Salt

Hello,

1) Could you please clarify to what extent it is necessary to address the salt content in meals in everyday life? I mean situations when someone in the family cooks a meal or when we go to a restaurant. In such cases, we do not know how much salt is in the dish. I am interested in your opinion on this issue. I understand that it is important and practically simple to monitor the salt content in purchased foods, but the situations described above are difficult to deal with in real life. So does it make sense, for example, to try to limit (preferably not consume at all) foods with a high amount of hidden salt and not add more salt to already prepared dishes, but not worry too much about salt in other cases?

2) And I still cannot quite understand how it is possible that the recommended maximum daily intake is 5 grams. Is it really feasible for normal people to stick to this? Even if one eliminates or limits hidden salt in purchased foods, when I see how much salt some people add to their meals, we still exceed this limit, don't we? If I cooked just for myself, it wouldn't be a problem for me because I also enjoy unsalted food, but I'm more concerned about when I eat food prepared by someone else...

The salt content in food is one of the key factors that every responsible individual should address in their diet, as an excess of sodium is a health hazard (it burdens the kidneys, lymphatic, and cardiovascular systems). The solution in everyday practice is relatively simple - in a home setting, it is necessary to control the amount of salt added during meal preparation and simultaneously minimize the use of foods with high salt content (bread, salty cheeses, smoked meats, canned goods...), and in public dining, choose dishes that do not include highly industrially processed foods containing higher amounts of sodium (cheeses, breaded items, smoked meats...). These practices lead to a reduction in salt intake, which may not always fall below the threshold of 5 g per day, but this should not be seen as a failure, as the figures are just a tool, not a definitive indicator.

The recommended 5 g of salt per day pertains to the averaged adult population, and adhering to the aforementioned guidelines will always result in situations where the amount of salt in daily food realistically hovers around this threshold (you have the opportunity to monitor this, among other things, while creating tasks on the educational application ZOF during your studies).

Hello,

I have a question regarding potassium salt. If my diet includes around 5000 mg of potassium and the potassium to sodium ratio is approximately 6:1, it may not be advisable to use potassium salt, correct? It might be better to use regular salt in this case and focus on reducing the amount of potassium instead? Or is it unnecessary, and I don’t need to particularly lower the potassium intake?

The ratio of potassium to sodium should be balanced, as an excess of either element has its consequences - for sodium, for example, it can lead to increased blood pressure, while for potassium, it can affect heart rhythm or muscle function. A ratio of 6:1 is already higher, although, on the other hand, the overall amount of potassium does not reach an extreme, so this situation under normal conditions is not health-threatening (theoretically, it may lead to increased fatigue due to low sodium intake, especially in physically active individuals). Nonetheless, it is not advisable to use potassium salt; prefer sources of NaCl. Do not reduce potassium here; it is more reasonable (and practically easier) to slightly increase sodium intake.

Hello,

Is there a significant difference between using regular salt and other types of salt in terms of sodium content and other minerals? You've already written something about Himalayan salt, but what about other types of salt? Is there any particular type that should generally be avoided? (Of course, this is meant for healthy individuals).

The difference between them in relation to sodium content is not particularly significant. From a nutritional standpoint, the key role is played by the amount of other minerals (most commonly = in the greatest concentration, it is iron, followed by manganese, and in fortified products, a higher presence of iodine and fluoride). From this perspective, salt is a crucial source of sodium, and for these reasons, it is necessary to regulate its amount in daily diet. At first glance, salts containing, for example, iron (typically lava salt, which is a significant source of it) might seem more advantageous, but the "issue" with these is that the iron is of inorganic origin (thus not very biologically available). For the past few decades, iodized salt has been the standard in our inland conditions due to the need to increase the intake of deficient iodine for thyroid function. The added iodine practically has no effect on the sodium content, since sodium is a macro-element while iodine is measured in micrograms.

Hello,

I am interested in the effect of salt on the level of antinutritional substances. I add rock salt to the water in which I soak seeds and nuts; does this lead to greater elimination of antinutrients? I ferment grains and legumes with lactic bacteria; is there a benefit to adding salt here as well?

Thank you for your response.

When attempting to reduce the content of antinutritional substances, it makes sense to use a small amount of salt during soaking. The reason for this is that salt supports the activation of enzymes that deactivate enzyme inhibitors present in nuts and seeds. The result is a better breakdown of phytic acid, which is found in high concentrations in nuts and seeds (including legumes and grains).

In the case of grain fermentation using lactic acid bacteria, it is not absolutely necessary to use salt, as these bacteria have the main effect by lowering the pH of the environment through the production of lactic acid. This, combined with a slightly higher temperature, is a key factor for the activation of enzymes that break down phytates. However, if you do use salt, it won't harm anything...

Hello, do you have any experience with purchasing KCl? Is it available in any supermarket? And is it possible to replace the entire recommended daily dose of NaCl (5 g) with this salt, or is it better to mix them? Thank you in advance for your response.

Potassium salts are now relatively easy to obtain, and purchasing them should not be an issue. If you can't find them in regular stores (supermarkets), look for them on e-shops.

It is more advantageous to use mixtures (KCl+NaCl), as this will allow you to have better control over sodium intake and its ratio to potassium. This is especially important in situations where you are trying to reduce sodium intake by eliminating bread, cheese, sausages, and essentially all hidden sources of salt from your diet, and at the same time only use potassium salt for seasoning dishes. The body requires a certain (albeit very small under normal conditions) amount of sodium, and insufficient intake combined with higher losses (sweating) poses a health risk (cramps, fatigue, lethargy, and in extreme cases, even collapse of the cardiovascular system).

Hello,
I would like to ask about hidden salt in canned foods, specifically in corn. I have read the label. Is the salt contained directly in the corn, or is it possible to rinse it out at least partially?
Thank you.

A portion of the salt in these foods is absorbed into the product, so it is important to consider that even a thorough cleansing won't remove it all. However, if such a canned food also contains water, a significant portion of the salt is dissolved in it – by consuming just the food (without the liquid), you may not always ingest the same amount of salt as indicated on the label.

Hello,

My friend and I were discussing sodium, and he pointed out that if the RDA for sodium is 500 mg, it doesn't match the recommended intake of 5 g of salt. According to the calculation of molar masses, it supposedly turns out that in a dose of 5 g of salt, there is approximately three times the RDA of sodium.

Could you please clarify how this is?

Thank you.

This truly does not correspond - the RDI (Recommended Daily Intake) of sodium is 500 mg, which is seen by the creators of this recommendation as the minimum amount necessary to maintain key biological processes in the body. In real life, you will encounter such values only exceptionally, most often in individuals with eating disorders or in the context of weight reduction diets of some athletes competing in weight categories.
The situation differs in relation to the recommended salt intake - salt (NaCl) is the richest source of sodium (containing 40%), so 5 grams represents 2000 mg of sodium, which is four times the RDI of this element. However, this limit is defined as the amount that does not support the development of health problems associated with sodium excess (strain on the kidneys, lymphatic system, cardiovascular system...), therefore it does not relate to the minimum needs of the organism.

Hello Mr. Jelínek,

how appropriate do you find the inclusion of products like Salka, where "traditional" salt is mixed with potassium salt? From the perspective of the sodium-potassium pump balance, it doesn't seem completely inappropriate to me.

These mixtures are advantageous because they allow for the correction of sodium intake, the amount of which is significantly excessive in the diet of the average population. At the same time, they are a source of potassium, for which it is desirable to aim to achieve an intake at least around the values of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), which, unlike sodium, is relatively challenging in practice. The excess of sodium is also related to the imbalance between Na:K, along with all its known consequences.