I need to watch my salt intake. I don't have high blood pressue, but its borderline sometimes and I want to catch it early.
Anyways my doctor advice me to cut back on salt, but I really like flavorful food and my favorite seasoning is Chacheres Creole seasoning. I'm also African American and use to very seasoned food.
How can I can get rich flavor from my food without too much salt?
Make your own spice mix with less salt. Use herbs and acidity.
This is big. I bought a premixed creole seasoning and it was salty as hell.
There's a lower salt and no salt version of tony chacheres. But yes, you can make your own, it's pretty easy.
This, 100%. Also, as you eat less salt, your taste buds will adjust to it. My mom did a no-salt diet for a long while and couldn't eat a French fry from a restaurant without her mouth puckering all the way in.
Yes, I need to learn that
This. American spice blends are packed with salt. I lived in the UK for a decade and honestly didn't appreciate how much unnecessary salt was in U.S. products until I did. Now I make all of my own spice blends and usually don't even put salt in them. I add salt separately depending on what I'm cooking.
I think it's also to counteract all the unnecessary sugar that's hiding in our food. I bought a blue cheese salad dressing that was so packed with sugar it was inedible. It was really gross.
Food manufacturers are cutting corners and adding sugar ( or more sugar) to a lot of things, as if that would fix it.
Lean into using more acids - they can add the ‘bright’ quality that salt can sometimes impart into a dish.
I was going to suggest this. A squeeze of lemon on a finished dish often makes all the flavors pop.
Lime and sour orange are great, too.
MSG. Sold as "Accent" in the US. It's not the perfect answer, but it provides a lot of umami in an otherwise bland profile. I also use a lot of citrus when I'm being sodium conscious.
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Exactly! I buy it generic on Amazon. You just have to add it in stages because it can taste salty fast.
MSG still contains sodium, which is the thing in salt that can affect blood pressure. That said, there's less sodium by weight in MSG than in NaCl, as MSG is a larger molecule. So you can use the 'same amount' and be consuming less total sodium.
If you have any Asian grocery stores near you, I recommend getting it there instead; Accent seems to be ridiculously expensive for the small bottle you get. I bought a pound of MSG for less than the price of one tube at my local grocery store.
I use this very sparingly, when cooking for my husband with high blood pressure, as it still has 60% of the amount of sodium as is in salt.
Potassium chloride is another option, unless feeding a person with renal problems.
60% is a huge reduction if you replace it 1:1. Curious Do you know if the flavor is 1:1?
It is different because it also provides that umami boost. Also, I stopped cooking with salt quite a while ago, so my taste is off.
I have some for flavoring Asian dishes but I didn’t know it was actually less sodium. I’ll try it in other things!
In addition to the many suggestions above, look for hidden sodium in other ingredients. A lot of chicken is brined, you can look for meat that doesn’t have added brine/sodium solution (this may be more expensive), canned items can be purchased in a low sodium/no added salt variety, and unsalted butter are some examples.
Add fresh citrus or some vinegar. Acid can significantly reduce the amount of salt you need.
Hmm interesting
Buy salt-free spice blends or mix up your own. Add no salt at all during cooking. Then add just a little bit at table. This flavors the outside of your food where you taste it without permeating everything.
Ahh I see
Replace some of your salt with msg.
Thanks for the tip. I was not aware of this hack.
I’m trying to cut back on salt my self. Watching some of my favorite chefs and cooks I’ve learned adding acidity makes a big difference. Lemon, lime, some type of vinegar depending on the recipe. I didn’t always do this in the past and I felt some of dishes I made was missing something turns out it was acidity.
What type of vinegar?
Any will work, but my favorites are balsamic, apple cider, and malt vinegar.
I keep several different vinegars on hand. For leafy long cooking greens I like a splash of cider vinegar. I use balsamic vinegar many times with roasted vegetables or with braised meats. Wine vinegar or balsamic is good with salad greens, cold salads, tender vegetables, sauces, and dressings. I keep plain white vinegar and rice vinegar on hand when I want add brightness but not affect the flavor of a dish. I usually buy smaller bottles. Most dishes I would only a tablespoon or two at most. You mentioned liking creole cooking in your post plain white vinegar or cane vinegar can work nicely with many of those dishes. Experiment and try different types to see what flavors work for you. Good luck
While there's probably no real substitute for salt that won't also cause high blood pressure, the good news is that your palate will adapt.
Salt Free Everything Bagel. Dash has it
Herbs (fresh and dried); salt-free spices (garlic, onion powder, paprika, cumin etc); pepper if you like heat
My spouse is also low salt. He uses a fuk ton of dried chilis, herbs, slow braising, reductions.
Make your own seasonings, simply omitting the salt.
My Everything Bagel seasoning.
2T poppy seeds, 2T white sesame seeds, 1.5T dehydrated chopped onion, 1T dehydrated minced garlic. I omit the 0.5T kosher salt
but salt is the substrate that gives everything else taste…
But if you’re limited to 2,000mg a day you learn what substitutes work for you. Do you know how much sodium is in a plain water bagel? Red pepper, black pepper, dehydrated onion and dehydrated garlic work for our family as does fresh garlic and onion. Canned goods are hard but one regular and one low sodium tomato sauce/beans/etc
Chacheres and cajun 2 step offer salt free varieties, though I haven't tried them. Slap ya Momma has slightly less salt and a bolder flavor in my opinion than reg Tony's, so might try mixing no salt with a dash of that. Tabasco makes a low sodium version and homeade hot sauce is easy without salt. And some things aren't as salty as you might think like mustard.
I find avoiding eating out (esp fast food), and avoiding deli meats, pickled items, canned/boxed/frozen foods, and buying low/no salt chips helps ALOT. (And you can put your own cucumbers or onions in vinegar mix, no need to add salt). I tend to use alot of garlic powder (or fresh garlic and/or onion) on foods, and for whatever reason that garlic really tricks my taste buds (like say on chicken before cook) into thinking it's salted. When I add some salt, it seems too salty easily. I make my own (cheap) sandwich meat by cooking/smoking chicken or turkey, or low or no salt tuna. I've fried foods for years using very little salt and more garlic powder and never felt a need for more salt. Fish (unless fresh) and pork (including chops) are usually salty from store and def dont need added salt. You can google lower sodium cheeses. Store bought salad dressings and dips tend to be high sodium. You can make your own or mix with some vinegar (like red wine vinegar) to reduce - make your own with low salt ingredients like sour cream, milk, spices.
Ahhh thanks for the tips I'm learning a lot
Could try and invest in a kirin salt spoon, makes food taste saltier than it really is.
https://www.cnet.com/home/kitchen-and-household/we-tested-an-electric-salt-spoon-that-might-help-you-stick-to-your-low-sodium-diet/
Don’t waste your money. Totally worthless.
The best way is to keep the salt used for flavour, and ditch the salt used in processing. If you aren't buying raw ingredients, read the label and see how much sodium is in there.
Something like 120g of canned yellow string beans will have 380mg of sodium, which is used to extend shelf life, and none of which goes to enhance the flavour. If you ditch the can and use fresh beans, You can sprinkle a pinch of some salt on top, and only wind up adding 100-150mg of sodium (depending on how big your pinches are). This does enhance the flavour, and has less sodium overall.
Tony’s makes a really good salt free version of their regular Cajun seasoning.
Like others have said MSG is a good substitute.
I’ve found that for me adding spice/heat helps kinda “cover up” a lack of salt. When was the last time you said “this XYZ has some serious heat to it, but needs salt”? I sure haven’t.
Two things I’ve done as well is get better quality salt (I like redmonds real salt, it does taste different) and make my own spice blends with less/no salt. It’s surprising how good the blends are without the salt.
That's true about spicy food
Sub in msg where you can. It only has one third the sodium of salt.
In case no one has mentioned it you might look into Kirin Holdings Electric salt spoon, a product created in Japan. When you taste food using this spoon a small electric current goes through it to essentially make your brain think you are tasting something saltier than it actually is. I have never used one or know of anyone that has but it sounds interesting. It's a product that was created for individuals like yourself--people who need to cut their intake of salt but don't want to sacrifice taste.
Nope. Totally not effective junk.
Buy salt-free seasoning blends, or make your own. Even disregarding reduced sodium intake, they're great anyway because you can control the salt levels separately from the rest of the seasonings.
Another small piece of advice regarding managing sodium in your diet - if you plan some of your meals each day to be naturally sodium-free or low-sodium, it makes it easier to manage your intake on a daily and weekly basis. Meals like yogurt with granola and fruit for breakfast help you save your sodium budget for later.
There are a lot of really good seasonings that are salt free mixes. Garlic and onion powder vs garlic salt. Pepper and paprika are great for flavor.
Make your own seasoning blends but without salt and add just a bit of salt as you go so you can control the salt amount.
A lot of salt blends are heavily on the salt because it’s cheap. Sometimes you can find a low salt or salt free version.
Ahh I see, yes I can still eat salt just lower amount.
I have a no-sodium blend you could try, I tried to recreate Mrs. Dash seasoning and use this occasionally.
3 Tbsp onion powder 2 Tbsp garlic powder 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast 2 Tbsp dried parsley 1 Tbsp dried thyme 1 Tbsp dried basil 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp celery seed 1 tsp MSG
Thank you
Tony’s makes a low salt and no salt version. Also experiment with some of the flavorful hot sauces that are now available. I like a chipotle one that has a lot of flavor but not a lot of heat.
Speaking as someone who also has to watch his sodium intake (HTN), the easiest way to start is by using Mrs. Dash. Lots of choices and sodium-free.
Once you get the hang of things, you can then take a known recipe (I started with a dry rub) and lower the salt content.
We use Morton's Lite Salt and use lots of herbs and flavorful spices like onion powder and paprika.
Generally sodium in your diet is from processed foods not cooking
Like, crackers, cheeses, deli meats, bread, any restaurant food or prepared meals and especially condiments
That will move the needle and should be a priority, certainly adapt home cooking as well but your cottage cheese might have more salt than your entire home cooked meals
True, but African American homemade dishes are sooo salty 😩
Definitely ditch the store bought rubs/seasonings and start mixing your own spices for a start.
Citrus/acids. Fresh veggies that are not overcooked. Umami (like mushrooms).
acid (and other seasoning)
Salt free adobo. You can make it yourself. I also use TJs mushroom umami in most things. You can make a salt free version:
Dried Onions; Ground Mustard Seed; Porcini Mushroom Powder; White Button Mushroom Powder; Crushed Red Pepper; Black Pepper; Dried Thyme
I agree with others: make your own spice blends aka essences. There are recipes all over the Internet.
I’m working on the same thing. Trying to balance salt intake and not lose flavor. You can use less salt by balancing fat, acid, and heat. Fat adds richness, acid brightens flavors, and heat add a layer, and complexity, all of which reduce the need for salt. When these elements are balanced, salt becomes a light enhancer instead of the main source of flavor.
I see thank you
If you make an effort to avoid all processed foods -- prepared meals, deli meats, smoked and preserved meats and vegetables, and do not order in or eat at restaurants very often you will go far in reducing the amount of sodium you consume.
Flavor Mate salt-free original. I get a 16 oz pkg at Ollie's for $6.99. I use it in just about everything.
I think most sodium intake is from processed or prepared foods rather than the amount of salt you add to your own dish, so I would take a close look at that first - for instance, most canned beans have sodium added for preservation - you can buy "low sodium" choices or take the time to prepare dry beans. Then, if you still need to limit the salt you're adding, I like to use citrus, different types of vinegar (look for sodium in those too). There are a lot of prepared salt-free seasoning mixes or you can experiment making your own. Lemon-pepper is a big one for me but if you like it a bit spicy, I'm pretty sure you could find a salt-free creole mix. Good luck!
Im on a very low sodium diet and honestly lemon juice and cracked pepper safely improve almost anything. Focus on things with strong flavors so you notice the lack of salt less.
When I went low sodium I started adding freshly ground black pepper liberally. Don't miss the salt. And my battery operated pepper grinder is a blast!
Most of the sodium offenders are processed food rather than table salt. Look at all labels when you shop. Mind boggling the amount of sodium in so many surprising things. E.g. bread
Restaurant food very high sodium too. Altho tonite is traditional Chinese take out. A rare splurge!
I lost 70 lbs almost 1/3 of my former weight...by cutting salt and sugar. Playing salt against sugar makes for great taste,but terrible for health. For example I love eating banana pudding with fatback,had to quit. Same with ketchup and salty fries. I use 12x black pepper, and more garlic and onion...latter 2 can be powder or minced. I've cut back on sugar as well. Blood pressure/sugar went way down. Good luck on your journey!
Congrats! Yes Im also cutting back on sugar too even though I love chocolate but I've found ways to still get my chocolate fix and still got my A1C down and reversing. I went from 200 to 160 pounds with 20 more pounds to go. But I need to work on my salt now and all these comments really help. Im really trying to get my health in order I dont want to take pills.
From age 48-50 I started at 230 and now at 160. Am older with a slightly diminished appetite, which I feel is a result portion control caused by less salt and sugar. I still love to cook and eat.
Wow! Thats great! 230 to 160 aint easy. I respect anyone whose lost weight naturally and keeping it off with all the fast food and sweets temptations everywhere especially in America
If you cook from scratch you may need to drink more water. I actually am low sodium because of this and have to add a small pinch of salt to my water when very thirsty And sometimes minerals because 130-150 oz a day can deplete that.
Processed food uses a lot of salt to preserve. Try a few more scratch meals.
I make my own chili paste, toast and grind whole spices, worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, etc. Someone mentioned msg below which is excellent. When cooking, learn how to “layer” your flavors. In other words, don't just dump everything in a dish and cook. When I make soups or stews, I usually never add salt because I seasoned my meat first.
There is an excellent book that discusses the 4 things that influence flavor. It’s called Salt, Fat, Heat, Acid. It’s amazing what a squeeze of lemon does to a served dish.
I’d also look into using different types of salt. Kosher for cooking and a good flake salt like Maldon for dressing a plated dish. Those little pops of goodness truly give a satisfying pop of salty flavor. And you never need a lot. It’s why fine restaurants don’t put salt on the table because they dress the dish with salt like this.
Ahh interesting thank you ill research it
If you are referring to the book, it reads easy
Msg
Cajun here - use MSG. It has about 30% of the sodium as salt and you only need a tiny bit to get the same effect. It’s not horrible for you like the media perpetuated for decades.
Thank you I LOVE cajun food that's all I want to eat even though I'm from California 😅
Slide into my DMs for my gumbo recipe!
Ohhhh Im sliding
Citrus, spices, spice (heat), MSG. Table salt is about 40% sodium by weight, while MSG is about 12%, so replacing some salt with MSG can significantly reduce total sodium. MSG provides umami flavor with far less sodium, so you can cut salt levels and still keep food tasting good.
If you don't have any problems with potassium, "lite" salt is made with potassium chloride (or a blend of that and sodium chloride). Tastes the same
Can you try other salts without issue?
SODIUM chloride is the salt that most people use... but there are other salts available.
Magnesium chloride, for example, can be mixed with other spices for a different "hit" - you might want to buy a container of "low-salt" or "no-salt" - check the label for magnesium chloride, for an alternate take.
I've heard you can dissolve salt in water, then just paint it on the outside of grilling meat. That way your tongue gets the flavor without it completely saturating the meat.
I have *heard* this, but I am not a doctor.
Interesting
add salt at the end, don't cook it into the food I can never even taste it but later on I get so so thirsty and I can definitely feel it if you know what I mean. still need flavor, chicken bouillon for the win. flavorful rice, instead of just using water add half beef broth it's amazing
In addition to reducing sodium, increase potassium in your diet. Beans, chicken breast, root vegetables, mushrooms, and leafy greens are all good sources.
Exercise and weight loss are also important.
Learn to cook? Sounds like you're just used to throwing premade spice mixes over stuff and calling it "seasoned".
Salt doesn't raise your blood pressure. There's plenty of studies that prove it doesn't. Rather it's to do with insulin resistance. I got off blood pressure medicine going low carb. It's worth looking into it. You could easily be at risk of diabetes as it's to do with insulin resistance.
There are salt alternatives. I use salt myself though. I can't tell you how nice it was to not need blood pressure medicine. I feel so much better physically and emotionally.
I hope it'll go well for you.
I was at risk I was 200 pounds and my A1C was 5.7 and 106 was blood sugar. But I've since got it down to 5.6 and below 100. I also got my weight down the 160s with 20 more pounds to go. My nutritionist said I can still eat salt, but lower it and track it. I rather work for it and track as much as I can even though its not easy, but I'm only 35 I dont want to start medication this early.
Congratulations on your weight loss. I went low carb and no longer have the awful headaches that I got from the high blood pressure. I'm so glad I made the dietary changes. The blood pressure medicine made me feel awful too.
I wish you a beautiful new year and the best of health.
There are salt alternatives out there too. 🩷💖
Thank you I'm happy you found a solution are you off medication now?
You're giving out bad information according to The American Heart Association. Sodium intake and blood pressure absolutely have a proven and direct link.
Common High Blood Pressure Myths | American Heart Association https://share.google/hdb4tnO1zJ7PRfTZG
You are talking to someone with lived experience of hypertension and type 2 diabetes both of which are in remission from dietary changes.
Plenty of evidence that salt doesn't cause high blood pressure! https://youtu.be/pfsZ649u-aE?si=8ucVG3es8tWrPJ9R
And you are talking to someone dealing with hypertension as well. My doctor specifically limited salt in my diet, and I provided evidence as to why from a respected and reputable institution. That's awesome that your method worked for you, but it's complete bullshit to say that sodium has nothing to do with blood pressure.
Dr Bikman, while we're at it, does not practice medicine. His entire approach is based on metabolic disorders and insulin resistance. His PhD is in bioenergetics, not medicine. The science is accurate, for someone who already has diabetes, because his goal is in understanding and maintaining the efficiency of the digestive system. But, if you're only dealing with hypertension, the advice that you are giving out can be harmful.
Here's Harvard saying it:
Dietary salt and blood pressure: A complex connection - Harvard Health https://share.google/hXxSb6YfQ4O6qrxft
And the National Institute of Health:
Lower sodium could reduce blood pressure in most people | National Institutes of Health (NIH) https://share.google/aQyPXUELc7Mh5c9wK
And again, the American Heart Association:
Get the Scoop on Sodium and Salt | American Heart Association https://share.google/GDDSmtrJ5aGneXlQr
You are being disingenuous and giving out harmful advice because something worked for you, in your specific situation. Citing a YouTuber with a PhD in place of several reputable institutions or the advice of a practicing MD holds no water.
Also following my doctors advice! Thankfully I don't have high blood pressure any more, and am off medicine for both diabetes and high blood pressure.
Congrats, that's great!