These two are close but still different nutrients. The standard units of measurement for the Salt nutrient are grams; the Sodium is tracked in milligrams.
"Salt" refers to the crystal-like chemical compound sodium chloride, while "sodium" refers to the dietary mineral sodium (which is a component of sodium chloride). The difference is: Sodium is found in food, either naturally or manufactured into processed foods.
Printing of Sodium or Salt values on Food Labels varies by country. For example, UK Food labels show Salt value in gram units, whereas USDA is more focused on Sodium; it concerns more about Sodium rather than Salt. So the US vendors publish information about Sodium in grams.
If your food label shows Sodium value and you want to get its salt value, convert the sodium mg into grams first. 1 gram = 1000 milligrams so 200g of sodium = 0.2g of sodium. Then, multiply the sodium value in grams by 2.5 conversion factor. you will get the salt value. For example, 1g of sodium x 2.5 = 2.5g of salt; 1.5g of sodium x 2.5 = 3.75g of salt, and 0.2g of sodium x 2.5 = 0.5g of salt. So, basically, Sodium x 2.5 = Salt.
You can substitute Salt for Sodium (or vice-versa) by turning the Show Salt OFF or ON. To adjust whether you are more focused on Sodium rather than on Salt tracking is possible via the Me - App Settings - Diet Logging - Macros & Nutrients section. Then, the app will switch either to Sodium (in mg) or Salt (in g.)
Please review the related blog posts written by our dietitians.