How to Determine the Healthy Amount of Salt to Add to a Recipe

In today's food culture everyone needs to monitor their personal salt intake regularly. The generally accepted maximum recommended amount of salt intake per day is set at 2400 mg by the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA. ) The average amount of salt that people in America eat is around 4000mg per day. Americans get the majority of their sodium from processed or prepared foods with the rest coming from added salt from a shaker or packet. The average fast food burger contains anywhere from 500mg to 1500mg of sodium. Your favorite frozen dinner probably has around 1000mg. Your canned veggies are loaded with salt as well..Food distribution corporations regularly add much more salt than we really need to their products because of its anti-bacterial properties and general preference by American consumers.

It is particularly important for those who have high blood pressure and kidney issues to have a low salt diet, 1500 mg or lower per day is recommended(1). The kidneys are responsible for salt level regulation in the body. When the body's sodium levels are low then the kidneys conserve it When the body's sodium levels are elevated the kidneys work to reduce it. Research is showing that as we age the kidneys do not perform this task as well and potential problems become much more likely to occur(2). Over twenty five percent of the American population has genetic traits that leave them vulnerable to a type of blood pressure problem caused by sodium sensitivity. There is currently no test to determine if you are a sodium sensitive genotype, however if your blood pressure lowers while on a low salt diet then it is safe to assume that the odds are you are among the genotypes that have a sensitivity to sodium.

So how do you determine what a healthy amount of sodium for your recipe will be? Simple. Remember the food pyramid we all learned while in school? This chart is the key to determining the maximum amount of salt that should be in a recipe. On the chart I follow it is recommended that an average adult consumer 16 servings of foods taking into consideration all the food groups. The maximum recommended amount of sodium intake is 2400mg per day so divide 2400mg by 16 and your answer will come out to be 150mg. Then you add up the total number of servings your recipe is intended to make and multiple that by 150mg. I then recommend dividing this total in half because your guests and family can always add salt from a saker or pack but you can't take it out once its already in there. Americans tend to eat more food than is generally recommended as well so dividing the sodium amount in half will add a buffer for those who tend to eat more than average. Using these equations you will arrive at a rough estimate of how much sodium to use in your recipe. Be sure to take into account the amount of sodium already present in the ingredients of your recipe before adding any additional salt. This means close checking of all food labels.

Below you will find the mathematical equation to determine the maximum amount of sodium per serving of food:

x=2400mg - The upper recommended amount of sodium by the FDA.
y=16 - The number of servings of food recommended for consumption by the average adult.
z=150mg - The result of dividing x by y.

So x / y = z

Below you will find the mathematical equation to determine the amount of sodium you should shoot for in your recipe:

z=150mg - This is the maximum amount of sodium that should be in any serving of food you serve.
a=? - This is the number of servings all the ingredients of your recipe total up to. For this example we will use 8 servings.

So z * a = 1200mg for a recipe that has 8 servings in it.

If you follow my personal recommendation and cut that in half you will end up with a total of 600mgs of sodium for any recipe that has 8 servings in it.

If all this sounds a little confusing it really isn't. Just give it a try and you will find it is much easier than it looks. Just as a reminder, The information in this article is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Always consult with your health care provider about any kind of a health problem and before changing your diet. I would strongly recommend you print this out and take a copy to your doctor for his advice before using any of the information in this article even though it is based on established scientific knowledge.

Resources:

1 - http://blog.nutritiondata.com/ndblog/2008/02/how-much-salt-d.html

2 - http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/797_salt.html