Sodium and MSG in Foods

Objectives

Where does the sodium and MSG in your food come from?
Are these food additives harmful?
What is the food industry doing to reduce the sodium levels in processed foods?
What can a consumer do to reduce the sodium in their meals?

Dietary Sodium

The relative amounts of dietary sodium in the American diet:

77% Food Processing
12% Naturally Occurring
6% At the Table
5% During Cooking

Processed Foods

FDA definition:

Any food other than a raw agricultural commodity.
Includes any raw agricultural commodity that has been subject to processing, such as canning, cooking, freezing, dehydration, or milling.

Used even when cooking from “scratch.”

Functional Reasons for Adding Salt

Review the four functions of food additives.
Which one(s) does salt perform?
Examples of foods where the salt serves this function.

Benefits of Salt

Enhance attractiveness:
- “Salt has a greater impact on flavor than any other ingredient” - Samin Nosrat (Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat)
- Minimizes bitterness.
- Balances sweetness.
- Enhances aromas.
- A smaller amount added during cooking does more than a larger amount added at the table.

Salt Forms - Iodized

Salt was iodized (i.e., iodine fortified) in the 1920s to supply an essential micronutrient.
Retail salt must be labeled as “this salt does not supply iodide, a necessary nutrient” if it is not iodized.
Office of Dietary Supplements (NIH) - iodine sufficiency in US diet.
Most processed foods do not contain the iodized form of salt; it will be labeled if they do.

Plain Salt

Example of a salt container with the label: “This Salt Does Not Supply Iodide, a Necessary Nutrient.”

Salt Mined

Example: Cargill's Salt Mine in Cleveland (near Lake Erie).

Cargill Salt Ponds

San Francisco.

Sources of Sodium on a Food Label

Ingredients list example:
- Potato Flakes, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Dextrose, Nonfat Milk Solids, Onion Powder, Whey, Monosodium Glutamate, Corn Starch, Sour Cream, Lactose, etc.
- Multiple ingredients contribute to sodium content.

Sodium Sources (Ingredient List)

Ingredients list example:
- Potato Flakes, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Dextrose, Nonfat Milk Solids, Onion Powder, Whey, Monosodium Glutamate, Corn Starch, Sour Cream, Lactose, etc.

Foods That Contribute Sodium

Categories and their contribution to sodium intake:
- All other food categories: 31.9%
- Eggs and egg mixed dishes: 3.3%
- Yeast breads: 7.3%
- Chicken and chicken mixed dishes: 6.8%
- Pizza: 6.3%
- Pasta and pasta dishes: 5.1%
- Cold cuts: 4.5%
- Condiments: 4.4%
- Tortillas, burritos, tacos: 4.1%
- Sausage, franks, bacon, ribs: 4.1%
- Soups: 3.5%
- Beef and beef mixed dishes: 3.3%
- Rice and rice mixed dishes: 2.6%
- Regular cheese: 3.1%
- Grain-based desserts: 2.6%
- Salad dressing: 2.4%
- Burgers: 2.4%
- Ready-to-eat cereals: 2.0%

Usual Consumption

Average consumption in US: $3,400$ mg/day.
If one consumes a diet of primarily processed foods, this amount can easily climb to $5,000$ mg daily.

Sodium Consumption by Age and Gender

Graph showing sodium consumption in milligrams per day by age group and gender.
Recommended:
- $2,300$ mg
- $1,500$ mg

Foods Traditionally High in Sodium

Soup: Can range from 750 to 1,100 mg/serving.
Cured meats: Includes all deli-style meat products; most are > $300$ mg/ounce.
Tomato or vegetable juice (V8): $490$ mg/ 6 fl oz.
Cheese: Processed versus natural (>2X); Hard versus other consistencies (between $200$ mg/oz and $400$ mg/oz).

Key Recommendations

Consume less than $2,300$ mg (approximately 1 tsp of salt) of sodium per day.
Choose and prepare foods with little salt. At the same time, consume potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
Hypertensive consumers: Aim to consume no more than $1,500$ mg.

Health Fact

High blood pressure affects 1 in 3 U.S. Adults – 75 million.
1 in 2 for African American adults.
1 in 10 children has high blood pressure.
An additional 78 million adults suffer from slightly elevated blood pressure.
There is some argument, but the majority of science recommends lowering sodium.

FDA Approach to the Problem

Published a Draft Guidance for Industry 2016
- 2-year and 10-year goals for sodium reduction
- Gradual reduction so that ‘consumer preferences for saltiness can adjust over time’
- Voluntary efforts from the food industry
Food manufacturers leaders in high sodium products
Restaurants national leaders

FDA Guidance (Table 1)

Table 1.05: Soups - Categories and Targets
- Lists food category, description, 2010 baselines, short-term goals (2 years), and long-term goals (10 years) for sodium reduction in various types of soups.

The National Salt and Sugar Reduction Initiative

A public-private partnership to help prevent heart disease and stroke by reducing the amount of sodium in packaged and restaurant foods.
Coordinated by the NYC health department.
Sets voluntary reduction targets for sugar and salt and asks food and beverage companies to commit to meeting them.
Are they succeeding? 6.8% reduction in sodium levels in US food supply from 2009-2014.
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/cardio/nsri-corporate-commitments.pdf

NYC Requirement

NYC requires chain restaurants in their city to: Post a warning icon next to menu items that contain $2300$ mg of sodium.

Percent Daily Value (%DV)

Use the Percent Daily Value (%DV) to Compare Products
Labels list sodium, not salt ( $NaCl$ is 40% sodium)
The %DV tells you whether a food contributes a little or a lot to your total daily diet.
5%DV or less of sodium per serving is low
20%DV or more of sodium per serving is high

Counseling Patients to Decrease Sodium

Questions to consider when advising patients on reducing sodium intake.

To Reduce Salt Intake

Do not use salt at the table.
Reduce the salt used in food preparation. Try 1/2 teaspoon when recipes call for 1 teaspoon. Many cakes and desserts can be prepared without adding salt.
Use herbs and spices for flavoring meats and vegetables instead of salt.
Avoid salty foods such as processed meat and fish, pickles, soy sauce, salted nuts, and other snack foods.
Check every