Lower Sodium.... HOW??

lorrpb

I suggest that the most useful thing is look at your diary and see which foods are giving you the highest sodium content. Cut back on that and find tasty substitutes. Usually salt added during cooking is not the problem. It's pre-processed foods and commercial packaged products & seasonings. Add your own seasonings with more spice, more herbs, and less salt.

Montepulciano

Anything I buy, I always look at the sodium content. Easy enough to pick up low sodium broth instead and I don't miss the flavor as I am usually cooking lots of other spices. As others have said above it is coming from prepared foods. I found when I started cooking at home, paying just a bit of attention, it helped. Certain things are worth the sodium though to me, from time to time. Bratwurst and sausages grilled....yeah, don't ask about sodium on them.

zyxst

dasher602014 wrote: »

If you don't have a blood pressure problem, sodium usually isn't a concern. Yes, you will retain water but only a pound or two. No big deal and losing weight is a comparative exercise. Weight (with sodium) then versus weight (with sodium) now. Just keep an eye on BP over time. If you lower sodium gradually, your taste for it does change. I also noticed that lower sodium levels perked up my taste buds and I was able to enjoy other favouring and complex wines more. Not a bad trade off.

+1

I have to eat lower sodium and, trust me, if you don't have to why the hells would you? Get your BP checked at your doctor's. If your doctor is okay with your BP, I wouldn't worry about lowering sodium. Most people don't have health issues with it, aside from water retention.

Stop eating processed foods, or at least read the labels and get the lower sodium/salt free version (yes, they exist even for potato chips). Stop using salt. There are plenty of spices to use that don't have sodium. Try Mrs. Dash (0 sodium) if you want OTC mix or mix up your own.

jgnatca

When I switched to low salt I find I prefer vegetables that are strong flavoured in their own right, and if I'm not using salt, they must be very, very fresh. I use a variety of spices. Garlic and pepper help a lot. And there are so many different peppers. Slowly reduce the sodium in your cooking and adjust accordingly. Do this for a month and you might have trouble going back to highly salted foods.

trinateegardens

cwolfman13 wrote: »

most issues with sodium aren't due to people seasoning home cooked meals...sodium issues are generally attributable primarily to eating a lot of processed food goods and eating out a lot.

More whole foods and less pre-packaged processed foods...less eating out.

So right. I'm not going to be a slave to my kitchen so I just suffer and stop at 2500 g!!

jennifer_417

Unless you have health issues specifically related to sodium (like high blood pressure), it's not really an issue.

JeromeBarry1

XanManMom wrote: »

I have been logging my foods for 3 weeks now and it seems that I am always over my sodium intake for the day. I was born and raised in New Orleans where we love to over season everything. I grew up knowing that wearing rings the day after a crawfish boil was a challenge because your hands would still be swollen from the salt. I'm trying to be conscious of the amount of salt (blackening seasoning, Tony's Chachere's) I cook with but once it's all logged in I am way over the amount I should be at. Any advice or tips on how to lower my sodium but not completely change the flavors that I'm use to?

I also like seasoning, and my favorite snack is Harold's Gormay Texicun Pickuls Dern Hot variety, which I've calculated to deliver about 300 mg sodium for each little 3/4 inch slice of pickled cucumber. As you may guess, my preference in spice is in the heat. This can easily be accomplished without sodium. First things first, though. Be aware that most chicken you buy in stores or restaurants in America has been injected with as much as 15% saline solution. This is a great way to increase profits when the chicken is sold by the pound, and it is a nefarious trick to foil your low-sodium goal. Fear not, though, as Perdue's HarvestLand brand of chicken includes a selection of natural chicken that has not been injected with saline. If you start using natural chicken, you immediately improve your chances of meeting your low sodium goal. My diary is open and I'm under 1500 mg sodium today. You might not want to do it the way I'm doing it, but it is possible to achieve in many ways.

Colorscheme

I do low sodium for blood pressure reasons. I manage to avoid added salt by cooking stuff at home. It also helps that MFP automatically tracks sodium, so it's easy for me. I use other spices to make up for the salt and I really can't tell the difference anymore. Like instead of salt, I'll add garlic powder, black pepper, etc.