Seeing the Salt

September 2024

Singling out Sodium

The relationship between sodium and blood pressure can be a difficult one to maintain. Even with labels like "No Salt", "Reduced Sodium", and "No Salt Added", there is still sodium present. This hidden sodium is in the preservatives and can be identified commonly as:

- Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

- Sodium Benzoate

- Sodium Nitrite/Nitrate

- Sodium Carbonate

- Sodium Phosphate

- Disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)

Why does Sodium have Secret Identities?

Sodium compounds can be used as additives in your food to help with things like taste and shelf stability.

-MSG is commonly used as a flavor enhancer in many restaurants to help make your food more savory.

-Sodium Benzoate can be found among the preservatives as it is used to help protect against the growth of mold and yeast.

-Sodium Nitrite/Nitrates are found in many cured meats (lunch meats, bacon, etc.). It helps to extend shelf life as well as contributes to the pink color commonly seen in these products.

- Sodium Carbonate is an additive that is used as an anticaking agent as well as a stabilizer.

- Sodium Phosphate acts as a buffering salt, which maintains the proper pH levels in the food. This, in turn, helps maintain freshness, flavor, and texture.

- EDTA is used as a stabilizer to enhance both flavor and color by helping to prevent oxidation of lipids.

Searching for Sodium

What is the best way to know what is in your food? Read your food labels! There is a lot of misleading advertising on these labels, so make sure to check the list of ingredients for some of the above listed preservatives.

A good rule of thumb: The fewer ingredients a product has, the closer it is to being "pure" and has undergone less processing.

Next month we will be focusing on how to properly read a food label. Until then, do a quick check of the food in your pantry and see how many preservatives you can identify!

Additional Resources

Websites, Articles, and/or Videos

Complete Guide of Food Additives

Food Preservation

Blog Posts

Eating Healthy on a Budget

Electrolytes- Sodium

Replacing Salt While Cooking

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