Let's Talk About Salt

The music embedded above is just a silly thing because that's what I hear in my head when I say "Let's talk about salt."  That topic might have been great for Salt 'n' Pepa to sing about.

     Over the next three weeks, I'm going to talk about three items that are in every, single item you buy pre-made at the grocery store:  salt, soy, and corn syrup.  All three won't appear in every, single item, but at least one of those three will be in your convenience food that you've picked up, unless you've found a magical store that sells pre-made food without them.  If you have, please share it with the class.  The thing about these elements is that they aren't necessarily bad in small amounts, but in the amount we get, they're awful.
     Quick statement to cover my butt.  Everything I say about this is my own opinion, even if I support it by scientific fact.  You are not required, in any way, to agree with what I'm saying or to change what you're doing.  I am simply going to pass on information as I understand it and you can make your own decisions about that information.
     First thing you should know - Salt is a vital mineral that your body requires to function properly.  Sodium ions both monitor and control the absorption of water into your body's cells as well as making sure that the neurons in your muscles can send signals to one another.  That means that, even if you could, you shouldn't eliminate salt from your diet completely.
     Unfortunately, the companies that make our food have made that decision for us.  If you ever look at a nutrition label and this section:

has more than 0 mg in it, your food probably has added salt.  Double check the ingredients to make sure.  The FDA recommends about 6 g per day for a person's intake, but some doctors are now saying you can get by on 50 to 100 mg of salt per day.  That's not a while lot.  To put it in perspective, 1 teaspoon of salt weighs over 5500 mg.  That means, you probably need less than 1/8 tsp of salt in your daily diet and not more than 1 tsp.  That's not very much!  Most people think they need a lot more.
     So, what's so bad about salt?  Nothing, until you take in too much.  When you take in too much salt, you run the risk of developing a case of hypernatremia which translates into "too much salt in your blood."  In this situation, your kidneys can no longer cope because you now have more salt than water in their blood.  This is the result of dehydration.
    In the long term, hypernatremia causes high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and osteoporosis.  This is because, when your sodium levels are too high, they get too good at transferring water out of your cells  If your cells can't absorb liquid, they can't take in calcium for your bones, and if they don't have enough water, it becomes difficult to push your blood through your body.

     My boyfriend would have me say that that means that you shouldn't put any salt in your food, but I disagree.  I think it means you just need to know what you're doing.  We have salt in our kitchen.  It looks like this:

If you're not sure, that's a earthenware crock filled with kosher salt.  It holds about a pound of salt.  We use kosher salt because its coarse grind dissolves so much easier than typical salt.  Why do we keep it loose instead of in shakers?  Because we know exactly how much we are using.  When you grab a pinch of salt, you know how much you've grabbed.  If you use a salt shaker, you can't always see it coming out, and you might end up using more than you intended.  In that case, sprinkle the salt over your hand then put it in the food from your hand.
     My biggest way to reduce the salt in your diet is to stop buying processed foods.  You probably don't even realize what's in them when you buy.  I also don't particularly like putting a salt shaker on the table, but I usually get outvoted by others who live in the house.  Someday, I'll get to make that call and we won't have one.  Don't let your kids add salt.  They're usually doing it because they see you or your spouse doing the same, not because they actually need it.  Do them a favor and let them learn how food tastes, and maybe they won't need to add salt later in life.
    When you're preparing food, make sure you know what ingredients have salt in them and adjust your added salt appropriately.  For example, butter comes in salted and unsalted.  If you're using salted butter, don't add salt to your recipe.  The same goes for pretty much every kind of cheese as you need salt to get it to turn from milk to cheese.
    The point of this post is to make you aware of what you need and what you're eating.  There's a good chance that you're taking in more salt than you need to, and if you are, your kids are.  Consider what that means for everyone's health and change your cooking appropriately.