Salt and sodium: am I consuming too much without knowing it?

I have a reasonable amount of salt on my plate... but is that really the problem?

In France, average salt consumption is estimated at between 8 and 10 g per day according to Public Health France, almost double the 5 g recommended by the WHO. However, the vast majority of this salt is not the one I add to my plate myself: 75 to 80% of the salt consumed comes from processed foods and industrial products, often without the dirty taste being perceptible. This characteristic makes it a major health prevention issue: silent arterial hypertension develops gradually, without symptoms, until it causes a cardiovascular or renal complication. Understanding where the salt in my diet comes from is one of the most effective actions I can take to protect my heart and arteries.

1. Salt, sodium, sodium chloride: clarifying the terms

Confusion between salt and sodium is common and can lead to errors in reading labels:

• ●Cooking salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) is composed of 40% sodium and 60% chloride. 1 g of salt = 0.4 g of sodium.

• ●WHO recommendations set the limit at 5 g of salt per day (or 2 g of sodium). Anses recommends not exceeding 8 g of salt per day for the French population.

• ●On European food labels, the content is often expressed as salt (NaCl) since 2016. Previously, it was expressed as sodium, which could lead to underestimated intake. To convert sodium to salt: salt = sodium x 2.5.

Reference thresholds on labels (for 100 g of product):

• ●High salt content: more than 1.5 g of salt (or 0.6 g of sodium) per 100 g

• ●Low salt content: less than 0.3 g of salt (or 0.1 g of sodium) per 100 g

  Product	Salt content	Why it's surprising
  Bread and rusks	1.2 to 1.8 g/100g	1st contributor of salt in France: we eat a lot of it without thinking about it
  Charcuterie (ham, sausage)	2 to 4 g/100g	A slice of ham = approximately 0.5 to 0.8 g of salt
  Cheese (roquefort, parmesan)	2 to 4 g/100g	Cheese contributes significantly if consumed daily
  Cooking dishes industrial	1 to 3 g/100g	A frozen meal alone can cover 50 to 80% of the daily limit
  Soups in sachet or brick	0.5 to 1.5 g/100ml	An industrial soup can contain 2 to 3 g of salt per serving
  Canned (tuna, vegetables)	0.5 to 1.5 g/100g	Rinsing cans reduces their salt content by 40%
  Industrial sauces (ketchup, soya)	2 to 5 g/100g	Soy sauce can contain up to 15 g of salt per 100 ml
  Cereals breakfast #B2DFDB;color:#374151;vertical-align:top;background:#F4FBFA">The sugar taste masks the salt content, which is often ignored

2. The effects of excessive salt consumption on health

The relationship between salt and health is one of the most firmly established in preventive nutrition. The effects of a chronic excess of salt are multiple and systemic:- Arterial hypertension: this is the best documented effect. High sodium intake increases plasma osmotic pressure, leading to water retention and increased blood volume, which elevates blood pressure. High blood pressure is the leading global risk factor for cardiovascular disease and premature mortality according to the WHO.

• ●Cardiovascular diseases: a meta-analysis published in the BMJ (2013) covering 56 studies confirmed that a reduction in salt intake of 4.4 g per day was associated with a 20% reduction in the risk of stroke and a 17% reduction in the risk of major cardiovascular events.

• ●Kidney diseases: excess sodium increases the workload of the kidneys for excretion and promotes the progression of chronic kidney diseases. Sodium restriction is one of the first recommendations in cases of renal failure.

• ●Gastric cancer: epidemiological studies show an association between high salt consumption and increased risk of stomach cancer, probably via direct effects on the gastric mucosa and the proliferation of Helicobacter pylori.

• ●Osteoporosis: high salt consumption increases urinary calcium excretion, contributing in the long term to bone demineralization and an increased risk of osteoporosis.

3. Hidden salt: the products that contain it the most

Salt is not where we think it is. Here is the list of foods that contribute the most to salt consumption in France according to data from Public Health France:

4. Read labels to identify hidden salt

The ability to identify salt on labels is a directly actionable health prevention skill. Here are my practical guidelines:

• ●I look for the salt line in the nutritional value table and compare for 100 g. Above 1.5 g/100 g = high content.

• ●I look at the list of ingredients: salt can appear in many forms: sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, monosodium glutamate (E621), disodium phosphate, sodium nitrite, sodium benzoate. All of these compounds contribute to total sodium intake.

• ●I compare two similar products to each other: often, significant differences exist within the same category. Some sandwich breads may contain half as much salt as others.

• ●I am wary of products labeled light or low fat: often, the reduction in fat is accompanied by an increase in salt to compensate for the loss of taste.

5. Concrete strategies to reduce my salt intake

Reducing salt doesn't mean eating bland. This means moving the taste pleasure to other sources of flavor:

• ●I cook at home as much as possible: this is the most effective measure. When I prepare my own dishes, I have complete control over the amount of salt added. A homemade dish generally contains 2 to 3 times less salt than an equivalent industrial dish.

• ●I develop the art of herbs and spices: aromatic herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, coriander), spices (cumin, paprika, turmeric, ginger, pepper), citrus fruits (lemon, lime, zest), aromatic vinegars. These alternatives provide a complexity of taste that salt cannot match and which develops with practice.

• ●I rinse my canned goods and canned legumes: this simple action reduces the salt content by 30 to 40%. For canned tuna, I rinse it thoroughly before using it.

• ●I lick the labels of processed products: after having mastered reading the labels, I can make informed choices at the supermarket by selecting the least dirty products in a category.

• ●I gradually reduce: the palate adapts to the salt reduction in 4 to 8 weeks. If I reduce too suddenly, my dishes seem bland. A gradual reduction over 2 months is much better tolerated and lasting.

• ●I don't salt before tasting: the habit of automatically salting before tasting often adds salt unnecessarily. I taste first, then add salt if really necessary.

  💡 tips to remember

  1. 75 to 80% of the salt I consume comes from processed foods, not salt shakers. Bread, cold meats, cheeses and cooked dishes are the main contributors.
  2. On labels: more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g = high content. I always compare for 100 g, not per serving.
  3. Reducing salt by 4.4 g per day reduces the risk of stroke by 20% and the cardiovascular risk by 17%: it is one of the most effective prevention measures in relation to its cost zero.
  4. I cook at home as much as possible: it's the most powerful lever for controlling my salt intake. A homemade dish generally contains 2 to 3 times less salt than an industrial equivalent.
  5. I explore herbs, spices and citrus fruits as alternatives to salt: their aromatic complexity becomes addictive and the bland taste of lightly salted food disappears in 4 to 8 weeks.
  6. I systematically rinse my canned goods: this simple action reduces the salt content of legumes, tuna and canned vegetables by 30 to 40%.
  7. I don't salt before tasting: salting automatically is a habit, not a need. Taste first, you will find that you often add salt by reflex rather than by necessity.