Salt has an important place among the world's food resources. Mankind started to discover salt with the first humans, and they used it in every aspect of their lives. The concepts of salt and sodium, which have been of great importance to people for centuries, should not be mistaken with each other. Salt and sodium sources are different. Sodium is a mineral found naturally in water and foods. Sodium that is found naturally in foods is called natural food salt. The best sources of sodium are; table salt, baking soda and mineral soda. Sodium is also found naturally in dairy, meat, and shellfish.
Table salt, on the other hand, is the salt that is obtained purely from the seas, lakes and rocks and used in food preparation after being refined. According to the Turkish Food Codex Salt Communiqué, table salt is finely ground, iodine-enriched, refined or unrefined edible salt that is offered directly to the consumer. Table salt is the salts produced from raw salt, the main ingredient of which is sodium chloride, suitable for human consumption. There is 400 mg of sodium in 1 g of table salt.
Sodium and potassium are necessary for maintaining fluid and acid-base balance in the body. Proper concentration of sodium ions in body fluids is very important for nerve stimulation, normal cell function and the functioning of muscle tissue. In sodium deficiency, symptoms such as mental confusion, muscle fatigue, aches and respiratory failure are observed.
Sodium deficiency is rare. However, when the individual has persistent vomiting and/or diarrhea, it can be seen in protein-energy deficiency diseases and in cases such as the use of diuretics. With diarrhea, there is a loss of fluid and electrolytes from the body. Electrolyte loss includes sodium and potassium loss. If the duration of diarrhea is prolonged, dehydration is observed in the patient. In order to reduce diarrhea-related deaths, UNICEF has prepared a mixture called oral fluid therapy (AST) in order to replace the fluid and electrolytes lost in diarrhea. This mixture contains 3.5 g of salt, 2.5 g of carbonate, 1.5 g of potassium chloride and 20 g of glucose. The mixture is dissolved in 1 liter of boiled warm water and given to the person with diarrhea. In this way, the patient's water and electrolyte loss is compensated during diarrhea. Its application is especially essential for babies.
Sodium excretion is controlled by the kidneys. Normally, 99.5% of the sodium filtered by the kidneys is reabsorbed. The hormone aldosterone secreted from the adrenal cortex takes part in this control. Estrogen hormone also reduces sodium and water excretion. In this way, excess sodium in the body is prevented. Since there is no sodium excretion in kidney diseases, sodium accumulation occurs.
Excessive salt consumption can cause many diseases. Foods containing excessive salt; ready-made sauces, snack products, salted nuts, pickled foods (cheese, etc.), canned fish, salted and/or pickled meat and fish products, mineral drinks, traditionally prepared at home pickles, tomato paste, and tarhana. Therefore, it is very important to consume salt in its place and adequately. Excess sodium accumulation in the body leads to edema. Excess sodium intake increases blood pressure, increases urinary calcium excretion and causes calcium loss from bones. In addition to hypertension, excessive salt consumption can cause diseases such as stroke, osteoporosis and stomach cancer. In these cases, sodium intake should be reduced. The World Health Organization recommends the amount of salt that should be consumed daily as less than 5 g (less than 2 g sodium) per day to protect against hypertension, heart diseases, kidney diseases, obesity, diabetes and some types of cancer, and not to adversely affect bone health.
In order to reduce excessive salt consumption, “World Salt Awareness Week” activities are held on a different date every year by the World Salt and Health Movement Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) organization, which is accepted by the World Health Organization. Planning the dietary habits in such a way that salt consumption is sufficient from childhood will help to prevent the diseases that may cause this and their bad consequences in the long run.
Apart from giving flavor to foods, salt also has an important role in food storage due to its antiseptic properties. It is used as an aid in the storage of foods by significantly reducing the moisture content of the food.
Commonly known types of salt; table salt, himalayan salt, rock salt and sea salt. It has been observed that 56% of the salts used in recent studies in our country are table salt, 40% rock salt, 3% himalayan salt and 1% sea salt.
The amount of sodium in a portion of foods can be checked by looking at the label information given. Most of the time recipes are not rearranged and edited to reduce the salt content of the products.
Even though the taste concerns may arise, products and the materials containing natura salts should be rearranged to decrease the consumption of salt. In case this re arrangement is not managed the consumers should read the food labels prominently of spring water and sodas and choose the products that are low in salt and sodium. Salt should not be used without tasting the food, and salt shakers should not be kept on the table. As a part of a healthy life, salt consumption should be adjusted to meet the daily sodium requirement. Since iodine is necessary for healthy brain development in the fetus and young child and for optimizing the mental functions of humans in general, all salts consumed should be iodized and the salt should be labeled as iodized. Dietitians should pay particular attention to the issue of salt and inform their clients about it.
Let's not forget to tell the world beware of salt!
