What You Should Know about Sodium and Salt

Sodium is an essential part of everyone’s diet—the human body could not function without it. However, there can be too much of a good thing. Americans tend to overdo it on sodium, which can contribute to many health issues, including high blood pressure and heart disease. However, it is not always easy to know what sodium is in and how much you are consuming. While table salt is a common household staple, there are other forms of salt in the food supply that should be considered. How Sodium is Used It can seem like sodium is virtually everywhere, but that’s because it serves many different purposes. Though most sodium in the diet comes in the form of salt, it is also present in things like baking soda – sodium bicarbonate. Despite popular belief, sodium is not synonymous with salt. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “sodium is an individual mineral and one of the two components of table salt, sodium chloride.” This means that sodium does more than simply flavor a dish. Though in the form of salt it can add or enhance the flavor of food, sodium may also be used to preserve foods, to make them last longer, and to add texture and volume to baked foods. Types of Salt and Alternatives While 70% of sodium comes from consumption of packaged foods, the remaining 30% is often added during cooking, at the table or is naturally present in foods. In order to better manage sodium intake in that 30%, it is important as a consumer to be aware of the different types of salts and their alternatives. A trip down the spice aisle in the grocery store might present options from iodized salt, to sea salt, to pink salt and everything in between. It is […]

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Cutting Down on Sodium: 6 Alternatives to Salt

Sodium is essential for our bodies to maintain many basic activities — such as muscle contraction and a properly functioning nervous system. However, consistently consuming too much sodium can increase blood pressure and lead to negative health consequences. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that adults and children 14 years of age and older consume less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, yet Americans consume about 3,400 mg of sodium per day. More than 70% of our sodium intake comes from packaged or prepared foods. The other 30% of the sodium that we consume is added during home cooking, added at the table and naturally present in certain foods and beverages. But there is good news to report. Substituting salt and sodium-containing seasonings with herbs, spices and low-sodium condiments can help to reduce the amount of sodium that we use when cooking at home. Here are six alternatives to salt that don’t fall short on flavor. Garlic: Garlic is one of the most versatile ingredients that you can keep in stock in your kitchen. Garlic goes well with chicken, fish, meats, pasta and vegetables. Using raw garlic adds pungency and zest, while roasting it provides a sweet and nutty flavor. If you want the flavor of garlic but don’t want to spend the time peeling, chopping and/or roasting it, opt for garlic powder instead. Remember, garlic powder does not contain sodium, but garlic salt does. Peppercorns: While most people only know peppercorns as the darker salt sidekick, peppercorns are actually dried berries produced by the peppercorn plant, Piper nigrum. Black peppercorns are the most common peppercorn, but they can also be red, green and white depending on when they are harvested and how they are processed. Peppercorns can add welcomed flavor and subtle heat to almost any recipe. Lemon […]

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Why is Sodium Being Reduced in Food?

In October of 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made big news when it issued its final voluntary guidance for food manufacturers to reduce the sodium content across many categories of the packaged and processed foods that they produce. The guidance has been in the works since 2011. Here’s a quick rundown of sodium’s role in health and why it’s being reduced in food. What is sodium? Sodium is an essential mineral for human health that the body cannot produce, so it must be consumed from foods, beverages and other external sources. Sodium is critical for life-sustaining activities such as muscle and nerve function. When you think of sodium, salt probably comes to mind. Although the two terms, “sodium” and “salt” are often used interchangeably, they are different. Sodium is one element found in salt. The most common type of salt that we consume is sodium chloride. By weight, sodium makes up about 40% of sodium chloride. Why is sodium in food? The FDA has determined that salt is safe for use in foods. As part of salt, sodium plays a key role in food science by enhancing texture and flavor and creating a more uniform structure in bread and other products. Sodium is also a natural and effective preservative in foods. It increases the overall safety and quality of food by lowering water activity, thus prolonging shelf-life and delaying spoilage. This is the reason why salt was used as the primary method of preserving meats and various other foods before the invention of refrigeration. But some foods today contain more sodium than may be necessary. One of the intents of FDA’s recent voluntary guidance is to encourage food manufacturers to reformulate certain foods where sodium content can be reduced, while maintaining their safety, quality and acceptable taste for […]

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What You Should Know About Plant-Based Alternatives to Meat

Download the Fact Sheet Here Vegetarian alternatives to meat are nothing new—veggie burgers, vegan deli meat and chicken-less nuggets have been around for decades. But while these products typically have aimed to meet the needs of vegetarians and vegans and don’t consistently match the taste and texture of meat, newer plant-based alternatives to meat are attempting to mimic animal proteins as much as possible. In this explainer, we’ll take a closer look at how these products are made, their nutritional attributes, and their environmental impact. To date, many of these new products have been created to serve as alternatives to foods traditionally made with red meat, like burgers and sausages, so we’ll focus on these alternatives. However, new products meant to mimic poultry, eggs and seafood are now also being sold, and more are coming to store shelves—an indicator that this novel wave in protein innovation may just be getting started. How are plant-based alternatives to meat made? Plant-based alternatives to animal meat are made with ingredients and processing techniques that create colors, textures and flavors that are similar to those of animal meat. Protein sources in these plant products range from soy and potatoes to peas, rice and mung beans. The type of dietary fats used to make them include canola oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil and sunflower oil, and they’re usually bound together by methylcellulose, which is used as a thickener and emulsifier in many types of foods. In addition to the ingredients needed to build color, structure and flavor, plant-based alternatives to meat are sometimes fortified with vitamins and minerals, like vitamin B12 and zinc, in order to offer some of the same nutrients that are inherent to animal meat. How do plant-based alternatives stack up nutritionally? Even though meatless protein foods benefit from a “health halo” […]

insights

Top 5 Takeaways On Sodium: Insights, Impacts, & Innovations For Public Health

Top 5 Takeaways On Sodium: Insights, Impacts, & Innovations For Public Health The antidote to dietary doldrums, salt, that unassuming crystalline ingredient that makes many foods taste better, is found widely in the food supply. In the form of sodium chloride, simple table salt is the culinary component that, when added in the right amount, elevates an eating experience beyond the mere simplistic. While a little salt certainly can go a long way, the American consumer is more accustomed to ingesting a lot: sodium is overconsumed by all age groups, according to the 2020 – 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. With this in mind, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) commissioned consumer research on sodium and further examined the topic through an educational webinar, “Sodium Shift: Insights, Impacts, & Innovations For Public Health.” The most salient takeaways from the webinar include: Salty is one of the basic tastes, and salt acts as a potent flavor enhancer. Doing much more than imparting only a salty taste, salt can “…improve the perception of product thickness, enhance sweetness, mask metallic or chemical off-notes, and round out overall flavor while improving flavor intensity.” High-salt usage emerged between 5,000 to 10,000 years ago, and its shortage can engender food that tastes bad. Playing a role in food fermentation and preservation, salt shows up in a range of cultural foodways, including spice blends and condiments, such as fish sauce, soy sauce, and pepper sauce; sardines and anchovies; and cured meats. Besides the broad culinary contributions, salt has a storied past at the center of political and economic disputes. For starters, sodium is an essential nutrient in human nutrition. The body cannot store large amounts of sodium, which is critical for muscle function, including the heart, and keeping the nervous system working properly. Furthermore, sodium helps control […]

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Consumer Survey on Plant Alternatives to Meat Shows That Nutrition Facts Are More Influential Than the Ingredients List

Download the full report. Survey Highlights   Every so often a new food trend captures our attention, only to fade once the novelty wears off. Other times, food trends have more staying power. The original veggie burger dates back decades, but more recently a new generation of plant alternatives to animal meat has exploded on the food scene, distinguished from their predecessors by the intent to mimic animal meat’s taste and texture.   We know there is consumer interest, but we know little more about what people think of plant alternatives. The International Food Information Council’s (IFIC’s) latest consumer survey takes a closer look.  Who participated in this survey? The survey was conducted among 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18+ in December 2019. To orient survey takers, the emerging food category was described as “meatless burgers, chicken, fish, sausages and other ground products that attempt to mimic the flavor and texture of animal protein but are made with only plant products.” Throughout the survey, these types of foods were collectively referred to as “plant alternatives to animal meat.”  Most consumers identify as omnivores. The survey began by asking participants what type of diet they follow and provided definitions for the following options: omnivore, vegetarian, vegetarian on some days but not all days, vegan and pescatarian. Not surprisingly, the overwhelming majority (66%) of people in our survey identified as omnivores.   Almost 50% of people have eaten a plant alternative to animal meat. Nearly half (49%) of survey participants reported having tried these newer meatless products. Looking closer, here are a few factors associated with the likelihood of having eaten a plant alternative to meat:  New food curiosity drives consumption. While there are a variety of reasons why people have tried plant alternatives to animal meat, the top reason for doing so is liking to try new foods (41%).  Among the people in our survey who have not tried one of these products, the top reason was the anticipation that these alternatives won’t taste good (31%). Other commonly reported factors for not having tried a product included that the respondents were not trying to eat less […]

Media

Plant-based Meat Alternatives: Are They Healthy?

By now, it seems like everyone has heard of plant-based meat alternatives. Burgers, sausages, and other forms of food that are made to look, feel and taste like meat have exploded in popularity over the last few years, touting the promise of being better for us and for the planet. But what do we really know about their healthfulness and environmental impact? In this article, we’ll explore these issues to find out how they compare with their animal-based counterparts. What does “plant-based meat” mean? Vegetarian alternatives to meat are nothing new—veggie burgers, vegan deli meat and chicken-less nuggets have been around for decades. But while these products have typically aimed to meet the needs of vegetarians and vegans and don’t necessarily match the taste and texture of meat, newer “next generation” plant-based meat alternatives are attempting to mimic the real thing as much as possible. To date, many of these new alternatives have come in the form of foods traditionally made with red meat, like burgers and sausages—and that’s what we’ll focus on here. However, new products meant to mimic poultry, eggs and seafood are also coming to store shelves—an indicator that this novel wave in protein innovation is here to stay. How are they made? Plant alternatives to animal meat are made with ingredients and processing techniques that create colors, textures and flavors that are similar to animal meat. Protein sources in these plant products range from soy and potatoes to peas, rice and mung beans. The type of dietary fats used to make them include canola oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil and sunflower oil, and they’re usually bound together by methylcellulose, which is used as a thickener and emulsifier in many types of foods. In addition to food ingredients needed to build color, structure and flavor, they’re usually […]

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Getting Personal: How Much Sodium Do We Need?

In the field of nutrition, one thing is clear: There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to a healthy, maintainable eating pattern. Our genetics and environment play significant roles in how our bodies respond to and use certain foods and nutrients. Today, let’s focus on sodium. Sodium is a vital mineral that is part of sodium chloride, more commonly known as table salt. We add sodium to foods ourselves when we sprinkle salt on soups, pasta, or roasted vegetables. It’s also found in many packaged and prepared foods, where it not only adds flavor but also contributes to texture and freshness in its role as a preservative. Sodium can increase the overall safety and quality of our food by lowering water activity, thus prolonging a food product’s shelf life and delaying spoilage. In fact, salt was used as the primary method of preserving meats and various other foods before the invention of industrialized refrigeration. Ninety percent of the sodium we consume is in the form of sodium chloride, but other sodium compounds, such as sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, are used as antimicrobial agents in some foods. On average, ten percent of our sodium intake comes from adding it during home cooking or at the table, and another ten to fifteen percent occurs naturally in foods, especially meats. More than 70% of our sodium intake comes from packaged foods or restaurant meals. How does sodium affect our health? A small amount of sodium is essential to keep our bodies working as they should. It’s critical for things like muscle function (including the heart) and keeping our nervous system working properly, and it helps to control fluid balance. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that we consume less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium each day, which is the amount of sodium in […]

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