Low-salt recipes that are actually good?

[puglogic]

I'm gradually whittling away at my high blood pressure numbers in a number of ways, and one way has been by drastically reducing salt in my diet.

The problem is, this means a lot of pretty bland meals. Some things just don't taste good without salt. I use a lot of fresh herbs and spices, lemon, etc., but there's still something lacking a lot of the time. Some things -- oriental cooking in particular -- just seem out of the question.

Has anyone else ever gone on a low-salt diet, and found a recipe or two or three that are really great?

[iris lily]

oh gosh, I was going to reply:

ONe word: Indian

but you say that Oriental is out of the question.

Look, I don't know how much salt you use, and I don't know the extent of your taste buds, but you can always try (boring, I know) 1) cutting down and 2) salt substitutes.

We don't eat a lot of salt because we cook from scrath, yet I'm sure there is more slat than I think. I always look at the sodium level in each packaged food. BUt then, 2 times in a row last week, I bought potate chips from the vending machine. That's about the wrost thing you can eat.

[Rosemary]

If you use less salt, you will get used to it. It will be easier if you eat almost entirely at home, because restaurant food is incredibly salty. I am so accustomed to minimal salt, that I sometimes feel parched for a day after eating at a restaurant, and restaurant soup often just tastes like salt.

What I do: little to no salt when cooking, and if I use veggie or chicken broth, it's a low-sodium variety that I cut with water. I sometimes add a little salt at the table. Trader Joe's has a couple of seasoning blends that I like - one that is something like 21 herbs & spices blended together that I use when cooking, and "Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning" that I use at the table, which has salt and a bunch of spices in it.

I suggest you start by cutting current usage in half, then move on from there.

One source of sodium is dairy foods, which are much higher in sodium than I would have guessed.

[Glo]

Salt is salt and food is not good without it. I've tried to cut back for years and it just doesn't work!

[creaker]

There is a transition period - so things will seem bland for awhile I think no matter what.

For foods with surfaces (meat, etc.) trying to not salt during cooking and salting lightly at the table helps. You taste the salt because it's on the surface and it hits your tongue, but it's not saturated through the food.

Spices can help a lot. But some things like soup don't do it for me without a fair amount of salt in it.

[JaneV2.0]

If I were going to try to lower my blood pressure, strictly limiting salt would be way down my list of approaches. I'd up my magnesium, tighten up carbohydrate intake, exercise more, drink plenty of water, and buckle down with stress-reduction measures. Because food really does taste better with salt, and most people aren't overly sodium-sensitive (I've read 25%). And I second Iris Lily's recommendation to try Indian food. It's the best!

Really, the more I read, the less inclined I am to buy common wisdom. Here's one thought-provoking study:
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Too-little-salt-may-pose-CVD-risk-suggests-study

[ApatheticNoMore]

If you avoid packaged foods (including almost never using canned foods in cooking) and restaurants your diet will naturally be pretty reasonable in salt (might be a few things to watch out for still like cheese maybe). Because we can't equal restaurants and canned foods by adding salt to our foods, even if we salt them generously, it is just not possible. So first step: avoid restaurants, packaged and canned foods because no point in trying to cut salt if you are still using these. But if you need to go still lower in salt than that, geez, I feel that pain, hard to give up a pinch of salt here and there in cooking.


It will be easier if you eat almost entirely at home, because restaurant food is incredibly salty. I am so accustomed to minimal salt, that I sometimes feel parched for a day after eating at a restaurant ....

Yea I used to think that was all salt, but now I'm wondering if MSG in restaurant foods might not contribute to that feeling too.

[puglogic]

One of the most unfair things in my universe is that, with perimenopause, I seem to have become really salt-sensitive. It's not just parched, Rosemary, it's almost like a low-grade panic attack, usually several hours after eating a "normally" salted meal. I wake up in the middle of the night....my neck feels tight....awful. And I love salt! I've experimented with myself, and reducing the salt eliminates this.

I am already attacking this on every other front, from magnesium to grapeseed to weight loss to H20 to serious exercise to yoga and meditation, and we already eat almost no packaged foods. But when you look at something like a single tablespoon of soy or hoisin sauce that has 1000 milligrams of sodium in it.....it makes me want a serious stir-fry even more LOL Just didn't know if there was any hope of making a good bowl of soup or a nice green Thai curry (sans all the salt, sounds like not) Maybe those things just become treats, like eating out monthly or what-have-you. Or on those days when I'm going to work out like a demon and sweat it all out!!

p.s. I love indian food, so there's something.....

[Reyes]

If you avoid packaged foods (including almost never using canned foods in cooking) and restaurants your diet will naturally be pretty reasonable in salt

Very true. I am in the opposite situation as the OP. My sodium levels are LOW and I need to INCREASE my sodium intake. I eat/make everything from scratch and very rarely eat out (can easily go months without).

[JaneV2.0]

I wonder, Puglogic, if it could be an electrolyte imbalance that eating salt exacerbates. Maybe you could have your electrolyte levels checked to see what the component ratios are, and if any are out of balance.

Interesting article on sodium/potassium ratios:
http://www.drpasswater.com/nutrition_library/Potassium%20_to%20_Sodium_Ratio.html

[puglogic]

Interesting, Jane. Would this be something I'd have checked with my regular MD? Or have you had better luck with things like this with a naturopath?

[JaneV2.0]

It looks like electrolyte levels are part of the regular CBC http://www.caprofile.net/t3.html, so your regular doctor can provide a printout. My impression is that natural-practice doctors or nurse practitioners are more likely to pay attention to the person behind the CBC. Not much help, I know...

[domestic goddess]

puglogic, electrolyte levels can be ordered by your regular MD. You probably have had them done and just didn't realize it. But do realize that a high sodium diet will not necessarily yield a high sodium level in your electrolyte panel. But since the new recommendation is for a daily sodium intale of 1500 mg. (1.5 grams), it is a safe bet that most people in this country will need to cut down. There is the number to work toward.
My suggestion would be to cut back gradually. Your tastebuds are used to a higher amount of salt, and a drastic cut is not likely to be something you can maintain. Start by cutting back by half, or even one fourth if necessary. When your tastebuds are used to that amount, then cut back more. Of course, you will need to know about how much you are taking in now, at least in general terms, so you can plan snacks, or other things you buy pre-made. It is amazing how quickly food eaten out will become too salty for you. While you are whittling it down, you will want to eat at home, or eat your home-made food when out, so you don't re-gain your taste for salty food.
I've found that replacing salt with something strong tasting, like garlic, is more satisfying than using milder tasting herbs, at least at first. But don't use garlic salt! Good snacks are things like baked pita or tortilla chips with garlic. I have heard people suggest using kosher salt, since the grains are larger, because you can use less and still get the occasional big salt taste. I don't know if this is really sound, as I haven't compared the amounts of sodium in a tsp. of differents kinds of salt.
I don't know anything about your weight, but if you are overweight, you can see improvement in your blood pressure if you lost just 10% of your body weight. Just something I thought I'd throw into the mix.