Wait – There is sugar in my table salt?

Table Salt –

Ingredients Salt, Calcium Silicate (an anticaking agent), dextrose, potassium iodide

Morton Table Salt

In 1924 Morton became the first company to produce iodized salt for the table in order to reduce the incidence of simple goiter. Dextrose is added to stabilize the iodide. Iodine is vital to the proper functioning of the thyroid gland and the prevention of goiter. Actually, the amount of dextrose in salt is so small that it is dietetically insignificant. Morton® Iodized Table Salt contains 0.04 percent dextrose or 40 milligrams per 100 grams of salt. Morton® Plain Table Salt contains neither iodine nor dextrose. All Morton Salt products containing potassium iodide are labeled as such.

Dextrose is the name of a simple sugar that is made from corn and is chemically identical to glucose, or blood sugar. Dextrose is often used in baking products as a sweetener, and can be commonly found in items such as processed foods and corn syrup.

So, it is up to the consumer, but I would prefer to not have trace amounts of corn sugar in my diet! Be sure to read your labels, and do your research!

Photo credit of featured image: Louis Mornaud on Unsplash

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Where does this fall on the glycemic index? or What sugar can I have on Keto?

What is the glycemic index, and why should I care?

The glycemic index (GI) is a a measure of how quickly a food causes our blood sugar levels to rise. The foods are ranked on a scale from 0 to 100. Foods with a high GI should be avoided, because they cause a rapid spike in insulin. For example, jelly beans trigger a lot of sugar response in your blood. However, a food like celery, which is a carbohydrate, does not have this same effect because it is low on the GI.

What does GI have to do with keto?

Glycemic index has a lot to do with keto! Insulin allows the cells in the muscles, fat and liver to absorb glucose that is in the blood. This glucose can serve as energy to these cells, or convert to fat. If you instead avoid high GI foods and sweeteners, there is less of an insulin spike, and therefore less sugar being converted to fat.

Sweetner	GI	Type	Recommendation
Stevia (pure liquid form)	0	Natural	Use
Allulose	0	Natural	Use
Monk Fruit	0	Natural	Use
Inulin	0	Natural	Use
Tagatos	3	Natural	Sparingly
Yacon Syrup	1	Natural	Sparingly
Agave	10-19	Natural	Avoid
Maple Syrup	54	Natural	Avoid
Honey	58	Natural	Avoid
Erythritol	0	Natural	Use
Xylitol	7	Sugar Alcohol / Natural	Sparingly
Maltitol	26	Sugar Alcohol / Natural	Avoid
Sorbitol	4	Sugar Alcohol / Natural	Avoid
Sucralose (Splenda)	0-80 (depending on bulking agent)	Synthetic (artificial)	Avoid / Limit
Aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet)	0	Synthetic (artificial)	Avoid / Limit
Saccharin (Sweet ‘N Low)	Variable	Synthetic (artificial)	Avoid / Limit
Acesulfame potassium (Sunnett, Sweet One)	0	Synthetic (artificial)	Avoid / Limit
Sucrose (table sugar)	65	Processed	Avoid
HFCS	varies	Processed	Avoid

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Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash