Although many people are trying not to consume too much sodium, it can often be difficult to gauge just how much salt (aka sodium chloride) is in that restaurant entree or pre-packaged meal that you’re eating. There’s now a portable gadget that will tell you, though – it’s Thanko’s Handy Salt Meter.
Powered by four 1.5-volt LR44 batteries, the device has a copper sensor at one end that the user lowers into a hot, liquid item (such as soup, sauce or noodle broth) while depressing the power button. Almost instantly, an LED display will light up along the side, indicating the percentage of salt content within the food. Concentrations running from 0.3 to 2.0 percent can be displayed – any higher than 2 percent, and you presumably shouldn’t be eating it.
In order for the readout to really mean anything, however, the user will also have to know the weight of the food itself. As an example (as provided by Thanko), a 1 percent reading on a 100-gram bowl of broth means that if you eat the whole serving, you’ll ingest one gram of salt.
That food-weighing and math-doing might be more work than some dieters would wish to do. Additionally, the meter can’t be used on solid or cold foods – its operational range is 60 to 80ºC (140 to 176ºF). It is relatively inexpensive, though, at US$19.80 a unit. It can be purchased at Thanko’s online shop, via the link below.
Our human chemical machine runs on sugar and salt. It's only when something goes wonky like diabetes that it's important to very strictly control how much one ingests.
The "Salt is bad, m'kay?" business is based on a couple of very old studies that were far from adhering rigorously to the scientific method. They were much closer to the "Do whatever it takes to get the results we want." method.
How many people have heart damage because their doctors told them to cut out all salt from their diet?
So some of us out here really can't manage salt for whatever reason.
(still miss my Doritos, waah! Even with a diuretic I can only have a few at any one time, or pay the penalty).
Have fun with your blood pressure, salt fanatics!