Ask Our Dietician
August 2010
Cathy from Langhorne asks:
Is kosher salt lower in sodium than regular table salt?
Anyway you look at it, salt is salt. Kosher salt is sodium chloride, just like table salt. However, because of fine grain texture of table salt, a single teaspoon of does contains more sodium than a teaspoon of kosher salt with its larger crystal size.
1 teaspoon of table salt = 2325 milligrams of sodium
1 teaspoon of kosher salt = 1920 milligrams of sodium
For cooking purposes, the main difference between table salt and kosher salt is in their texture. Table salt’s fine granules dissolve quickly, making it the preferred salt of bakers. Kosher salt, and sea salt for that matter, possess larger, irregular grains. This adds a hint of briny flavor and a bit of a crunch when sprinkled on food at the last minute. When cooking with kosher salt, it is easy to “add a pinch” because of its coarse texture.
FYI: Kosher salt gets its name from its use in the koshering process. Kosher salt is free from any preservatives and comes from either underground salt deposits or from evaporated seawater. While kosher salt does not contain any iodine, this mineral is widely found in the American diet and iodine deficiency is rare in the United States.
Keep in mind that the current recommendation for sodium intake is 2300 milligrams a day!!! Yes, the equivalent of just one teaspoon of table salt! Scroll down for Salt Sense and find more information on sodium and how it related to our diet and health.
Barb from Yardley asks:
I try to keep my kids from drinking soda when we go out to eat. Am I making a mistake by letting them order lemonade?
Regular lemonade is not necessarily any lower in calories than an equal portion of a regular carbonated soft drink. In fact, in many cases it may have even more sugar than soda! Think how much sugar you need to sweeten up a lemon!! Lemonade from frozen concentrate and most powdered mixes contain about 100 calories in each eight-ounce portion, not surprising due to the six-and-a-half teaspoons of sugar typically found in the fruity beverage. Keep in mind that most restaurants serve double that portion size. And what about those restaurants that offer free refills??? Your best bet for beverages for your kids when dining out ….water or low fat milk. Unsweetened iced tea is ok too – at least you can control how much sugar is added!
Some powdered mixes may have less added sugar. If you kids love lemonade, check out the labels of the different brands the next time you shop at McCaffreys. The mixes and bottled lemonades sweetened with zero-calorie sweeteners contain ten or fewer calories which is comparable to diet soft drinks.
Watch the “lite” bottled lemonade-ice tea blends. While calorie content is reduced compared to regular soft drinks, some bottles are large and contain 2 or 3 servings in what looks like a single serving bottle. Finishing a large bottle or drinking glass after glass of even a “lite” beverage can impact greatly on daily calorie and sugar consumption.
Studies show that children who drank more than 12 ounces of sweetened drinks gained significantly more weight than children who drank less than six ounces a day. Children in general do not reduce how much food they eat at meals for the calories they consume in sweetened drinks.
Bottom Line: The more sweetened drinks they consumed, the greater their daily caloric intake and the greater the weight gain.
For healthy beverage ideas visit the parent’s link at www.kidshealth.org and search for healthy drinks for kids.
Or search kid’s drinks at www.healthcastle.com.