How many grams of s alt should be in an adult's diet? Should children limit their s alt intake? Find out what the recommended daily sodium intake is for age and gender.

What is the s alt requirement?

There is no need fors alt, , however, there is a need forsodiumas an ingredient necessary for the proper functioning of the human body - explains the expert of the Food Institute and Nutrition, Dr. Anna Wojtasik.

The natural sodium content of unprocessed plant and animal products is low, providing only about 10% of the total amount of sodium consumed in the diet. The remaining 90% comes from s alt added to food during its industrial processing and when preparing meals at home and adding s alt during eating.

Supplementary substances containing sodium (e.g. monosodium glutamate, sodium benzoate, etc.) used in food processing provide small amounts of this nutrient.

Given thats alt (sodium chloride)is the primary source of sodium in the diet, and because the term "s alt" is more understandable to consumers than "Sodium", we're talking about s alt.

Also for the purposes of food labeling, in accordance with the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) No. 1169/2011 of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, the term "s alt." This regulation also introduces the obligation to specify the s alt content in products.

S alt or sodium?

For the purposes of food labeling, the so-called s alt equivalent, assuming that 1 g of sodium corresponds to about 2.5 g of s alt. Hence, the s alt content of the product can be easily calculated by the formula:

s alt (g)=sodium (g) x 2.5

The thus calculated s alt content takes into account all the sodium present in the product, so:

  • sodium from added s alt,
  • sodium naturally contained in raw materials,
  • and also from other sources, such as additives containing sodium, used - according to the recipe - during the production of the product.

It sometimes happens that the s alt content is declared on the label, although it is not mentioned in the raw material composition of the product. The s alt content determined in this way results fromnatural sodium content in raw materials.

Daily s alt dose

According to WHO, the daily s alt intake should not exceed 5 grams, while for food labeling purposes the reference s alt intake value is 6 g / person / day. This is a fixed value for adults, so be aware that e.g. children need less sodium.

Consumption of sodium, potassium and chlorine varies by age

Table. Water and electrolyte standards set at sufficient intake (AI) level

Group

Age (years)Water (ml / d)Sodium (mg / d)Potassium (mg / d)Chlorine (mg / d)
Babies0-0.5100-190120400190
0.5-1800-1000370700570
Children1-3125075024001150
4-61600100031001550
7-91750120037001850
Boys10-122100130041002000
13-152350150047002300
16-182500150047002300
Girls10-121900130041002000
13-151950150047002300
16-182000150047002300
Men19-302500150047002300
31-502500150047002300
51-652500140047002150
66-752500130047002000
>75 2500120047001850
Women19-302000150047002300
31-502000150047002300
51-652000140047002150
66-752000130047002000
>75 2000120047001850
Pregnancy2300150047002300
Lactation2700150051002300

according to Nutrition standards for the Polish population - amendment. Ed. science. prof. dr hab. M. Jarosz. IŻŻ, Warsaw 2012

Text prepared on the basis of materials prepared by Dr. Anna Wojtasik, who belongs to the team of experts from the Institute of Jewish Economics who implement the "Keep the Balance" Project, which is part of the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Program.

Food and Nutrition Institute

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What do you eat