Worse: Sugar or Salt?

[HFWR]

Table sugar, or sucrose, is half glucose, and half fructose, which is about the same ratio as HFCS...

 

[John Galt III]

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda contains 616 mg of sodium. Two tablespoons would be about 12 times that, or 7,392 mg of sodium!

I'd probably pull a Cronenberg and messily explode.

I know. I couldn't believe how much sodium I was ingesting daily, after reading the label on the baking soda container. Who knew? Plain old baking soda!

 

[Mulligan]

If either is a health issue, then it needs to be addressed or modified. I am in my 50s , have no health, BP, cholesterol issues, and not overweight. I eat a lot of both everyday, and do not monitor it all. My dad is almost 80 and has a bad sweet tooth. The only thing I presently do is brush my teeth often so the sweets don't stick to them as I have them all and plan on keeping them. And my preference is to continue eating stuff loaded with both though I would alter my habits if proven it was needed.


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[ziggy29]

Neither in moderation is terrible. Both to excess can cause big problems. Not to mention that genetics and other factors may make one less "toxic" than the other in large doses for any given person.

 

[Rustic23]

DW and I have had this discussion before. I find it amazing that humans have been roaming around for a couple of million years, we have been turning out nutritionist for at least fifty to a hundred years, and doctors still can't tell us what we should eat. High Carb? Low Carb? High Fat? Low Fat?, cut back salt? cut back sugar? Eat Beef, don't eat beef. Eat only veggies, no paleo diet is best, or the japanese or mediterranean, Russian, European diet is best. Or those long living folks on the mountain top in Tabet.

I do know, I like salt, and too ice cream makes me fat, even though I don't salt it.

 

[ziggy29]

DW and I have had this discussion before. I find it amazing that humans have been roaming around for a couple of million years, we have been turning out nutritionist for at least fifty to a hundred years, and doctors still can't tell us what we should eat. High Carb? Low Carb? High Fat? Low Fat?, cut back salt? cut back sugar? Eat Beef, don't eat beef. Eat only veggies, no paleo diet is best, or the japanese or mediterranean, Russian, European diet is best. Or those long living folks on the mountain top in Tabet.

Which is exactly why I embrace "all things in moderation" and tune out the rest of the noise.

 

[jimbee]

I know. I couldn't believe how much sodium I was ingesting daily, after reading the label on the baking soda container. Who knew? Plain old baking soda!

The word 'soda' in the name is a clue...

 

[HFWR]

Which is exactly why I embrace "all things in moderation" and tune out the rest of the noise.

Eat real food, not too much...

 

[Lsbcal]

I think that I'm able to tell when to stop with the sweets. Too much and I'm just not hungry anymore. If I'm eating a bit of chocolate, a few squares are enough for me. Any more and it feels like an overdose. I never want more then the "serving size".

Perhaps that is not so easy to do for others?

If you pass your blood tests and blood pressure is OK and weight is OK, I'd guess there is no issue with salt or sugar. Or is there?

 

[Amethyst]

Folks really do differ. I have an awful sweet tooth. I could never stop at the "serving size" until a couple of years ago, when for the sake of my teeth and gums, I just...finally...made myself stop. (And, unexpectedly, lost those pesky 5 extra pounds! )

Like an alcoholic (which, thankfully, I'm not), I would find it very easy to start overeating the sweets again. I guess I'm a recovering sweetaholic

A relative is Type 2 diabetic, takes 2 kinds of insulin, and cannot resist sweets. She will eat a small piece of pie, appear satisfied, then go back later as if drawn by invisible forces and eat three more slices. It is not a matter of smarts (she's intelligent) or morality (she's financially responsible, a loving mom and faithful wife). She is just wired differently when it comes to sugar, as you and I are from each other.

Amethyst

I think that I'm able to tell when to stop with the sweets. Too much and I'm just not hungry anymore. If I'm eating a bit of chocolate, a few squares are enough for me. Any more and it feels like an overdose. I never want more then the "serving size".

Perhaps that is not so easy to do for others?

 

[nash031]

Eat real food, not too much...

Mostly plants...

"In Defense of Food" - Pollan.

Good read.

 

[Elbata]

I do know, I like salt, and too ice cream makes me fat, even though I don't salt it.

Ice cream does come with salt.

2 quotes that I find bothersome:

He must be salt sensitive. And. Everything in moderation.

It's a fact=90% in US will be diagnosed with HBP.

Moderation, does that mean just a little bit of plague in our coronary arteries?

 

[yakers]

My personal, nonscientific, take on salt is the amount did not matter much for me as long as I am 'really' active (basketball, Zumba, running each week) I just sweat the salt out. Many years ago, when working on road construction during college summers, we used to take salt pills to help us with heat/dehydration. Now when a very active person is injured or suddenly stops that level of activity then the salt needs to be cut back, and that may not be easy.
As to sugar, for me, it matters more whether the sugar is alone of pert of a meal. I can have a née desert and feel fine, but I can feel a sugar spike if I have chocolate/sugar by itself.

 

[Lsbcal]

My personal, nonscientific, take on salt is the amount did not matter much for me as long as I am 'really' active (basketball, Zumba, running each week) I just sweat the salt out. Many years ago, when working on road construction during college summers, we used to take salt pills to help us with heat/dehydration. Now when a very active person is injured or suddenly stops that level of activity then the salt needs to be cut back, and that may not be easy.
...

I used to wonder about getting enough salt when very active in hot weather. It's interesting because in college I was working on a road crew too and got sort of dizzy at times. Never took salt pills though I heard about them.

Nowadays I find for myself I just have to drink enough plain old water. It's critical for me to get that 2pm glass of water in addition to the ones I have at breakfast and just after a run.

 

[martyp]

Life is too short. All things in moderation, indulge yourself once in a while. No telling when an 18-wheeler will blow a red light and t-bone your car.

+1

About 80% of what I eat I cook myself from scratch. I know exactly how much salt and sugar is in my diet.

 

[martyp]

That's pretty scary. I'm glad that right now I don't have to pay too much attention to the labels because one of my favorite quick meals is canned soup (usually chicken noodle) with a lot of stir-fried vegetables thrown in.

Chicken soup of any kind is incredibly easy to make and you can make huge amounts and freeze it in single servings.

 

[Chuckanut]

There is a ton of bad science in the field of human nutrition.

 

[springnr]

The bottom line on food processed by corporations, they are interested in their bottom line, it is up to each of us to decide what to consume.

Salt, Sugar, Fat, etc. the dose makes the poison, too much water can kill you.

A cashew is real food, nom nom ah, oh wait cooked in man made cottonseed oil, AKA "vegetable" oil. Never mind the salt bath so you will desire their brand. How about that nice piece of "farm raised" Salmon that your favorite food corporation genetically modified. The farm is a pen in the ocean, just like Ebola they have it under control, no worries.

I try to choose well, not easy reading 0.5 font on labels , almost need a special pair of +20x reading glasses. The nutritional field is now starting to be practiced as a real science, processed food for profit could become the the new Tobacco. I have wondered how much processed foods impact our rising medical cost.

 

[SumDay]

I have a family history of low blood pressure, and I inherited this, so salt isn't an issue for me. At least I have one food item I don't have to worry about.

I was a sugar fiend, but gave it up in May. No more desserts (I was having 2 or 3 a day), and I'm eating a lot "cleaner". I've also noticed my complexion looks much, much better, which I've heard other people also state. I'm trying to give up processed, white flour items, and as a result of all these changes, I've lost 12 lbs., very slowly, with little pain. I still have an occasional splurge, like a piece of birthday cake, but I'm finding I don't miss it. Never, ever believed I'd make that statement.

I do agree, everything in moderation. When you deprive yourself of something, it becomes the forbidden fruit.

 

[Tailgate]

Short article that suggests that salt may not be as bad as sugar.
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What's next?

Just wait for the next study..

 

[Chuckanut]

I read an article today comparing Special K granola to Fruit Loops.

spoon for spoon Froot Loops contains 20% less sugar and roughly 1/3 the calories as Special K granola.

But the granola is low-fat and high fiber.

 

[Lsbcal]

I read an article today comparing Special K granola to Fruit Loops.

But the granola is low-fat and high fiber.

FWIW worth here is my current breakfast cereal favorite which has lots of fiber:

Raisin Bran cereal - the kind that does not have much or any sugar added
With toppings: seasonal fruit like raspberries or black berries, dried cranberries (Whole Foods purchase), mixed nuts.

I use nonfat milk on this stuff.

 

[ls99]

Dang it, I wish the media and others would learn to understand the difference between salt and sodium. Eating sodium will kill you in short order. Salt does contain some sodium, true.

My weakest subject ever is chemistry. Yet I do remember the difference between salt and sodium. Especially some vivid demostration by chemistry teachers arround seventh grade.

By the way, what do hospitals feed through the IV to severly dehydrated people? Salt solution!

"
In reality, you can eat just about as much salt as you can stand – without harm. (Unless you have damaged kidneys and/or very high blood pressure)
How can I possibly state this? Well, a very wise Swedish professor pointed something out to me a few years ago. If a patient is very ill in hospital and cannot eat, or drink, they will have a drip put up to replace fluids. This very often contains 0.9% NaCl. Or nine grams of salt per litre. Quite often the patient will have two litres of this replacement fluid a day – which is (as you may have figured) 18 grams of salt."

I found a fellow whou can explain it the difference in salt and sodium quiet well:

"
Consuming two grams sodium would likely cause you to explode, splattering sodium hydroxide over the walls. Along with various organs and other body parts.
So why do people talk about sodium consumption? I have never really worked this one out. But it does make things rather confusing. The latest guidelines suggest we should consume less than 2300mg of sodium a day, even as low as 1500mg. Go on, try it. Any idea how much salt (NaCl) that would be? Any idea how much salt you consume every day? No, thought not.
Yes, we have been given guidelines that are totally meaningless, and impossible to follow. In fact 2300mg of sodium is roughly 6000mg of salt (NaCl). So why are we not advise to eat six grams of salt a day? I have no idea. Perhaps someone can tell me. What is this sodium nonsense? [Not that anyone has any idea what six grams of salt even looks like poured out of a salt shaker – I know, I have tried this several times.].... "


Salt is good for you | Dr. Malcolm Kendrick

Food for thought.

 

[martyb]

This, from the Arizona Dept. of Health Services - Eat Less Salt - The Difference Between Salt and Sodium

It kind of contradicts the last post on salt vs. sodium. I'm definitely no chemist, so I may be mis-interpreting things. I always thought there was a very close relationship between salt & sodium.

 

[Amethyst]

Table salt is made of equal proportions of sodium and chlorine, both of which are very poisonous. I wish a chemist would explain why we are supposed to worry about the sodium, but not the chlorine.

Amethyst

This, from the Arizona Dept. of Health Services - Eat Less Salt - The Difference Between Salt and Sodium

It kind of contradicts the last post on salt vs. sodium. I'm definitely no chemist, so I may be mis-interpreting things. I always thought there was a very close relationship between salt & sodium.