Foods rich in Sodium
Distinguishing sodium-poor foods from those that contain good amounts of them is not a complicated undertaking; sodium is an almost ubiquitous trace element, therefore its dietary intake with food is sufficient to cover the recommended requirement for human beings.
To distinguish foods based on the quantity of sodium they contain, it is sufficient to group them into two categories:
- Fresh foods: foods low in sodium
- Food stored, processed or otherwise added: foods rich in sodium
Chemically, table salt is the result of the crystallization of sodium (Na +) associated with chlorine (Cl-).
Sodium represents 40% by weight of sodium chloride and its food sources are divided into:
- Food sodium (fresh food sodium + possible preservative sodium chloride)
- Discretionary sodium, or kitchen salt added as a condiment
Salt as a preservative
The main characteristic of sodium chloride is the potential for preservation, therefore its addition in food increases the hygienic wholesomeness of food on two fronts:
- It inhibits the proliferation of contaminating organisms (even if not all and not with the same effectiveness)
- It drastically reduces the percentage of free water (Activity Water - AW) responsible for the pathogenic proliferation and the spontaneous enzymatic degradation of the food
In ancient times, the discovery of salting for food preservation has encouraged population growth thanks to the temporal distribution of meat and fish consumption, and the reduction of food poisoning. However, these behaviors have also influenced the collective habit of salty taste, limiting the natural perception of food and promoting the consumption of preserved products; today, foods naturally low in sodium are commonly added with cooking salt to enhance their flavor.
Sodium requirement
Adult subjects maintain their metabolic functions active through the intake of 69-460 mg / day of sodium, but taking into account the individual variability (loss with sweating, fecal excretion and urinary excretion) it is recommended to introduce about 575 mg / day . The natural food content of sodium in fresh foods would on average be sufficient to meet the individual needs of this trace element.
Sodium deficiency is very rare, as well as exclusive pathological conditions such as kidney failure, chronic diarrhea and trauma; on the contrary, excessive sodium intake leads to an increase in extracellular fluids resulting in:
- The appearance of tissue edema
- The appearance of arterial hypertension
- Aggravation of panniculopathy (commonly called cellulite)
Excess kitchen salt also has a negative effect on gastric acid secretion and can favor mucosal complications. However, acute sodium toxicity of food origin is at least unlikely.
Rich and low-sodium foods
Sodium-poor foods, as anticipated, are all fresh, not added; on the other hand, the foods that are rich in them constitute:
- The entire category of dehydrated foods with salt (cod, anchovies, sardines and herring in salt; prosciutto, speck, lonzino, capocollo, etc.)
- The whole category of ground foods, kneaded or mixed with salt (all sausages: salami, mortadella, cracklings, soppressa, finocchiona, sausages, cotechino, etc .; cheeses)
- The whole category of foods in brine or cooked in salted water and then canned (canned beans, natural tuna, tuna in oil, vegetables in a jar, etc.)
- All foods added with sodium glutamate (stock cube and ready meals) and sodium bicarbonate.
NB. PESCATI (non-bred) fishery products, especially bivalve molluscs (mussels, clams, etc.), contain discrete quantities of sea water; in a general context of moderate sodium intake and in the absence of pathologies, they do not constitute a problem, on the contrary it is advisable to cook them and serve them excluding the cooking fluid.
