Depending on your health condition and eating habits, the sodium in a little bit of salami can have a big impact on your blood pressure. Most types of commercial and homemade salami have salt contents of 2 to 3 percent. A dry-cured sausage such as Italian salami utilizes salt to achieve the correct pH value for safe preservation. Some varieties, such as cotto salami, are cooked prior to the curing process, and others are smoked as well. Evaluate your sodium intake if you frequently include salami and other cured meats in your diet.
Salami Sodium Contents
The sodium in beef and pork salami comes mainly from its salt ingredients. Dry, or hard, salami is typically more dense and of smaller diameter than cooked salamis. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one slice of commercially prepared dry salami weighs about 1/2 oz. and contains 201 mg of salt per slice, while one slice of cooked salami weighs about 1 oz. and has 411 mg of salt per slice. A standard serving portion of either type of sausage contains two slices.
Recommended Sodium Intakes
Compare the sodium intake from your usual salami consumption with the daily totals recommended by the USDA. Healthy individuals are advised to take in less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. People with high blood pressure or other cardiovascular risk factors should consume less than 1,500 mg of sodium in a day. A sandwich made with two slices of dry salami provides as much as 27 percent daily value, or DV, of sodium, while one made with cooked salami contains as much as 55 percent DV.
Additional Considerations
Many people eat more than the suggested serving size or combine salami with other cured meats in submarine sandwiches, pasta dishes or other meal preparations. This sends sodium totals skyward, with a 6-inch fast-food submarine sandwich made with mixed cold cuts delivering 1,651 mg of sodium, or more than 100 percent DV of the more conservative sodium intake level.
Health Significance
The sodium in the salami that you eat can have serious effects on your long-term health. The amount of sodium consumed from food has been directly linked to blood pressure levels. Eating more salt than your body can use and your kidneys can excrete in a day can lead to chronic high blood pressure. This condition, a precursor to heart disease, weakens your arteries, stiffens your heart muscle and encourages arterial bleeding and blood clots. This cardiovascular damage can cause potentially fatal heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure.
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