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Salt contains 2,350 mg of sodium per teaspoon. However, salt is not the only source of sodium you should be concerned about. The NIH, American Medical Association (AMA) and American Dietetic Association (ADA) now strongly urge daily consumption of dietary sodium at between 1,300 and 1,800 milligrams. That means all forms of sodium. Unfortunately, there are a great number of hidden sources of sodium in packaged, canned, frozen and prepared foods as well as in dairy products. And now we have to look out for fresh poultry that is brined, fresh pork that is brined and turkeys with additives, and salt brining as part of their everyday processing. (NOTE: Your vitamins and other supplements may also have sodium. A Centrum Senior or comparable vitamin contains nearly 61 mg of sodium. In our low sodium lifestyle, that can be more than 10% of a desirable daily intake.) Various supplements like Chondroitin/Glucosomine can have as much as 2,000 mg of sodium (Kirkland - Costco). Following are the most prevalent sources of sodium.

Baking Powder (double acting)
Having 320 mg to 480 mg per teaspoon, baking powder is used mostly to leaven quick breads and cakes. Yeast may be substituted some times for baking powder. A baking powder replacement brand called Featherweight® has only 13.2 mg of sodium per tablespoon although it's label will read zero and is allowed to because of its listed serving size. It can be found in health food stores, some grocery stores, or online from HHealthy Heart Market. The primary ingredient for Featherweight® is Potassium Chloride. This is not salt and neither is it "potassium salt." However, if you are monitoring your potassium then you may want to evaluate Featherweight®® more closely before using it. To use in baking one of your own recipes, then the general rule is to exchange three times the amount of Featherweight for the standard baking powder. However, you may not like the biting taste Featherweight gives if you use too much of it. So, I usually try just doubling the amount when first making a recipe. Often it works, but sometimes it doesn't. Mix it into the batter immediately prior to placing into oven. Stir in thoroughly. Make sure oven is preheated and ready for you to place the batter in.

Baking Soda
Baking soda has approximately 821 mg to 980 mg of sodium per teaspoon. Generally used to leaven breads and cakes, baking soda is often added by commercial food servers (restaurants) and some processors to vegetables in cooking, and is often included in antacids. We should try to avoid using baking soda and ask in restaurants whether it was used on our food even as a freshener. Fortunately for home chefs, a good baking soda replacement is available from Ener-G Foods in Seattle, Washington. You can buy it online at Healthy Heart Market. It's called Ener-G® Baking Soda. Essentially, it's Calcium Carbonate and it works best when using two to three times the standard amount (from any given recipe). The secret is to put it into the batter just before putting the recipe into the oven. It begins working right away and will "tire" if it stays out of the oven during prep time. Used correctly, Ener-G does a good job.

Brined Meat, Commercially Processed
It's no longer safe for low-sodium eaters to trust any of the meat or fish processors. Today, many are brining chicken, pork, turkey, shrimp and other shell fish. Some do it to extend shelf life, others might claim it "adds flavor." Another unfortunate but big reason is that it adds the taste of salt, which our damaged palates have become accustomed to. Shrimp processors are salting nearly all shrimp, even the shrimp that may be displayed as fresh in your local market. (New federal USDA rulings state that all meats and fish and produce must now be displayed with a notice of where each product was produced. You'll find that much of your shrimp comes from countries you'd never even thought about as a food source before.) Before purchasing shrimp, ask the counter-help to show you the package it was in before they displayed it. You'll see the FDA label on the package and note that the sodium level is high due to the added salt.

Finding natural chicken, turkey and pork is becoming more and more difficult.

Brining red and white meats is a process that soaks through all the meat cells and cannot be washed off. The labels that processors place on packaging might state, "Natural," "No Additives", "Fresh," etc. Processors are raising the sodium levels of meat from around 72 mg per 4-ounce serving to over 500 mg per 4-ounce serving. FDA labels should show about 80 mg per 4-ounce serving and nothing higher for these "fresh" cuts of meat. If the meat you are buying does not have a label, the odds are that it's been brined. Ask your butcher for the official FDA and USDA information. He must give it to you. Be especially careful when eating in a friend's home or a restaurant. If they serve either of the above meats, you can almost always expect they purchased the higher sodium variety, which is usually the cheaper cut as well. Another absurd excuse used by processors that you might hear? "Brining makes the meat juicier."

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

MSG is a dangerous sodium for those who may suffer from asthma or migraine headaches. Used as a seasoning in home, restaurant, and hotel cooking, MSG is present in packaged, canned, and frozen foods. MSG is used extensively in Chinese restaurants, and often is the flavor ingredient in foods that advertise "Natural Flavorings." Two chemicals are used or combined in these products. They are generally not listed on FDA labels because they don't have to be, but they come together to produce the MSG, which otherwise would have to be on the labels. The symptoms of MSG sensitivity have commonly been described as headache, flushing, tingling, weakness, and stomachache. After eating meals prepared with MSG, people with MSG sensitivity may develop a migraine headache, visual disturbance, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, tightness of the chest, skin rash, or sensitivity to light, noise, or smells. These are sometimes referred to as "Chinese restaurant syndrome."

In some products "natural flavors" and "natural flavorings" and "flavor" can be ingredients such as ginger, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, celery powder, and garlic oil, which may be listed as one of the three categories mentioned above. They may be designated as "natural flavors" because they are substances used chiefly for flavor. These ingredients do not contribute any nutritional benefits, are not derived from an animal species, and they have no health concerns linked to them. But, this is where we get played with; most are using the MSG chemical combinations instead.

In other words, it's very difficult to trust processors today with our health. They publish only what the FDA requires and that's not always what we need to know. In the end we find ourselves tossing a coin as to whether to enjoy the food or not. We suggest that you call the 1-800 number on any product and ask what the unnamed additives and preservatives are. Look especially for hydrolized proteins or amino acids. Ask for a printout of their official complete ingredient listing for the product you are interested in. You can expect a rejection at first, but keep after them. Eventually some will send it to you or send an explanatory E-mail.

MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein. It is found in virtually (and naturally) all our food and in abundance in food that is high in protein, including meat, poultry, cheeses, and fish.

Bottom Line: Hydrolyzed proteins used by the food industry to enhance flavor are simply proteins that have been chemically broken apart into amino acids. The chemical breakdown of proteins may result in the formation of free glutamate that joins with free sodium to form MSG. In this case, the presence of MSG does not need to be disclosed on labeling. Labeling is required only when MSG is added as a direct ingredient.

Disodium citrate
The sodium of citric acid (E##)). Used as an antioxidant in food and enhances other antioxidants. Also present as an acidity regulator and sequestrant. Look for it in gelatin products, sweets, ice cream, jam, colas, wine and processed cheeses.

Disodium Phosphate (or Sodium Phosphate).
Used in processed cheeses as an emulsifier and in some quick cooking cereals as an antioxidant synergist, stabilizer and buffering agent. It is also added to powdered milk to prevent gelation..

Potassium.

Potassium works with sodium in our bodies to regulate the body's waste balance, and normalize heart rhythms. Potassium aids in clear thinking by sending oxygen to the brain; preserves proper alkalinity of body fluids; stimulates the kidneys to eliminate poisonous body wastes; assists in reducing high blood pressure; promotes healthy skin. All of these are why, when your doctor adds diuretics or some specific medications like Inspra to your medications, he probably also adds a potassium tablet, or barring that, at least has you check your blood more times than you like.

Potassium must be balanced though. Too much or too little can cause harm to your system and to you. Symptoms of too little potassium often include poor reflexes, nervous disorders, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, muscle damage. If you have any signs of these, then you may want to call your doctor.

Potassium products used in cooking for low sodium diets include Featherweight Baking Powder, and Herb-ox Low-Sodium bullion (broth), as well as a few other substitute broths. It's also found as a substitute for the biting taste of salt in Ketchup, low sodium cheeses and other low sodium products. Featherweight is basically potassium bicarbonate, while Herb-Ox uses potassium chloride. Neither of these can be called "potassium salt." Potassium does not increase sodium levels but an increase in potassium in your diet should be discussed with your doctor first.

Salt (Iodized & Non Iodized)

Commercially marketed salt, including sea salt, and kosher salt is 99.9% pure sodium chloride (NaCL), with 2,350 mg of sodium per level teaspoon. The old "salt mines" still provide us some of our table salt. Sea salt is mined from the sea, but the sodium count is as high with 2,350 mg per teaspoon. Sea salt does not contain iodine. Some sea salt marketers add other elements such as Lycopene to help cut the salt (sodium) down per serving size. This effort does not change the sea salt's nutrient data. In any portion the salt remains at the same level per teaspoon.

The history of salt is interesting. Some theorize that salt was as important to our history lessons as were all of man's other achievements. Napoleon for instance is credited with creating the first "canned" foods for his army in order to keep them alive while marching on Russia. These processed cans of food contained a lot of salt for preservation of the food. Salt has been used for centuries to cure meat, but is no longer used for that since refrigeration replaced the need. Some religions still use salt in ceremonies as a token or recognition of past rituals.

Today, we know that some of us just can't handle huge amounts of sodium. Salt is not sodium, but has a lot of sodium in it. We must watch out for the high-sodium that salt brings to us in packaged, canned, frozen, commercially prepared baked goods, and in dairy products, all of which have added salt for longer shelf lives and in some cases to add the bite of salt. Salt, is not necessary in the baking of breads. Bread rise is actually caused by a combination of yeast, sugar and in some cases citric or other acids that cause bread goods to rise. There are exceptions to this rule as we can expect. And in fact, salt does help with leavening when it's used, but other ingredients can do the same for bread. Salt's primary purpose in bread was and remains: lasting freshness, otherwise known as "longer shelf-life."

Some refer to other chemically produced products as salt, such as Potassium Chloride and Potassium Bicarbonate products. The reference to this ingredient as "potassium salt" is misleading. Potassium added to products such as Featherweight Baking Powder and Herb-Ox broth, does not raise the level of sodium, but instead the levels of potassium.

Sea Salt
Same sodium as table salt. 2,350 mg of sodium per teaspoon. Salt, is salt, is salt. It's the sodium in the salt that's dangerous for us. Some sea salt is artificially flavored. Claims that, "It's better for you," have not been scientifically proved. There are various brands on the market. Some have additives in order to dilute the sodium levels, but that doesn't do much other than require more of their product when used for flavoring or cooking. Some claim a difference in flavor. No matter flavor or no flavor, it's as dangerous to us as tables salt.

Sodium Alginate
Used in many chocolate milks and ice creams to attain a smooth mixture.

Sodium Benzoate
Essentially a preservative for condiments such as sauces, salad dressings and relishes.

Sodium Citrate
Antioxidant in baking soda.

Sodium Hydroxide
A food processor that softens and loosens skins of certain fruits, vegetables and ripe olives.

Sodium Nitrate/Nitrite
Use of this has been linked to some forms of cancer, this chemical is used to cure meats including sausages, used in luncheon meats, hot dogs and other deli items.

Sodium Propionate
Used in breads, cakes and pasteurized cheese to inhibit mold growth.

Sodium Sulfite (sometimes spelled "sulphite.")
Used to bleach maraschino cherries and to glaze or crystallize fruits. Used as a preservative in some dried fruits such as apricots, prunes and pears.