Sea salt may be marketed as a healthier type of salt, but according to MayoClinic.com, both table salt and sea salt have an almost identical chemical make-up and the exact same sodium content. If you're following a low-sodium diet to lower blood pressure, reduce your risk of heart disease or because of another health issue, you'll need to limit sea salt intake.
Sodium and Your Health
Your body uses sodium to control muscle contractions, transmit nerve impulses and regulate fluid levels in your body. Because sodium attracts water, too much sodium in your body will cause you to retain fluids and can increase blood volume. A rise in blood volume causes a rise in blood pressure, which can have serious health consequences, including an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. If you already have, or are at risk of developing, high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes or have impaired kidney function, limit sodium intake to 1,500 mg daily, advises the American Heart Association.
Table Salt vs. Sea Salt
Although sea salt and table salt contain the same amount of sodium, sea salt is often more minimally processed and can have a very different flavor from table salt. Sea salt often contains trace minerals not present in table salt that affect both color and taste. Minerals are present in trace amounts -- sea salt should not be used as dietary supplement. If you're following a low-sodium diet, 1,500 mg of sodium is about 1/2 tsp. of sea salt daily.
Lower Your Sodium Intake
The vast majority -- almost 80 percent -- of the sodium in an average American diet comes from restaurants and processed foods. You can dramatically decrease your sodium consumption by cooking your own meals at home using fresh ingredients. When cooking, use herbs and spices in place of salt to add flavor and interest to your food. Frozen foods often have less sodium than canned foods, as sodium acts as a preservative. Always read food labels carefully and pay attention to serving size. If a serving has 140 mg of sodium -- the maximum amount of sodium for a food to be labeled "low sodium" -- but you eat three servings, you'll actually consume 420 mg of sodium.
Reduce and Light Sodium Content
Read labels carefully; pay attention to foods labeled "reduced sodium" or "light sodium." Reduced or less sodium means there is 25 percent less sodium than the regular version; light or "lite" sodium means there is 50 percent less sodium than the regular version. Unfortunately, these products may still be too high in sodium to be included in a low-sodium diet. If the regular product had 100 mg of sodium per serving, such as soy sauce, then lite soy sauce still has 500 mg per serving -- one-third of your daily intake.
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