Difference between Sodium and Salt

In chemistry, salt is something associated with life and something that is termed as a Saltish taste. When we say salt, this refers to the table salt which contains Sodium Chloride (NaCl). Salt forms when acid and base get combined and in that reaction salt is produced. But, no one knows, there is a huge difference between Sodium and Salt, what is that. Let’s define them first.

What is Salt

Salt is the ionic compound, which is formed with the emergence of sodium and chloride. It is translucent, colorless, and odorless in nature.

What is Sodium

Sodium is a metallic element occurring in nature in a combined state. Salt is the major source from which it occurs in huge quantities.

Salt vs Sodium

Is Salt Sodium

A controversy! Salt is considered as a taste of Saltish grains. Many people call salt sodium. Why is it so? It may be because of the existence of sodium in salt. In markets, different kinds of salts are available. For example, sea salt, iodized salt, mineral salt, etc. Its taste is sweet and sometimes sour.

Now, the term salt has been replaced by sodium because of the chemical development of salt. According to chemists, there is an amount of 40% sodium present in salt, and the remaining 60% is chloride. For beings, it is a belief that salt is the only source from which sodium comes out. But this is not the fact.

Sodium:

Sodium (Na) is a chemical and is highly essential for health. It’s a chemical compound which is found in almost every food we take in our daily routine. The existence of sodium is prevailing everywhere, either canned foods or frozen foods, they contain sodium in them. So, salt is not the only source from which sodium extracts.

How much Sodium, a Body Needs

Well! 2,400 mg sodium is recommended to be taken per day, which is more suitable for adults. This quantity is recommended on the basis of one teaspoon and this one teaspoon is enough to be taken. The patients who are suffering in diseases generally consume less.

Too Much Sodium, A killer of Human soul

Salt is being avoided by many people today. The patients of high blood pressure and those suffering from other diseases avoid salt, as it holds sodium. To eradicate salt is the not solution but to eradicate sodium is important. As the human body already contains sodium, so sodium intake should be less in quantity. There are still some types of food items that contain sodium, which can kill you, leaving you in diseases. Generally processed meats, canned items outside junk food like pizza, ketchup, pickles, and sausages, etc. usually contain a high quantity of sodium.

How can I reduce the Sodium I Consume

There are many ways to reduce it, as follows

Always go for fresh fruits and vegetables.

If you are going to eat canned items, first wash them two or three times from which quarter of salt will be removed.

Always go for fresh meats.

A food which contains 50 grams in serving usually contains low sodium.

Are Salt and Sodium same

There’s a misconception about salt and sodium being the same but in reality, they are not exactly the same thing! Sodium is a mineral that is already present in your food (especially in processed food) while salt (NaCl) is added to your food. Sodium is present in celery, canned meat, frozen food, beets, milk, spinach, carrot, salted nuts, cheese, packaged food, prepared food, processed food, soy sauce, etc. Sodium gives us health benefits such as it maintains your blood pressure and helps in the regulation of fluid balance. But too much sodium is harmful to our health as it leads to hypertension (high blood pressure).

On the other hand, salt which is added to food is a combination of two minerals such as sodium (40 percent) and chloride (60 percent). Chloride is also important for our body to provide health benefits such as it regulates fluid balance, maintains blood pressure, blood volume, and pH of body fluids.

Sodium and chloride naturally occur in food so if you are patient of hypertension (high blood pressure) or are at risk of hypertension (family history) then avoid adding salt to your food because your food already has sodium in it adding salt will make it high in sodium content leading to hypertension.

Conclusion

Concluding the whole now you can tell the difference between salt and sodium and the food already containing sodium. Make sure neither have high amounts of salt and sodium nor low amounts. Always have adequate amounts of salt and sodium because your body needs both sodium and chloride .What is your opinion?

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