Salt / Sodium: definition, role, lack, excess, food
In this Youtube video and in this health and wellness blog post, you find:
- What is sodium?
- What is the role of sodium in the body?
- What are the symptoms of sodium deficiency?
- Why is there a lack of sodium?
- Sodium deficiency in the elderly
- The effects of too much sodium in the body
- Salt and its sodium content
- Why is it not good to eat too much salt?
- Daily sodium recommendations
- Equivalence between salt and sodium
- The main food sources of sodium
- Bread and its salt content
First of all, you should know that sodium plays an important role in the hydration of our body.
It is mainly found in the blood and in extracellular fluids, i.e. outside the cells.
Sodium is involved in maintaining the acid-base balance, but also in the transmission of nerve impulses and muscle contraction.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that an excess of sodium intake can lead to an increase in blood pressure even if you do not suffer from high blood pressure. This can lead to cardiovascular disease, kidney problems and weakened bones in some people.
What you need to know about high blood pressure, Simply explained, Pharmaquiz, Dr Noura Marashi
Sodium deficiency can occur with various medications such as diuretics, but also in people who have kidney problems.
Sodium deficiency can lead to confusion, nausea, dehydration, muscle cramps and dizziness.
Sodium is mainly found in industrial products such as frozen meals, sauces, soups, pizzas, cheeses, but also in bread.
1 g of salt contains 0.4 g of sodium (Na) and 0.6 g of chlorine (Cl).
The recommended daily sodium requirement for adults is 1.5 g to 2.3 g, or 3.7 g to 5.7 g of salt per day.
It is recommended not to consume more than 8 g of salt per day for adult men and 6.5 g for women and children.
It is interesting to know that a baguette of bread contains about 3.2 g of salt, so it has 3.2 x 0.4 = 1.28 g of sodium, the limits can be quickly exceeded, so do not hesitate to read the labels of the products you eat in order to evaluate your sodium intake.
It is important to know that most of the time the labels of food products do not indicate the amount of salt. There is just the sodium content, so to evaluate the amount of salt in these products, multiply the sodium content by 2.5.
To avoid excess sodium intake and limit its deficiency, avoid frozen ready-made meals, cold cuts and industrial products.
Favour fresh fruits and vegetables, most of which already contain sodium.
Finally, season your dishes when cooking and avoid re-salting them at the table.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Dr. Noura Marashi (doctor of pharmacy, health youtuber, creator of the health and well-being application Pharmaquiz),
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