Cooking without salt, or with reduced salt, or with salt substitutes

[MaryIsobel]

5 minutes ago, Ann_T said:

I'm trying to find options without MSG.

Do you have an aversion to MSG or a reaction? It gets a bad rap but it's in so many things that you wouldn't dream it was in as it goes by many different names. I keep some on hand as I find a pinch or two helps when whatever you're making just needs a little somethin', somethin'!

[Ann_T]

13 minutes ago, MaryIsobel said:

Do you have an aversion to MSG or a reaction? It gets a bad rap but it's in so many things that you wouldn't dream it was in as it goes by many different names. I keep some on hand as I find a pinch or two helps when whatever you're making just needs a little somethin', somethin'!

It is recommended along with salt to also avoid foods with MSG.

[MaryIsobel]

2 hours ago, Ann_T said:

It is recommended along with salt to also avoid foods with MSG.

Oh - I wan't aware that they were lumped together. I'm sure you will do a stellar job of lessening the salt in your and Moe's diet. My daughter's fiance is a type 1 diabetic and I enjoy the challenge of working around a menu with lots of low carb things that he and everyone else can enjoy.

[Katie Meadow]

On 9/25/2023 at 11:20 AM, Ann_T said:

@Okanagancook,  I've ordered some.  And I'm hoping that it just adds mostly a "salt" taste.   Almost every salt substitute is a combination of herbs and spices.

Which is fine, if you are looking to add lemon and garlic, or a tex mex seasoning to whatever you are cooking.   BUT, if you want just a little salt to enhance the flavour

of something that you already have the flavour profile you are looking for, none of the other substitutes I have found work for me.   

Totally agree that substitutes mostly don't cut the mustard. But one thing I swear to is that after a while on a reduced salt diet your taste buds adjust and you literally don't need as much salt as you once did, or as you thought you did. Give it time. After a few months of using less salt almost all restaurant food tasted over salted. I still love salt, and over the years I've increased my intake, but  I still use less than many recipes suggest. Also I find that instead of heavily salting while cooking that a little bit of good finishing salt goes a long way when it comes to flavor.  

[weinoo]

For certain preparations/sauces, I wonder if you could use something like this:

 

KANESHICHI Natural Dashi Pack       (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

[Ann_T]

10 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

Totally agree that substitutes mostly don't cut the mustard. But one thing I swear to is that after a while on a reduced salt diet your taste buds adjust and you literally don't need as much salt as you once did, or as you thought you did. Give it time. After a few months of using less salt almost all restaurant food tasted over salted. I still love salt, and over the years I've increased my intake, but  I still use less than many recipes suggest. Also I find that instead of heavily salting while cooking that a little bit of good finishing salt goes a long way when it comes to flavor.  

@Katie Meadow, I agree.  I have always in the past seasoned while cooking, but since we started on this reduced sodium way of eating, I use salt as a finishing touch.   It is more noticeable that way.  And you need much less. 

Moe so far seems to be adjusting well.  Better than me.  

[AlaMoi]

we do not use much salt.  no salt shaker on the table, etc.

we've also never been fast food aficionados, that could explain out lack of salt thirst . . .

 

I date the Morton's Kosher box when I open it, once did the math when it was used up, and we averaged less that half the "heart recommended daily consumption" - this simply stated because when we eat out, our reactions (both) are "ugh, lotta' salt"

- curiously,,, dining out with our grown children&spouses . . . they also have reacted with 'ugh, too much . . '

I suspect it may take a bit of time to re-associate the taste buds to less salt -

 

for recipes I use half the salt amount, sometimes no salt (especially if other ingredients are 'salty') - figuring one can always add 'salt to taste' but taking out too much salt is much much trickier . . .

 

the one situation I have intentionally increase my "cooking salt" quantity is potatoes.  potatoes seem to need the salt to bring out their flavor.

 

 

[weinoo]

Restaurant cooks notoriously use too much salt in this cit; that's why when I find a restaurant kitchen that seasons properly with salt, I am very happy.

[jedovaty]

Slight tangent... for those of you suggesting MSG, errr... you do realize that the "S" stands for Sodium?

I'm scratching my head why it is being suggested as a sub... so I've come up with some theories:

 - the sodium in MSG not as readily available compared to NaCl

 - fewer S molecules per unit of measurement since MSG includes the glutamate molecule which is bigger and heavier than chloride

 - less MSG required to make food "salty"

 - original post is about using less salt, not about reducing sodium

 - all the above

 - other

 

Kindly edumacate me, (wo/it)mansplain away.

Edited October 5, 2023 by jedovaty (log)

[Kerry Beal]

6 hours ago, jedovaty said:

Slight tangent... for those of you suggesting MSG, errr... you do realize that the "S" stands for Sodium?

I'm scratching my head why it is being suggested as a sub... so I've come up with some theories:

 - the sodium in MSG not as readily available compared to NaCl

 - fewer S molecules per unit of measurement since MSG includes the glutamate molecule which is bigger and heavier than chloride

 - less MSG required to make food "salty"

 - original post is about using less salt, not about reducing sodium

 - all the above

 - other

 

Kindly edumacate me, (wo/it)mansplain away.

Totally aware the S is for Na+ - this is an interesting paper on maintaining palatability while reducing sodium content. 

[Okanagancook]

I don’t know anymore…..retired Dietitian, but my gut tells me most sodium intake nowadays can be attributed to commercial products and restaurant/takeout/fast food.  The amount used in BASIC cooking at home is probably not significant and not the problem. 

[heidih]

1 minute ago, Okanagancook said:

I don’t know anymore…..retired Dietitian, but my gut tells me most sodium intake nowadays can be attributed to commercial products and restaurant/takeout/fast food.  The amount used in BASIC cooking at home is probably not significant and not the problem. 

Yes I think assumptions are made that are not reality re patient's eating. Unless like dad's spouse - salt shaker next to her plate...or living on processed and take-out mea BUT should be interesting how Moe's next bloods turn out. Wish him best.

[Okanagancook]

Ha, didn’t David Chang have MSG shakers on his diners tables’ rather than salt shakers

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

Late to the party but just my $0.02 as an biochemist.

@Okanagancook is, in my opinion, spot on.

Processed and fast food does carry too much sodium. Read the label. Even something like citric acid, or for that matter, ascorbic acid or almost any additive, are added to products as sodium salts.

The good thing, and I'm speaking from experience, is that you get acclimatized to a lower 'salt taste' in your food.

 

 

 

[weinoo]

On 10/5/2023 at 9:22 PM, Okanagancook said:

Ha, didn’t David Chang have MSG shakers on his diners tables’ rather than salt shakers

Urban legend.  I don't remember MSG shakers at any of the original restaurants.

[Ann_T]

On 10/5/2023 at 6:02 PM, Okanagancook said:

I don’t know anymore…..retired Dietitian, but my gut tells me most sodium intake nowadays can be attributed to commercial products and restaurant/takeout/fast food.  The amount used in BASIC cooking at home is probably not significant and not the problem. 

Most of our meals are made by me, and I don't use a lot of commercial products.   

We did like to go out for Dim Sum and other Asian foods when we went into Victoria, but haven't

done that since we started watching the sodium.

 

I think that most people would be very surprised at how much salt they use and how little it takes to reach what is recommended.

Daily recommendation for even those without an issue is 2300mg of sodium.

Averaging/rounding it out, 5g or 1 teaspoon of salt is equal to about 2000mg sodium. 1 gram is just under 400g.

 

I purchased a small scale from one of the local Cannabis shops that measures in mgs up to 100grams. 

 

This is what 1g of salt, approximately 400 mg of sodium looks like. 

 

And 5g of salt, approximately 2000mg of sodium , which is basically the daily recommendation.

That bowl is tiny.  Small lime for comparison. 

 

Same as a teaspoon. 

 

It hasn't been as difficult as I thought it was going to be to reduce the sodium in our meals without having to give up eating meals that we enjoy.

For the most part, salt substitutes have not worked for me.   I did find a few salt free seasonings from Hot Mamas that I use to season when I grill or roast.

They also make a low sodium line of mustards.  I bought two of them and Moe really likes one with dill , which also tastes like horseradish with a little heat, and when mixed into a small amount of mayonnaise made a very nice topping on a roast beef sandwich.

 

But the recommendation to use lemon, and other seasonings and herbs  in place of salt doesn't work for me because I don't want everything to taste like the salt substitute if

that wasn't the original flavour I was going for in the first place. 

 

I think we have been doing really good at greatly reducing the sodium in our diet and Moe doesn't seem to be missing it at all.

 

We were at Costco yesterday and I bought their 50% less sodium bacon. 

Regular bacon had 400mg in two slices and the reduced sodium bacon was 180mg in 2 slices. So he had 

butter basted fried eggs and four slices of the bacon for breakfast this morning and the bacon was surprising good.  Just pepper on his eggs

and I've reduced the salt by half of what I use to put into a batch of bread dough.

 

All the swelling he had in his ankles and feet has disappeared.   It actually disappeared within a few days of

reducing the sodium.

 

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Ann_T (log)