What is the difference between sodium and salt ?
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 at
3:06 AM
I eat a lot of sodium and I don’t over-do it but eveything that I eat contains numerous amounts of sodium. I always read the nutrition facts on everything that I eat and it usually has a ot of sodium. Is sodium salt ? And is it bad for you?
Tagged with: Lot • Nutrition Facts • Ot • Sodium Salt
Filed under: Sodium and Salt
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table salt is sodium chloride. low sodium salt is potassium chloride. sea salt is a less refined table salt.
In general, the sodium found on the labels of food is related to the amount of salt present. But since pretty much everything on this planet has sodium in it, including baking soda, not all the sodium on food labels comes directly from salt.
the american heart association recommends less than 2300 mg of sodium per day. here's a link…
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4708
Salt is an Ionic compound. Some common ones are Potassium Chloride, and Sodium Chloride. The last one is the one called "table salt".
Sodium is in salt but salt has other components.
Sodium = Na
Salt = NaCl
Salt comprises of sodium, and its only bad if you take an excess amount of it
Table salt is made of sodium and chloride. Salt does not mean the same as sodium because salt is only 40 percent sodium. Both are needed for good health.
sodium chloride is the table salt. We may intake Sodium from some other foods.
Too much Sodium in your body may cause high blood pressure.
Same-same, only different.
Sodium, an element, is a major component in table salt, sodium chloride (sodium, Na, bound to chlorine, Cl).
For dietary purposes, sodium and salt are the same, but technically there is a difference.
The term "salt" is somewhat generic and in chemistry means a substance made from a highly positively charged element, usually a metal (like sodium) which is bound to a highly negatively charged element, often chlorine. So MgCl is a salt, as is CaCl.
NaCl is a necessary ingredient in biological systems, as are other minerals, but like anything else, over-exposure can be harmful.
Sodium is an element, but salt is a combonation of Sodium and Chlorine, so technically sodium isn't salt, but just a part of it.
Chemically speaking, sodium and salt are not the same thing.
However, the sodium you see on package labelling is, for the purposes of dietary planning, the same as salt.
virtually no one in the U.S. has a shortage of sodium in their diet. So you don't need to worry about getting too little salt.
If, however, you have high blood pressure, and possibly other ailments related to the kidneys and heart, you need to make sure you don't get too much salt.
The link below from the Mayo Clinic should be helpful to you in understanding healthy levels of salt consumption
Sodium is a soft white metal and salt is a combination of Sodium metal and Chlorine gas. Sodium metal is very reactive chemically and is never found in a pure state. It always comines with something else like Chlorine. Another common association is bicarbonate of soda, Sodium Hydrogen carbonate.
In combination with other elements, sodium will form ions when dissolved in water. Salt dissolves to form Sodium ions and Chlorine ions. In medicine, the ions are known as electrolytes. There are two very important electrolytes in the body, Sodium and Potassium. Both are ions, and body cells concentrate Potassium ions inside themselves and pump Sodium ions outside into what is known as intracellular fluid.
Healthy bodies must maintain precise levels of electrolytes to preform most efficiently. If the concentration of electrolytes like Sodium becomes too great, the body either excertes the excess in urine or dilutes the concentration by having someone drink fresh water.
Rather like a large factory, the body seems to beleive "the solution to polution is dilution" and this is the first step it takes in dealing with elevated levels of Sodium. Removing Sodium ions using the kidneys is very expensive in terms of calories, and the body is naturally energy efficient as it can be.
Unfortunately, dumping additional water into the general circulation will increase blood pressure. This is because veins and arteries are a closed system, and adding more material to them will cause the pressure to increase. ordinarily this is temporary and causes no permenant harm.
People can become habituated to eating salty foods however, and salt is Sodium chloride. The salty meal is nearly always accompagnied by some sort of beverage high in sugar and the food itself is more often than not cooked in iol and still saturated with it. This high calorie food of course leads to being overweight and obesity puts even more of a strain on the circulatory system because the heart now has to pump blood through a greater body mass. Salt then increases thye demand for extra fluid, which increases blood pressure. High amounts of sugar then stress the endocrine system, leading to problems maintaining adequate glucose levels.
Thus, it can be seen how a steady diet of french fries and coca cola can lead to high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. These are followed by heart attacks and strokes as the circulatory system begins to become diseased by high blood pressure, fatty deposits and diabetic levels of blood sugars. The kidneys can also be destroyed and blindness is also a possibility, since high blood sugar can harm the retina of the eyes. Gangrene due to the breakdown of circulation can lead to amputation.
It should be noted that every individual is unique and nobody handles sugar, water and fat in exactly the same way. because of this "blanket statements" should be avoided. Your body knows what's best for it. If you are overweight, short of breath or your toes are turning purple, it means there is something about your lifestyle which needs to be changed, the sooner the better. If you feel you need further advice, see your doctor.
sodium is an element in group1 of the periodic table,It is a very reactive metal.It reacts very rapidly with anything.Salt, is the combination of sodium and chlorine gas.This gas is also dangerous but when both sodium and chlorine are mixed it forms table salt( sodiumchloride).Which is used in every restuarant worldwide for cooking.