Salt (diet)

Salt (diet) chemical compound, sodium chloride (NaCl), a vital constituent of the human body. Salt is used to enhance the flavor of foods and to preserve foods. It typically enters the diet from processed foods, or from adding salt to food during preparation, cooking, and at the table. Salt contains no calories, proteins, or carbohydrates, although unrefined salt does contain traces of other minerals. See Salt (compound).

Salt is necessary to human life. The sodium and chloride of salt, along with potassium, are electrolytes, which help the kidneys regulate the body's fluid levels and the balance of acids and bases.

Nutritionists recommend about 3 to 8 grams of salt a day in an adult diet. The typical American, however, consumes 10 to 20 grams of salt a day. In recent years, medical researchers have linked the excessive consumption of sodium (which makes up approximately 40 percent of salt) to hypertension (high blood pressure) in humans. Hypertension can lead to death through heart and kidney diseases and stroke.