Where is sodium found?
Sodium is obtained from food, either as a natural ingredient, flavoring, or preservative. Almost all foods contain some sodium. Most people are familiar with the table salt and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), but there is also hidden sodium in a lot of our food. Most processed foods, meats, cheeses, breads, and cereals contain sodium. Fast foods, canned foods, baked goods, pickles, and relishes all contain sodium. Carbonated drinks may also be a source of hidden sodium. For Americans, the average daily diet contains 6,000 to 10,000 mg of sodium. It helps if you learn to read food labels if you want to reduce sodium in your diet. If the product says: Sodium free – it must have less than 5 mg of sodium per serving Very low sodium – it must have 35 mg or less or less per serving Low sodium – 140 mg or less per serving Unsalted, no salt added, or without added salt – means made without the salt that is normally used. It still contains the sodium that is a normal part of the food. Check t
— The main source of sodium in the diet is the salt added to packaged and processed foods, and in foods from restaurants. Processed foods include prepared frozen meals, canned foods, pickled foods, snack foods, lunch meats, condiments, sauces, and dressings, just to name a few. Sodium found in processed food accounts for about 80 percent of a person’s daily sodium intake in a typical Western diet, and can quickly add up, even without the use of the salt shaker. In addition, many people add more salt to foods; just one teaspoon of table salt contains about 2300 milligrams of sodium, which is more than many people need for the entire day. Most fresh foods (fresh unprocessed meats, fish, vegetables and fruit) have a low sodium content, and can be substituted for foods that are high in sodium. Terms like “low sodium” and “reduced sodium” can be confusing. Table 1 provides a guide to what these terms mean (show table 1). Guidelines — Several professional organizations have issued evidence-b
Many people think of salt and sodium as being the same thing, but they are not. Table salt is 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride. It is the sodium portion of salt that is important to people concerned about high blood pressure. Keep in mind some sodium is naturally present in most foods. See Table 1. Most of the sodium in processed foods is added to preserve or flavor them. Salt is the major source of this sodium. Salt is added to most canned and some frozen vegetables, smoked and cured meats, pickles and sauerkraut. It is used in most cheeses, sauces, soups, salad dressings and many breakfast cereals. It is also found in many other ingredients used in food processing. The food industry is trying to find ways to decrease sodium while ensuring food safety. Watch out for commercially prepared condiments, sauces and seasonings when preparing and serving foods for you and your family. Many, like those in Table 1, are high in sodium.
Sodium is obtained from food, either as a natural ingredient, flavoring, or preservative. Almost all foods contain some sodium. Most people are familiar with the dietary sodium known as table salt and with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), but there is also hidden sodium in a lot of our food. Most processed foods, meats, cheeses, breads, and cereals contain sodium. Fast foods, canned foods, baked goods, pickles, and relishes all contain sodium. Carbonated beverages may also be a source of hidden sodium.
The cosmic origin of most sodium is from the core of massive stars, where it is the product of the fusion of carbon. The sodium gets ejected from these massive stars when they explode as supernova. Sodium then reacts with water to form sodium ions, which condense into planets, comets etc. when they form, and then the ions dissolve into any liquid water present. However most sodium on earth is found in the crust where it is found in compounds. Sodium it too reactive to be found free in nature.
