No salt/low salt tips and tricks.

Cafe Society
1

I’m struggling to get a handle on my salt intake. It’s kind of very important, so I gotta do it. I confess I was a salt lover so it’s going to be a challenge.

I’m not going to lie, I find it somewhat confusing, just when I think I’m moving in the right direction, I stumble onto something that makes me question it.

So far I’m onto a couple of things that I think will work for me.

  1. When baking cut the salt the recipe calls for in half. Seems easy enough, I can do that!

  2. Put 1/4 tsp of salt into a tiny dish and that’s all I get for the day to dress my food with.

Since my husband has been on a low salt diet for a couple of years, we’ve already cut out junk/fast food entirely, cut processed food substantially, (he’s still eating Dad’s cookies- yuck!), so the base isn’t too bad.

I think, for me, it will be about changing how I spice our food and limiting the salt I actually put on my food. It’s not easy but I’m getting there.

So how about it, got any tips or tricks that will help me make this transition? Because I’d love to hear them, truly. I believe every little bit helps. I’ve been researching on line, but I have to confess, sometimes it just serves to confuse me more!

Also I’m aiming for a max of 1500 mg per day.

(I’ve also all but given up my beloved ginger ale, in favour of water. I’m not liking it. But I’m doing it.)

Thank you in advance for any advice you’d care to share!

2

I can’t help with salt, I’m an unrepentant addict but if you’re really missing your beloved gingerale I’ve found that the Soda stream works pretty well for me. Turns out half my diet coke addiction was really a carbonation addiction and since you’re trying to reduce added sodium making it yourself would save you from reading a few million labels.

3

Get some Mrs Dash or similar salt-free seasoning blend (NOT a potassium chloride salt substitute- those are NASTY). Shake that onto your food at the table instead of salt.

Keep a calendar. After a day is finished, mark that day green if you didn’t put any salt on your food at the table, red if you did.

4

Using lemon juice or vinegar as a substitute for salt will add a flavor bite to vegetables without adding sodium.

5

Acid. Experiment with using more acid in your cooking… a squeeze of lemon or a dash of vinegar. I find that doing this really ups the “oomph” factor of a dish and you need far less salt to make it taste good.

Also, your taste buds will gradually adjust. What tastes bland now will eventually taste perfect.

Edit: what Spoke said.

6

Pepper, red and black and white, helps. Garlic powder and onion powder help. Vinegars are useful. Try malt vinegar on french fries and broiled fish.

Most canned tomato products are available with no salt added and are really pretty good. I have tried several no salt added ketchups and haven’t been disappointed. Corn tortillas can make a good bread substitute. It’s depressing how much sodium’s in regular sliced bread regardless of variety.

You will find most brands of shredded cheese have only 150-180 mg Na per quarter cup while one slice of sandwich processed cheese squares can have over 400 mg. I find that I can get by on much less shredded cheese than I did eating the sandwich slices.

Be sure to read the labels on fresh chicken and pork- many brands are “enhanced” with “natural broth” (salt water) that sends the sodium per serving from 50-80 mg into the hundreds.

The words of my doctors about eating out: “avoid restaurants.”

I’ve been on a low-salt diet for over two years now. It sucks, but not as bad as it did at first.

7

Watch out for potatoes, they soak up and neutralize salty tastes, so even if you add salt it will seem like you didn’t, and that seems like a waste of your precious precious salt allocation. If you make mashed potatoes, flavor them very strongly with browned onions or rosemary or something pungent along those lines (roasted garlic always works for me!).

Penzey’s has a salt-free spice mix called Mural of Flavor that I really like. I think it’s the lemon peel that really makes it work, now that I think about it.

8

In place of the ginger ale, try mineral water. Perrier has only 9 mg/l.

9

Nutritional Yeast. Gives a rich flavor to bland things that usually need lots of salt, like popcorn, potatoes & eggs.

10

Thanks for the suggestions!

I’m intrigued by the nutritional yeast thing. What format does it come in? Can I just sprinkle it on?

11

One of the cookbook writers I like uses something called VegeSal. I’ve never tasted it (I tend not to add any salt or salt flavor) but you might want to check it out if Mrs. Dash isn’t your thing.

You probably know this but cottage cheese is scarily high in salt. Don’t even bother with it. Low-salt cottage cheese is awful.

The lowest salt cheese I know of is Swiss. If you need something cheesy, you want swiss.

Consider cutting out sliced bread. The sodium adds up there. I haven’t looked in to baking your own bread so that might yield a lower sodium count. You do need salt in the baking of bread but commercial bread might have more salt as a preservative.

12

It’s like a crushed flake, or coarse powder. red star sells it in a large spice type jar, with a shaker lid. Other companies sell in a more bulk format.

13

Why do you want to lower your salt intake? Is it because of blood pressure or heart disease concerns? There is recent research which calls into question the whole “low salt” regimen that is often recommended. Here are the first two links when googling “research on salt intake”.

First.

Second.

J.

14

I dunno - after going through what elbows went through, I’d be hesitant to eat anything but lettuce. Don’t begrudge him/her the ability to control something like salt intake to hopefully help with the issue.

15

Spices and acids are definitely the biggest helper for cutting salt, I think.

If you have dishes you make often that use fresh garlic, try adding a little garlic powder (not garlic salt, of course!). Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like the flavor of garlic powder adds a touch of savoriness you don’t get with the fresh garlic, and helps when you’re not putting in a lot of salt. Just don’t overdo it, or everything tastes like cheap kosher hot dogs.

Cumin and/or coriander plus citrus makes meat taste exciting without needing salt. You can do those with lemon and warm spices for a Moroccan feel, or lime and a bit of a oregano for Mexican-ish, or just anything you like.

Oh, and if anything you buy in cans is available frozen instead, switch to the freezer case. Especially for things like corn or green vegetables.

16

I heard this on a podcast interview with the head honcho at Frito Lays, who manages one of their huge potato chip plants. Their “low salt” potato snacks actually taste almost the same as their regular versions, to the point where customers became skeptical about whether they actually were low salt or not. They did have less salt, but by grinding it into a finer powder they are able to achieve the same taste. Maybe that’s something you could look into.

17

Seconding Penzey’s. They’ve a whole line of salt-free seasoning blends - I’ve used the Arizona Dreaming to good effect on some roasted chickpeas. And their stores are awesome, if you’ve got one nearby.

18

Thanks so much for the great suggestions, I’m definitely going to try several of them.

I’ve already purchased Garlic powder and Onion powder, and I’m learning to make my own salad dressing, which will surely help!

I am certainly going to try grinding the salt down to a fine powder, that’s a great idea which I can easily implement.

Everything is worth a try in my book. I find I have transitioned quite easily from salty crunchy snacks, like corn or potato chips and peanuts, to crunchy veggies quite easily. Apparently it was the crunch, not the salt, I really craved.

I did read the studies cited re:salt intake, but don’t think I’m willing to roll those dice, finally being back on my feet after a month of recovery. I did read it with interest, but for now I’ll follow my Dr’s advice, he’s a recognized specialist in the field of hypertension. But thanks for the cites, I appreciate the input.

Y’all are an invaluable resource for all things, well, all things. Thanks again!

19

For one week, do NOT use salt in ANYTHING. Not in cooking, not at the table. Not even your 1/4 teaspoon. NADA.

It will be rough. Everything will taste like cardboard. But at the end of the week, you will have adjusted. The first time I did this, I was able to eat a boiled egg with no salt. Incredible!

You already know about no processed stuff, no refined stuff. Vegetables are typically what you expect to be salted. Try adding more fruit to your diet.

Here’s my sneakiest trick: use NO salt in cooking. None. Then, at the table, use a salt shaker that is ALMOST empty.

Nobody wants to be the one to get up and fill the damned thing. So nobody will use salt at the table.

Sneeeeeeeaaaaakkkky!

Heh.
~VOW

20

Thanks Vow, and you’re right, in hospital I was put on a ‘cardiac’ diet no salt, only Mrs Dash! Very cardboard like, especially the mashed potatoes!

Since hubby has had hypertension for a few years, I’ve long since removed any salt from my cooking. Ditto take out, junk food, most processed foods.

But I make a lot of Asian food, with rice or noodles, favoring things with Sweet Chillie Sauce and Sweet Soya Sauce. Both quite high in sodium (which I’ve learned to stop calling salt!). I’m switching to low sodium soya sauce, and hot chillie sauce, and adding my own honey, which is helping with sodium intake but not impacting our regular meals too greatly. Nothing gets as dark though, as what a high sodium soya sauce produces, that makes the cook in me believe it’s not right. But I’m getting over it.

And, of course, where I just used to pour it out of the bottle, I’m now very conscious of exactly how many tbsp’s I’m actually using. Also helping without much flavour sacrifice.

Salad and noodles that require dressings are a bit of stumbling block. They make up a lot of our regular diet, with fresh veggie and poached chicken, for instance. The dressings are high in sodium, so I’m learning to make my own. Bit of a science experiment though. I just need to stick with it.

I managed to find no salt mayo, which tastes like chalk. I’ve decided to curry it up, as curry pasta salad will do well for us!

Also thinking of trying a similar thing with unsalted nuts, 'cause I love nuts.

You’re right, I am eating a lot of fruits and raw veggies, which I always did, but more in meals than in snacks.

I’m still not hot on drinking water, so tasteless, but I adore watermelon juice, (which must be made fresh!) and is sodium free and filled with water. I continue to force water down daily however.

Tracking sodium isn’t easy, it’s very confusing, but I’m kind of getting the hang of it.

Crushing the salt, to a fine powder has worked brilliantly. Way more flavour with way less salt. Now 1/4 tsp of salt can last me over 4-5 days. I was really worried about corn on the cob season, one of my favorites. But this tactic will certainly see me through that, I’m certain. Thanks for the great tip!

Thanks for all the tips, they all help.