Wait – There is sugar in my table salt?

Table Salt

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

Morton Iodized Salt: What's In It? | Whole Life Eating
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.

SweetnerGITypeRecommendation
Stevia (pure liquid form)0NaturalUse
Allulose0NaturalUse
Monk Fruit0NaturalUse
Inulin0NaturalUse
Tagatos3NaturalSparingly
Yacon Syrup1NaturalSparingly
Agave10-19NaturalAvoid
Maple Syrup54NaturalAvoid
Honey58NaturalAvoid
Erythritol0NaturalUse
Xylitol7Sugar Alcohol / NaturalSparingly
Maltitol26Sugar Alcohol / NaturalAvoid
Sorbitol4Sugar Alcohol / NaturalAvoid
Sucralose (Splenda)0-80 (depending on bulking agent)Synthetic (artificial)Avoid / Limit
Aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet)0Synthetic (artificial)Avoid / Limit
Saccharin (Sweet ‘N Low)VariableSynthetic (artificial)Avoid / Limit
Acesulfame potassium (Sunnett, Sweet One)0Synthetic (artificial)Avoid / Limit
Sucrose (table sugar)65ProcessedAvoid
HFCSvariesProcessedAvoid


Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash