“To Salt, or Not To Salt? That is the question!”

Actually, it’s not really been much of a question in the last few decades, since the American Heart Association tells us “no more than 2300 mg per day” of sodium/salt unless you have high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, are middle-aged (or older), or are of African decent (which supposedly we all are) and then it’s “stay below 1500 mg.”

While that recommendation has come under fire in recent large-scale studies (see article below), about 97% of Americans consume MUCH more than those recommendations. That’s one reason you do need to understand how much of salt is actually sodium, what a “safe” range is, where it really comes from, and even why we eat the stuff.

Too bad it’s not simple. 77% of the sodium intake in a typical American diet comes from processed foods (not the salt shaker). Your food labels to uncover surprising sodium culprits, and they’re not all named “sodium.” Even worse, “low-sodium” products add chemicals that can be much worse than sodium for you, and quite frankly, can taste pretty bad.

Taste: Isn’t the taste why we use it to start with? Easy answer: YES! But it’s also an essential nutrient. We need salt to survive. In fact, too little salt will cause the same problems that reducing salt is supposed to help. So keep on reading …

A tale of two salts: it seems that both “table salt” and “sea salt” have similar amounts of sodium by weight. That would be about 40%, so 500 mg of either type would only have about 200 mg of sodium.

Add to the complication: When is Salt not the same as salt? “Table salt” is processed to remove trace minerals, and has an additive to prevent clumping. It typically comes from underground deposits. Generally, the more raw forms of “sea salt” (which comes from … duh … sea or ocean water) tastes better, and it’s not processed as much (sometimes not at all) and doesn’t have clumping agents added. It also has trace minerals in it that our bodies need, so it actually does have a bit of nutritional value, too. Sometimes you have to search a little extra to find the more raw forms of sea salt, but it’s worth the extra searching. A notable difference between the two types, though, is the amount needed to give the flavoring we love about salt. A smaller amount of sea salt sprinkled on your finished dish will generally taste better than 2 or 3 times that much used during cooking.

So, as the saying goes, “What’s a mother to do?”

Here’s what seems to make the most sense:

• Buy some of the least-processed sea salt you can find. Yes, it’s a little more expensive and less convenient, but the results are well worth it. And keep it handy when the food is served. Plus, get rid of the regular table salt.
• Read the ingredients on the food before you buy it, and (dare I say) give more weight to ingredients than the misleading “Heart Healthy” seals and “Nutrition Information” sections. Put it back on the shelf if they’re adding various starches, sugars, syrups, unpronounceable forms of sodium, and hydrolyzed anything. Seriously.
• Seek out other natural flavorings and spices that your family likes and put them into the food in small quantities yourself. And don’t be stingy with the butter.
• If you’re the cook, use fresh, natural ingredients, and DO NOT add salt while cooking. Hey, the good stuff will be on the table, and they’ll use it if they want it. You’ll be surprised at how little your family adds.

Now, enjoy your healthier food!

Comment below if you have any feedback on this.

[added 4/24: Googled for this site and found this link with a similar title]

Visit WebMD for the article, or read it below (material in boxes below copyright WebMD, LLC). I’ve added the emphasis in a few lines.

By Steven Reinberg

WEDNESDAY, April 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Don't toss out your salt shaker just yet: A new analysis from Denmark finds current recommended salt guidelines may be too low.

The new research indicates that Americans consume a healthy amount of salt, even though daily averages exceed recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"For most people, there is no reason to change their dietary habits concerning salt, as most people eat what appears to be the safest amount," said review author Dr. Niels Graudal, a senior consultant at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark.

For the study, published April 2 in the American Journal of Hypertension, researchers analyzed 25 prior studies. They found that low levels of salt consumption may be linked with a greater risk of death.

The study actually shows that both too much salt and too little are harmful, said Graudal.

"Salt intake above 12,000 mg [milligrams] is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality," he said. In other words, high levels of daily salt intake could shorten a person's life span and raise their risk for heart disease.

And Graudal noted that the same effect is seen at the other end of the spectrum, when too little salt is taken in each day.

The safest range? Between 2,645 and 4,945 mg of salt a day, the study authors said. And most of the world's populations consume that amount, according to background information in the study.

The new analysis contradicts current public health policy in the United States, but is unlikely to change it.

The CDC stands by its recommendation for less than 2,300 mg of salt per day for healthy people under 50, and less than 1,500 mg per day for most people over 50, an agency representative said.

"Nearly everyone benefits from reduced sodium consumption," said Janelle Gunn, a public health analyst in the CDC's division for heart disease and stroke prevention. "Ninety percent of Americans exceed the general daily recommended sodium intake limit of 2,300 mg, increasing their risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke."

Reducing salt intake to the level currently recommended for the general population would prevent tens of thousands of heart attacks and strokes annually, Gunn said.

High-salt diets can lead to high blood pressure and stroke. Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States.

What is too much salt or too little is a matter of debate, said Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.

"However, the salt argument is really all about balance. The reality is few people have any idea how much salt they consume in a day," Heller said.

"This study highlights the fact that too much or too little salt can affect the physiological functions of the body and increase the risk of death," she added.

About 80 percent of Americans' dietary salt comes from processed foods, including bread, cold cuts and pizza as well as restaurant foods and prepared frozen foods, Heller said.

"I like the idea of taking control of how much salt is in the foods we eat by preparing most of our food at home, rather than leaving the salt content up to food companies or restaurants," Heller said.

The studies Graudal and colleagues reviewed included nearly 275,000 people.

They found a correlation between salt intake and health outcomes. Deaths increased when daily consumption was less than 2,645 mg or above 4,945 mg. So both excessively high and low consumption of salt were associated with reduced survival.

But the researchers found little or no variation in death when people kept their salt intake within that daily range.

The study authors said their findings provide a response to a U.S. Institute of Medicine report issued in 2013 that concluded there is scant evidence on what is too much or too little salt.