Reading Labels | Sodium = Salt
Just a quick glance at some of the labeling issues facing us today. At first glance this can of soup is a no brainer. It’s organic, and made with free range chickens, both are great for you and the environment. You toss it in your cart, and head for home to enjoy a nice warm cup of soup on a cool day.
So you’re home now…soup’s heating up, and just as you go to toss the can in the trash you glance at the label…what, what, what? 28% of the daily recommended allowance of sodium? Holy salty dog Batman! That’s a lot of salt! Okay not the end of the world I still have 72% left…phew! But wait! There are about 2 servings in that little can! Ahhhhhh! Over 50% of the daily recommended allowance of salt in one can of organic Health Valley soup!
We get salt from a lot of different places in our diet. Some of it in the oddest places. Go scour your fridge and pantry and tell me the oddest place you found salt in your home. P.S. It has to be in food…telling me you found salt in the bathroom doesn’t count. As always, to get a closer look at the photos you can click on them. Also feel free to email me or comment with any questions or thoughts you may have. I’m always available on twitter or you can email me at zakschwank [at] gmail dot com.
Have a great day!
Zak
Adobo is a common Latin seasoning. I love to use it when I cook hamburgers. Looked at the label and there is 15% of your daily sodium intake in 1/4 of a TEASPOON. I usually dump 1/2 a cup of the stuff into ground beef. :-O
Wow! Making me do some math on a Sunday isn’t nice.
That’s a ton of salt Chelo!
I have a limited kitchen right now, but I checked the soup I was eating for lunch. It was 37% daily value…but then it was also 2 servings in one can..so 74%! Ca-razy
man, we’re cutting out salt too. anything in cans or boxes is crazy salt. we’re tryin tho
How much is the recommended daily allowance of sodium? I had a 6″ oven roasted chicken sandwich on whole wheat from Subway for dinner (with nothing else on it). The web site says that has 750 mg of sodium, but it doesn’t say what percentage that is.
Jules- The USDA guidelines are based on a 2500 mg per day limit. That also is based on a 2000 calorie diet. Personally I feel that 2500 mg of sodium is too much. Sodium is everywhere especially can veggies/soups and processed meats. I saw a veggie patty, that would be a substitute for a burger, the other day that had 25% of the RDA. Insanity! That 6″ chicken sub is pretty high too. I really like this article from Mayoclinic.com about sodium. Give it a look. I think the strangest place I have found sodium is in milk. 11% RDA in 1 cup of organic milk. Never thought salt was in milk.
Aha. Thanks, Zak.
Definitely soup here. It was so disturbing to recently see how much salt was in a can of ‘Reduced salt’ Campbells chicken noodle. Yikes!