Question about cutting out sodium?

[ErnestK]

I was told I had high blood pressure I was wondering, does the food taste nasty without a lot of soduim? If not how does the companies that offer low sodium food, make the food taste the same? Thank you.

[Free Rider]

I used to cook with no salt at all and had no problem with taste. I did, however, develop a health problem from iodine-deficiency. Moderation, I suppose, is the answer.

[Suzanne]

Food made without extra salt may taste nasty to you at first, but it's something you can get used to over time. After a while you realize that all the salt was not necessary and only got in the way of the taste of good food.

There are lots of other things you can add to food instead of salt to bring out its natural, good flavor -- lemon or lime juice and grated zest; fresh or dried herbs; spices (not necessarily hot stuff) all help food taste good.

As for the "Low-sodium" stuff you can buy -- to me, it does NOT taste the same as the higher sodium, regular stuff. In many cases (like broth), that is a plus, since most processed foods have way too much salt for my taste. But for some foods, they just leave out anything that might brighten the flavor, and the food really is nasty and needs a lot of help to be palatable. And if they use a salt substitute, well, some people can taste that.

[phatch]

Don't worry about it tasting the same. There are many good flavors for the same dish that don't require the standard level of salt.

This is an excellent low salt cookbook, and many recipes exceed recipes I've seen that use salt because he focused on the basics of the food and good taste. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...12291647&itm=1

He has a new baking book out now that's linked there too. Baking low salt is terribly difficult and if you want to bake, this is probably worth a look. I haven't seen it yet myself.

The first book was a big help and influence when I first was placed on a sodium restriction. His menus are very low salt and were actually too low for me, but such a help in getting started. Don't just read the recipes, read the intro bits and all. Lots of good info in there, especially on talking to waiters at restaurants to help you enjoy eating out with friends but meet your dietary needs.

Also pick up a book that lists sodium content of food. Mine happens to list fat and one or two other things as well. A very handy reference as you start planning menus and tweaking recipes so you know how much salt is IN your food.

If you're on a VERY low sodium diet, have your water tested. There's a small amount of sodium in tap water. Not a concern for most, but for a very limited sodium diet, it can mess you up, especially with boiled foods--pasta, rice and so on.

Phil

[bigwheel]

Now you need to trust your doc on this one. Sodium and sodium-chloride is hosses of a different color. If you got ticker twoble it aint smart to lower the sodium sometimes..but then sometimes it is. Sometimes it good to drink water and other times it aint. All that stuff can influence your electrolyte imbalances. See where I'm headed here? Now folks from Electra, TX is called Electralites. Now anyway if you want to give up sodium-choloride I go for it big time. You never will even notice not having it after a few days. Now I do cheat a little and use some of fried eggs sometimes. Also get you some stuff called "Braggs Liquid Aminos" and snag yourself some raw unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar over there. Both them things is very flavorful. Organic sea salt if good if you just go to have some. It has mo sodium and less cholride. The best kind cost about 9 bucks for the small bag. It handplucked in france by ex virgins or soemthing like that. Now that advice should cure whut ails ya. Always eat raw vegan cept on the weekend you can have whut is called a pig out day. You can have ribs and cookies and ice cream on that day. Rest of the week figger on raw green salads..raw fresh fruits or veggies and maybe hunk of cornbread with beans on the side. That is how I got so healthy and skinny.

bigwheel


quote=ErnestK]I was told I had high blood pressure I was wondering, does the food taste nasty without a lot of soduim? If not how does the companies that offer low sodium food, make the food taste the same? Thank you.[/quote]

[ErnestK]

Thank you all for the answers. I'm slowy cutting back on my sodium. I never use salt when I cook. I don't even have salt in my house.

[Sweety]

I just wanted to give you a heads up on something, sorry if you already know this.

I just wanted to let you know to watch your labels very closely. There are TONS of foods out there on the market with a TON of salt in them. Canned soups are bad for salt, also deli meats is another. Ketchup/mustard, dill pickles, and condiments like that horrible for salt contents too.

I was diagnosed with high blood pressure as well and I have no idea how I got it other than it runs in my family. After watching my labels, I finally realized that part of the reason is the groceries I was buying.

Jen

[Free Rider]

Originally Posted by Sweety

............................... I finally realized that part of the reason is the groceries I was buying.

Jen

Yup. That's why I make all my food from as scratch as I can possibly get, not having my own flour mill and all.

[JonK]

It's the sodium (specifically the sodium ion) in salt that can affect blood pressure in some (but not all) of those with hypertension. It's easy enough to check to see if you're one of them by simply monitoring your bp after you eliminate much of the salt in your diet. It should go down over a period of a few weeks (of course, look at the average and the trend, not just a single point).

Most people who cut out salt say that they lose their taste need for it in a few weeks. Spices, herbs, lemon juice, flavored vinegars, spice mixtures (like Mrs. Dash) can make up for the missing salt, especially during the early days.

If all you need to do is cut back, you can avoid salting during cooking. You can also substitute products like Lo-Salt which is a mixture of sodium and potassium chlorides at the table (pure potassium chloride tastes wretched). But--and this is important!--discuss the use of potassium chloride substitutes with your doctor if you are taking a hypertension medication. Some of them are potassium-sparing, which can cause dosing problems. (On the other hand, some folks with hypertension specifically told to increase their potassium levels, often by eating potassium-rich foods like bananas or oranges.)

Finally, be careful of the sodium content in processed or restaurant foods. Other sodium sources (like MSG and other flavor enhancers, as well as things like hydrolyzed vegetable protein) can raise sodium levels (read the nutrition label for sodium) as can some natural foods, like seaweed. Some meats (like enhanced pork or chicken) and seafood (some scallops) at the market can also have high sodium levels from the use of water-retaining products (like sodium phosphates), but if they are not sold in a package with a label, you may not know it.

[Sweety]

Free Rider.....Good Idea!!!!!!! I hardly ever make any of my food from scratch, there is always something that I buy that I am using, like breads and meats (I know, I know, it's a killer ) and such. So far, my blood pressure has been normal for the past year now, with the help of some medications as well as my cutting out most of my salt. Yesterday, I went to the doctor and it was 106/75. I must be doing something right!!!

JonK.......I never was one to use salt on anything. Most of the salt that I was intaking came from it already being in the foods I bought. There was a time when I used to eat fries. I'd always order them with "no salt" because I found that they would be salted too much for my taste, especially McDonald's fries.

That's just my 2 cents for now.

Jen

[scott123]

Originally Posted by JonK

Other sodium sources (like MSG and other flavor enhancers, as well as things like hydrolyzed vegetable protein) can raise sodium levels (read the nutrition label for sodium) as can some natural foods, like seaweed.

Actually, careful use of MSG in your cooking can allow you to cut your overall sodium content quite dramatically.

Although MSG does contain sodium, the amount required for cooking is so small, the sodium is negligible. More importantly, though, the MSG magnifies the taste of the salt in the recipe, allowing you to cut back quite a bit without impairing the taste of the dish.

MSG is a huge asset in low sodium diets.

[JonK]

I agree with Scott123. MSG (a soluble form of a naturally-occuring amino acid found, for example, in wheat) has gotten a bad rap because of its extensive overuse in prepared foods and bad Far Eastern cooking. It is one of the class of materials (that includes hydrolyzed vegetable proteins) that make up the Umami taste factor, the fifth taste sensation (along with salty, sour, bitter and sweet). Many oriental seasonings, like soy sauce, for example, get much of their flavor from HVPs produced during the brewing process. As a seasoning adjunct, no more than 1/8th to 1/4 teaspoon per four servings is appropriate. While it may be true that a small percentage of people do not tolerate HVPs well (so-called "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome", though recent studies cast doubt on MSG's role), that's largely when large quantities are used to try to disguise the absence of other natural flavors. I realize that amongst many cooks (at least western ones) these are heretical views, but I've experimented quite a bit in "blind" trials, even with cooks who grimace at the mention of MSG. (These were done with consent, of course.)

My earlier post was only to note that there are other, often hidden sources of sodium in foods, not to condemn MSG outright. That said, far too many prepared foods are guilty of using MSG or its lesser known relatives (disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate) in large quantities to hide the fact that there's not much else there besides salt.

[scott123]

Well said, Jon.

MSG (or any of the names it goes by) on a prepared food label - beware.
MSG discriminately used in the home - good