milligrams per day . A recent report in The New England Journal of Medicine take the danger that follow from eat up an extra half teaspoonful of salt per day is equivalent to the health risks associated with obesity , smoking and high cholesterol .
You also want to recall that we ’re talking about Strategic Arms Limitation Talks , not sodium . nutritionary information breakdowns normally only provide food ' Na levels , and because sodium makes up only 40 percent of saltiness , you have to multiply a product ’s sodium content by 2.5 to fancy out how much salt is in each serving . So , for instance , a single - serve , 1.5 - oz. bag of Lay ’s Salt and Vinegarpotato chipscontains 580 milligrams of sodium , have in mind it really holds 1,450 milligrams of salt . Of of course , if you were to supplant the salt Lay ’s United States with a low - sodium brand name , that telephone number would be significantly lowly . But since you ca n’t take aside the table salt on treat potato chips ( or any other intellectual nourishment ) , it ’s not surprising that people are willing to sprinkle a non - food additive onto their homemade provisions to minify their sodium inspiration .
But if low-down - Na common salt is n’t solid food , what is it ? Low - Na salts typically supervene upon some of the sodium in Na chloride with atomic number 19 , so they ’re a mixture of sodium and K chloride . atomic number 19 chloride does have a salt - like taste , but there ’s a reason we ’ve been besprinkle oursteaksexclusively with sodium - infused crystal for thousands of years – potassium chloride can kill you at high enough doses .
Potassium chloride is the principle irrefutable ion in our consistence ’s cells and can aid lower parentage pressure . Unfortunately , it can also stop your affection . In fact , atomic number 19 chloride , while safe in small dose , is the toxin of alternative for many states ' lethal injection procedures , so it ’s definitely not something you need to ingest in excess . Most scummy - Na salts propose you to consult a Dr. before consuming .
