Salt in MFP Database

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saltorian
saltorian Posts: 192 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm a little confused. A "dash" of salt is about 1/8 tsp, right?

But when I use the MFP's standard "Spices, salt, table" entry to add "1 dash" it adds 155 mg of sodium.

If instead I enter a quantity of 0.13 in "1 teaspoon" it adds 302 mg sodium. WTH?

Am I doing something wrong, here?

(EDIT: Other websites say that a scant 1/8 tsp of table salt contains about 250mg - What's right?)

Replies

  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    According to the USDA - .13 tsp has 302 mg of Sodium
  • KeyMasterOfGozer
    KeyMasterOfGozer Posts: 229 Member
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    a teaspoon is a unit of volume, so depending on the grind or grain size/shape, a teaspoon could be different weights, which is what milligrams is. A dash is imprecise, so it's possible someone made what they called a dash and weighed it.

    BTW, this is why you cannot substitute kosher salt for regular salt in a recipe, or at least they require different volumes, because even though they are chemically the same, there is more air space between grains in some shapes/sizes of the salt.
  • ftoddw
    ftoddw Posts: 37 Member
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    Obviously the MFP database has a different measurement for a dash, than 1/8 teaspoon - about 1/16th. One way around the sodium is to use NoSalt, salt substitute. That's all I ever use and its potassium which is good for the heart and blood pressure.
  • jb_2011
    jb_2011 Posts: 1,029 Member
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    A dash is less than 1/8 tsp. If you take your salt shaker and shake it once, that's a dash. 1/8 tsp is more like a pinch. 302 is correct for .13 tsp.
  • rcgrissom
    rcgrissom Posts: 17
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    I have found the same issue with rounding on MFP. I enter to the the thousandths, in your case an 1/8 is correctly .125 but I would enter .1245 then it should round correctly.

    I guess is depends on where you're looking. According to the University of Colorado http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09354.html,
    * 1/4 tsp. salt = 500 mg sodium
    * 1/2 tsp. salt = 1,000 mg sodium
    * 3/4 tsp. salt = 1,500 mg sodium
    * 1 tsp. salt = 2,000 mg sodium

    So, 1/8 tsp, not .13 of a teaspoon would be 250 mg. However, it looks like the USDA rounds their numbers in the same manner. Over time these numbers change as their science changes and they are measuring the sodium content in the salt, most people interchange the two as equals and they aren't.

    <b>The American Heart Association states:</b>
    1/4 teaspoon salt = 600 mg sodium
    1/2 teaspoon salt = 1,200 mg sodium
    3/4 teaspoon salt = 1,800 mg sodium
    1 teaspoon salt = 2,300 mg sodium

    Use MFP as a guideline, what you are comfortable with and the goals that make sense to you so you can be successful at a healthy lifestyle.

    Cheers!
    :flowerforyou:

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