Seasoning without salt????

Macknbee

I need your help everyone!! I have been trying to cook without salt, but I find that everything I make doesn't taste as good as it does with salt!! I was hoping any of you would give me some tips on how to season my food and cook it and have great flavors with it?? Any suggestions I can try??

Cheers,
Heather

spankywife

I use a lot of chili powder instead of salt. Also, garlic powder and onion powder.

Jennloella

I put fresh garlic, onions, or peppers in everything!!

Sherry1979

I like using garlic powder & pepper a lot, also Mrs. Dash makes some flavorful seasonings.

photorific

If you have a Trader Joe's nearby - get their "21-Seasoning Salute". It's SOOO good! (And, even fooled my salt-fiend mother when she came for dinner.)

ANeWcRe8N

I use garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, perfect pinch is salt free

PhiliciousCurves

Try Mrs. Dash seasonings! There's a varieity of flavors you can try including Garlic & Herb, Lemon Pepper, Onion & Herb, and Tomato Basil Garlic. These are my favorite flavors and I use them in vegetables, chicken, turkey and fish, plus they're all salt-free!

heatheramara

Here are a few all-purpose guides that you should find very helpful:

http://www.drugs.com/cg/seasoning-without-salt.html
http://opi.mt.gov/pdf/schoolfood/Resources/DG/Season_WOSalt.pdf
http://www.pamf.org/heartfailure/lifestyle/diet/seasoning.html

Hope This Helps,
Heather

Warwick5

Fresh herbs always work, but there are some salt substitutes available, if you really need that salt flavor. My father in-law uses AlsoSalt.

Losing2Live69

MRS. DASH!!! They have many flavors...I have fiesta lime, italian medley, cajun, perfect Italian, lemon pepper, garlic and herb, southwest chipotle, and grilling blends for steak. The are all awesome and I add them to the appropriate meal. The are all no sodium. I season my taco meat with the fiesta lime flavor. It tastes just like the regular taco seasoning...but no sodium!! I hope this helps.

earthnut

I use the freshest ingredients that I can find perferrably from the garden and get lots of exercise. these things make food not need so much salt to begin with. everything tastes better when you've gotten enough exercise

NeuroticVirgo

Mrs. Dash makes good flavors.

I use all kinds of seasonings though. My top used are garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and Italian seasoning.

If you like something with a little extra kick, my aunt put together this mix for me and OMG it sooo good. I now use it whenever I make anything with a little spice, like taco meat. Or I really like it on my chicken. I even use it to season my homemade refried beans (which I make with no salt..they come out to like 30 grams of sodium...so you can imagine the lack of flavor) .

She calls it Essence seasoning. You mix:

Paprika, 2.5 tbsp
Garlic powder, 2 tbsp
Pepper, black, 1 tbsp
Onion powder, 1 tbsp
Pepper, red or cayenne, 1 tbsp
Oregano, dried, 3 tsp, ground
Thyme, dried, 3 tsp, ground

Lauren1983

I use a lot of cayenne. I love spicy foods.

I use salt when cooking but not very much and not once its on the plate. I don't have any medical conditions which require limiting salt. I run also so I need my sodium - just not too much of it.

Thriceshy

We use Paul Prudhomme's Salt-Free seasoning for oven fries and other things, we use onion and garlic for steaks, lemon and pepper (but not salty lemon pepper) or salt-free rotisserie blend for chicken, etc. We use very little salt on things because there's so much salt in so many things.

Kris

BattyMama

I grew up in a house with out the aid of salt we used fresh herbs garlic and peppers one that we went through the most was lemon pepper lemons and limes I never liked the taste of salt

Lolyballs

try a pinch of nutmeg in your veggies. My mom's doctor told her about this and it really is great. I use it all the time and nobody knows the difference. My friend uses Mrs Dash... they have several blends. I use all kinds of herbs and spices... my spice cabinet is full and I grow a lot of herbs and dry them myself. I just grab whatever I think might work with my meal.

kunibob

Freshly ground peppercorns, garlic cloves (or powder) and onion or leek go a long way toward adding tasty flavours.

I also find that using fresh, freeze-dried or "wet" (the ones that come in tubes) herbs make a big taste impact when compared to dried. Fresh basil is my favourite: it works well with so many types of food! I look at a lot of Thai and Malay foods for inspiration for spice combinations, since they tend to have flavours that travel around the tongue when you savour a bite. Mmmm.

A tiny sprinkling of cayenne can add a bit of flavour without adding too much heat.

I tend to use a lot of low-sodium/MSG-free stocks in my cooking, which add a ton of flavour for very little salt (definitely check the label first, though. Some low-sodium stocks are actually pretty high in sodium.)

CountryDevil

I use a lot of onion, onion powder, garlic and garlic powder on things that require salt. (Just depends on the food) Mrs. Dash makes some good product that will enhance the flavor of foods quite well.

I was one of those people that has to salt everything and craved salt all the time. Since i made the switch, I don't crave salt at all.

LorinaLynn

MInced garlic, ground cumin, fresh ground black pepper, and I'm beginning to fall in love with Mrs. Dash, especially sprinkled on sliced potatoes, then baked. YUM!

Macknbee

Thanks for all of the ideas guys!! I guess I just grew up in a household where salt was used heavily!! I have used the Mrs. Dash, and they just seem to smell really good, but not taste like much... I will keep trying, something will work!!

Thriceshy

Thanks for all of the ideas guys!! I guess I just grew up in a household where salt was used heavily!! I have used the Mrs. Dash, and they just seem to smell really good, but not taste like much... I will keep trying, something will work!!

I was a heavy salt user until my teens, when I decided to swear off salt. I added salt to nothing, ate no salty snacks, and even ordered things in restaurants with no salt. By the end of 6 months, everything tasted wonderful and salt tasted like some strange chemical. I still can't eat fries with salt on them because the flavor is too strong. I recommend going "cold turkey" for a while, which will reawaken those taste buds and make it so just a little saltiness goes a long, long way.

Kris

kjpollard

just another perspective...

Salt is not bad in and of itself. It's all the processed foods we eat that have so much sodium in it. If you eat less processed stuff, you can use more salt in your homecooked food.

However, throw out table salt...it's garbage (IMO). I use Redmond's "Real salt" Its not iodized, and SO much healthier. You don't need as much. Also, the larger the granule, the bigger the pop of flavor, so a few sprinkles of large granule salt will give you more band for your buck.

HTH

Respectively, KJP

ansonrinesmith

Try just sticking with the low salt you have been doing. It's amazing how your taste buds will adjust. Soon you will taste processed foods and be disgusted with how salty they taste.
Research has shown that people actually enjoy the taste of food better, once they cut salt out.

cheri03

Love all seasonings but I do really like the Mrs Dash combos.

EecJlc

I buy Nutrasalt from Amazon.com. It's low sodium Sea Salt. It tastes like really salt though. I love it!

JuniperT

I use Mrs. Dash, she has alot of good seasoning's but I also use Epicure. They have a line of spices that have no salt in them as well and they are delicious!

crazynay96

are you trying to cut out sodium? My husband has high BP so we've cut adding salt and try to get low sodium things and we eat at home vs out 24/7 now. We use "NoSalt" which contains potassium chloride instead of sodium. I've never been a salt person (personally I'm a pepper gal!) but in cooking with it I can't tell a difference. I do not like it, however, when adding it to something that has already been cooked or to something cold. These salt substitutes are good for cooking with only, IMO. Its cheap and lasts forever - you can pick it up at any grocery store.

abyt42

In cutting out additional salt in our meals, I've added a small amount of hard cheese (parmesan, asiago, gruyere), extra fresh garlic and fresh herbs, lots of strongly flavored foods (like having extra grape tomatoes, or spinach and slivered garlic, or a dab of pesto....depending on the dish.) Instead of salting water to boil potatoes or pasta (like my mom taught me), I just don't.

Sometimes, I add a little bit of kosher salt at the table to thick, bland foods, like lentil dishes: having the salt at the surface, and in slightly larger pieces, makes the salt flavor more pronounced. However, a small sprinkle of pungent cheese (blue, feta) also works.

mamagooskie

I use mrs dash (or the equivelant of) to season most things, I also switched to half salt for times when I need that flavor. I think that sauteed veggies add great flavor to almost anything. I use applecider vinegar and lemon juice a lot and never underestimate pepper, and fresh or dried spices!!

Eventually your palate will catch up to your non use of sodium and things will start tasting better.