- By Henry Stark
- Around Town
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“The facts show that our habitual high salt intake contributes to high rates of prehypertension and hypertension and the high rates of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and kidney failure induced by adverse blood pressure levels.”*Those of us who have high blood pressure already know that we should be reducing our salt intake. In addition, I’m sure our health practitioners have advised us that we shouldn’t smoke and that we should strive to maintain a healthy weight.
One of the ways we can reduce excessive salt consumption is by switching from regular table salt to sea salt, right? Wrong! This is a common misconception. In a recent survey by the American Heart Association (AHA), 61% of the 1000 adults surveyed believed that sea salt is a low-sodium alternative to table salt.
Actually, both have exactly the same chemical makeup. The difference is in the way they are processed. Kosher salt, on the other hand, does have about 25% less sodium than table or sea salt.
Table salt is mined from underground salt deposits. You might be familiar with the mining of salt and sea salt under Cayuga Lake. Once the salt is brought to the surface it is highly processed.
Sea salt is left behind when seawater is evaporated. Depending on the source of the water, various trace minerals and elements are retained and they can add flavor and texture to the salt. Sea salt also adheres to food better than table salt. An ancillary benefit might be that since sea salt has a stronger flavor than table salt you might be inclined to use less of it.
The best advice I can give you is to follow the guidelines of the AHA which is to consume no more than 2,300 mg of salt daily if you’re younger than 50, 1,500 mg. if you’re between 50 and 70, and 1,200 mg if you’re older than 70. African Americans and anyone with high blood pressure should use no more than 1,500 mg. daily.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that all you have to do to solve the problem is to simply not add salt to your food when you cook or avoiding a salt shaker at the table, although these are excellent first steps. One teaspoon of table salt will supply you with 2,300 mg of sodium so try to substitute herbs and spices, lemon or lime juice, or vinegar. I keep a handful of toasted sesame seeds around to sprinkle on various dishes.
Be sure and read the labels of prepared foods you buy and be particularly careful of cold cuts, cheeses, snack foods, and soups. Actually a good rule of thumb is to avoid any foods that are marinated, cured, or brined. If you brine your own turkey, be sure to rinse it well before putting it in the oven. Try to rinse canned foods that have salt added, such as tuna, beans, and vegetables. If you want to be mindful of salt consumption, you might check labels and avoid products that contain more than 200 mg. of sodium per serving. Incidentally, I’m often amazed at what some manufacturers considers one serving so I take a moment to evaluate that as well.
I can’t resist concluding by saying: I hope you won’t take this advice with a grain of salt.
*Jeremiah Stamler, professor emeritus, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.
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