why does so much prepared food have so much sodium in it?

Question

okay....I know the simple answers are:
because it flavors it, and because it acts as a preservative

still, i just don't see why so MUCH salt is necessary.

in things like canned soup, TV dinners, sauces, and deli meats, the sodium content is through the roof!
is it really necessary for the taste? I think they would taste just as good with much lower sodium content.

i know they make some "reduced sodium" varieties, but not enough, and even they still have a lot of sodium

Answer 1

Salt helps carry the flavor, it enhances it, as you've pointed out. The facts though are two: processed food is usually made out of the cheapest ingredients possible, including lots of refined starches and other flavorless things, and, we've become used to those high levels of salt, so it seems normal.

If you make your own food for a while, you'll soon come to prefer it most of the time. You'll see what real food tastes like and what junk is.

One parting shot - if you were to go out today looking for someone to make all your food for you, would you really select the person or company that came up with the lowest bid?

Answer 2

well salt really doesn't preserve canned foods, the canning process preserves the food, no salt is needed for that. Its the fact that canned foods soups, meats, etc are usually made from lower quality product which needs a lot of salt to make it taste better than garbage. The other thing is that the FDA says that the salt intake of an averge adult should be around 1 teaspoon, which really isn't that much when you consider how big a teaspoon is. Make your own soup, it taste better anyway

Answer 3

The sodium is primarily to serve as a preservative or for color enhancement (in the case of sodium nitrates in meats).

Have you ever tasted low sodium soup or meat? I don't eat very much soup or deli meat, but they taste very bland. And I have an extremely low tolerance for salt.

Salt is also extremely important in cooking fresh foods. Salt causes a chemical reaction called "osmosis;" in essence, it causes the flavors from fresh fruits and vegetables to bleed out.

Answer 4

It takes alot of sodium when it is used as a preservative. If you are looking for low sodium or sodium free varieties, try health food section of your local supermarket. They usually have homestyle soups in the freezer section. They have little or no salt and are seasoned with herbs and spices instead. Some of them are amazing and most are also lower in fat too.

Answer 5

Hash Browns (Patties - Low Sodium) 4 servings 25 min 15 min prep 1 1/2 cups peeled and shredded potatoes 1/2 cup minced/shredded onions (optional) 1/2 cup egg substitute or 2 small eggs, lightly beaten 1 1/2 tablespoons water 2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash seasoning mix (or other seasoning to taste) Combine potatoes, egg substitute or eggs, water and All-Purpose Original Blend Mrs. Dash in medium bowl; mix well. In non-stick skillet or on griddle place approximately ¼ cup potato mixture; press with spatula to about 4 inches in diameter. Cook over medium or medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining potato mixture. Calories 63 Calories from Fat 7 (11%) Total Fat 0.8g 1% Saturated Fat 0.2g 0% Polyunsat. Fat 0.4g Monounsat. Fat 0.2g Trans Fat 0.0g Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 45mg 1% Potassium 315mg 9% Total Carbohydrate 10.0g 3%

Answer 6

Yes salt is a natural preservative and yes it improves the flavor of foods. But do you know how much sodium you need? Sodium is a very improtant mineral for mammals. The average human needs 500mg of soduim. But you need more or less depending on how active you are, how much water you drink, if you blood pressure and colestoral are high or low.

Answer 7

Salt makes the food last much much longer and not a little salt will do that it takes a lot of salt to preserve food.

Answer 8

Because it's easier and cheaper to add more salt and fat to pre processed foods to make them more satisfying than it is to actually use existing cooking techniques, herbs and spices to get better flavour without using so much salt and fat.

This is why the healther, better tasting pre processed foods cost so much more.

Answer 9

preservative qualities...and taste of course

Answer 10

it has nothing to do with taste and everything to do with keeping it safe and long lasting!!