salt - sodium intake - bread

Hold the Salt! Sodium and Bread in Your Diet

On days six and seven of Dr. Carson’s bread diet we were faced with a bread myth we had hoped to bust – the high salt content in bread. It is a known fact that processed foods contain hidden salt. While most of us will not be consuming a pound of bread a day, adding spreads, deli meats, cheese, or soup can push our sodium intake over the limit of what’s healthy.

The result could mimic the effects of gluten intolerance than have led many to eliminate bread from their diets.  So, let’s take a closer look at salt.

Why is there even salt in bread and how much is safe to consume on a daily basis?

Salt and Baking

  • Flavor enhancer – I think all of us are familiar with salt’s ability to bring out the flavors in baked goods. Sugar seems a little sweeter when salt is added to a recipe. The natural flavors developed during bread fermentation from the yeast and flour are enhanced by the addition of salt. Bread without salt tends to be a little bland.
  • Dough strengthener – Gluten, the protein in bread, becomes stronger when salt is part of the mix. A stronger gluten structure enables the dough to hold the carbon dioxide gas released during fermentation. This adds volume and texture to your loaves.
  • Slows fermentation – A slow, steady rise during proofing gives uniform crumb to bread. Faster fermentation can create large air pockets and cause blow outs in finished loaves.
  • Extends product shelf life – Salt is a known preservative. It increases shelf life of loaves by decreasing staling. Salt is hygroscopic and attracts water from the environment keeping bread softer longer than bread baked without salt.

Sodium Intake and Health

When we talk about salt, sodium chloride, and our health, it is the sodium that we need to be aware of. Food labels list sodium rather than salt.  2.5 grams of salt contain 1 gram of sodium. Sodium is a known part of salt, but did you know it is also in Monosodium glutamate and baking soda? If you are not looking at every food label you could easily consume more sodium than you need. The World Health Organization recommends under 2 g/day sodium (5 g/day salt) in adults.

Reducing sodium has shown the following health benefits:

  • Reduced blood pressure
  • Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
  • Reduced risk of stroke
  • Reduced risk of coronary heart disease

Too much sodium intake makes your body hold water. Holding water can make you feel bloated or cause swelling. This is known as edema. On the other end of the spectrum too much salt can lead to dehydration. Symptoms of dehydration are extreme thirst, nausea, dizziness, stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. In both cases consuming more water will help flush the excess sodium out of your system.

sodium intake bread salt diet

Back to the myth that bread contains high levels of salt.

The nutritional label on a bag of whole wheat bread by a national bakery lists the sodium at 240 mg per serving. A serving is 2 slices of bread. Not bad. That leaves 1.76 grams for your sandwich meat or marmite spread.

For the average consumer two slices of bread would make up 10% of your recommended sodium intake. Eating a pound of bread a day is another issue. The estimated sodium intake is 1.3 grams without any toppings or dipping into soup. I think it is safe to say that under a normal bread eating situation the salt level is well within the guidelines recommended by the WHO.

The Eat Bread 90 challenge is all about transparency. The pain that Dr. Carson experienced due to high sodium intake definitely caused a shift in her diet.

Do you think we busted the high salt myth or not?

To read more about the function of salt in baking, go here.

To learn more about salt and your health go to the WHO web site and this article by the Harvard Medical School.

toast-raisin-eat bread 90

Raisins and Water: Day 9

Klosterman Organic Raisin Bread.

Klosterman Organic Raisin Bread.

The pain in my finger seems like a distant memory, now that I drink at least 8 cups of water a day. Hydration is key.

While I continue to keep a close eye on my sodium intake by not consuming too much deli meats, I try to stay away from high sodium spreads like cream cheese and peanut butter as well. Over the last two days, I realized that if I stayed away from sodium, I replaced it with sugar instead.  This is not easy. Sugar-free jam, you’re my next best friend.

The fruit breads do not have as much sodium as their non-fruity counterparts. So I had no problem eating buttered raisin toast all day. Good raisin bread is best eaten this way, and the Klosterman’s brand had so much raisins in it, it tasted so good! I could have eaten the whole loaf itself, but I had to pace myself.

Buttered Raisin Toast from Klosterman's.

Buttered Raisin Toast from Klosterman’s.

I also had to watch my sugar, so I had to eat half a loaf of the Organic whole wheat. This paired well with the savory items I had on my menu today like the tri tip steak. Thanks to my friends at Klosterman’s, this day was very enjoyable! I love your raisin bread!

Caramelized onions and steak sandwich on whole wheat bread.

Caramelized onions and steak sandwich on Klosterman’s whole wheat bread.

Here’s what I ate on Day 9 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Klosterman’s Organic Raisin Bread 6 slices (40g) 660
Klosterman’a 100% Organic whole wheat 6 slices (40g) 600
Tillamook® Salted Butter 2 Tbsp 200
Almond Breeze® chocolate almond milk 1 C 40
Steak 3oz 158
Ham 1oz 30
Salami 1oz 50
Brussel sprouts 38
Squash soup 1 C 20
Flan 200
Papaya 1C 67
Total 2063

 

Salt- eat bread 90 - sodium

Could Sodium be the Culprit? Day 7

I woke up today telling myself that I need to drastically cut sodium and drink more water to flush out the excess sodium I consumed yesterday. So, I removed deli meats from my diet today, and went with just a fried egg sandwich. I got my sodium down to a reasonable level (about 2,600mg) and I drank a truck load of water. By the end of the day, the pain in my finger was gone.

I wonder if many people felt the same way I did, and self-diagnosed themselves with gluten inflammation.  Could eating products containing gluten (sandwiches, hamburgers and pasta), also mean that you are overloading yourself with sodium? Could this reaction to too much sodium in the body give the ‘bloated’ feeling that some people feel after consuming gluten containing products? I really think so. If a healthy person like me reacted this way to sodium, I can’t imagine how other people would react. Especially those on medication, and/or a higher stress life.

Analyzing my diet

I analyzed my diet again, and realized that the sodium source came from bread, deli meats and soup. I had overdosed on sodium and sugar every day. Therefore, I really need to keep an eye on these as I go along this diet, whether I reach my target weight or not.

Now, this is really challenging, as not only do I need to count the calories, I need to look at both sodium and sugar. I mean, I should be able to do this. It’s like raising three boys, you just can’t take care of one, and leave the other two alone. I’m good at juggling. I can do this.

Dave’s Killer Bread® 21 Whole Grains.

Dave’s Killer Bread® 21 Whole Grains.

Today, I chowed down on Dave’s Killer Bread® 21 Whole Grains: the loaf that made them famous. I had no problem eating the 21 Whole Grains bread by itself. It was so delicious, I ate all 6 slices without any spreads.

I also rewarded myself at the end of the day with my homemade strawberry cake. OK, I did bust my sugar intake with that cake, but that was worth it!

Here’s what I ate on Day 7 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Dave’s Killer Bread ® 21 whole grains 12 slices (45g) 1,440
Egg 1 78
Favorit Cherry Preserve 1Tbsp 50
Nature’s Hollow Sugar Free Strawberry Jam 4 Tbsp 80
Skippy ® Peanut Butter 1 Tbsp 95
Justin’s Almond Honey Nut Butter 1 Tbsp 190
Kale and mushroom Soup 1 C 48
Strawberry Cake 300
Run -100
Swim -200
Total 1,981