Table salt nutrition: calories, carbs, GI, protein, fiber, fats

by Victoria Mazmanyan | Last updated on September 11, 2023

Medically reviewed by Ani Harutyunyan

Carbohydrates in Table Salt

Does salt have carbs?

Table salt has a fascinating nutrient composition.

Unlike other seasonings, table salt contains no carbohydrates, as well as no fats and no protein.

It consists wholly of minerals, mainly sodium, but also calcium, manganese, copper, and others.

Calories in Table Salt

As table salt contains no macronutrients, it also provides no calories. Even a 100g serving of table salt contains 0 calories.

Regardless of the calorie content, increased salt intake has been associated with weight gain and obesity (1, 2). This correlation may be because people with higher salt intake often present with worse eating habits.

A sudden rise in sodium intake may also lead to temporary weight gain through water retention in the body (3).

However, in many countries, about 80% of salt in the diet comes not from table salt but instead from processed foods (4).

Comparison to Other Seasonings

The table below shows how different table salt’s calorie content is compared to the calories of popular seasonings and spices.

References

1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263515478
2. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/abs/E0EA07983B68910F0485160F08858C2E
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28414294/
4. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/salt-reduction

Author name: Victoria Mazmanyan

Education: General Medicine at YSMU

Last updated: September 11, 2023

Medically reviewed by Ani Harutyunyan