Abstract
Contents of sodium, potassium and calcium in vegetable foods (cereals, pulses, potatoes, fruits, vegetables and their preparations) were measured and compared with the values found in conventional food composition tables.
Except for some vegetables and seaweeds the sodium contents were found to be smaller than l0mg per 100g, excluding the preparations to which sodium chloride had been added. They were generally lower than those in animal foodstuffs.
The contents of potassium varied widely among the foods. Generally, they were more than 1000mg per 100g in seaweeds. They were the highest values in this experiment, followed by the values for potatoes, 400 to 500mg per 100g. They were relatively low in most of the cereals, fruits and vegetables, 100 to 200mg per 100g.
Generally, the calcium contents were higher than in animal foods, mostly over 30mg per 100g in most of the vegetable foods. Some pulses and seaweeds were found to contain over 100mg per 100g.
Compared with the values given in conventional food composition tables, sodium contents coincided fairly with those of Sherman but they were generally lower than those given in The Tables of Food Composition in Japan, edited by Kokumin Eiyo Shinkokai in he National Institute of Nutrition. Potassium and calcium contents coincided fairly well with those given in the conventional tables.
