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Could Soy Sauce Reduce Salt in Food?

By Gerry Pugliese

Despite soy's salty reputation, food scientists believe adding soy sauce to food could cut salt content without sacrificing flavor.

Swapping in soy sauce into salad dressings and soup could drop salt content by 17% to 50%. Arguably - it is better to add soy sauce to a meal than adding salt.

The spread of the Western diet means more and more people are eating too much salt, and some governments are putting pressure on food manufactures to reduce salt content. Soy sauce might be the answer.

So, a new study in Journal of Food Science put the idea to the test. Consumers were asked to test five samples of food, and rate each one's taste. Results showed it's possible to use soy sauce and not lose overall taste flavor.

"That it is possible to replace NaCl [salt] in foods with naturally brewed soy sauce without lowering the overall taste intensity and to reduce the total NaCl content in these foods without decreasing their consumer acceptance," the researchers explain.

However, food experts say it could take people a while to associate soy sauce's smell with saltiness. But then again, it didn't take long for people to associate diarrhea with olestra fat-free potato chips.

What exactly is soy sauce?

Soy sauce, like ketchup and mustard, is a condiment and a key ingredient in Chinese, Japanese, and Southeast Asian cuisine; originating in China some 2,800 years ago.

Fermenting soybeans with water and salt creates a substance called moromi, which when pressed yields a liquid (soy sauce) and a left over soy cake. The soy cake is typically used as livestock feed.

Today, many varieties of soy sauce, including low sodium brands, can be found in every supermarket. And soy sauce has grown in Western cooking.

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8 Comments

E.L.

Sure, you might be able to reduce the amount of salt you use when you're cooking, but is it really a good thing? Check out the Junkfood Science blog for a good article on the fallacy that salt is bad for you. If you don't feel like reading the whole thing, here's a pertinent snippet: The lowest sodium intakes — the 1500 mg/day that the New York health department says everyone should be eating — were associated with an 80% higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those consuming the highest salt diets. The lowest salt intakes were also associated with a 24% higher risk of all-cause mortality.

Is there a certain subset of people who would benefit from a low salt diet? Yes, but odds are, you're not one of them.

Face facts, folks. Not all recommendations and guidelines set out by the "experts" makes sense.

Spectra

Hold on one second...you can reduce the amount of salt you use, but would you necessarily use less sodium? Soy salt is high in MSG, which is just another form of sodium. I find soy sauce to taste saltier than salt though...I think it has to do with the fact that the monosodium glutamate stimulates the taste buds better than ordinary salt does.

julie

I like soy sauce better too. I think because it's "saltier", you need less of it, then if you were using salt. MSG = umami.

Jody - Fit at 52

Jeez, I don't know here.... another study! I will keep doing what I am already doing. I use a lot of salt free seasonings so I don't worry too much about the few foods I eat that have more sodium. Plus, since I exercise a lot, I do have a balancing act to not get too low on sodium since I tend to eat pretty healthy. Spectra has an interesting point!

FitJerk - Flawless Fitness Blog

Instead of replacing how about just eating salt in MODERATION? Train your lazy a$$es to be accustomed to eating less salt and you won't have to run around looking for substitutions. This is a general concept but one that's worked for me quite well.

As for soy sauce... meh.. not bad. I don't mind it's flavor but it can't go on everything.

Loot

Was this study funded by the soy/soy sauce industry?

And, instead of replacing salt.. how about less processing of foods (to retain flavour) and weening yourself off high salt.

Dave

The argument above isn't completely sound. People with the super-low sodium diets are on them due to a pre-existing condition that puts them into the category of needing such a diet. Most people eating like that have already been to the hospital for heart conditions, hypertension, etc. and thus are already at risk. The diet is correlated, but not causal.

charlie shavargo

fitjerk, that sounds like an awesome idea but I think it's a lot easier said than done. If you look at any type of food in the super market you'll find some amount of sodium, even if it's minuscule. almost any food that has to be packaged and transported has salt in it, which is why being able to carry out a real study with ppl on a "low salt diet" is near impossible. Although the medical field will prob never find conclusive evidence because of this, I think eliminating too much salt from your diet has been recognized by the people working in the fitness industry for years now. Even sites like http://www.stomachfat.com post disclaimers that say that too little salt can be dangerous.