Ideas for salty tasting foods, without the actual sodium!

devan33

So..I got my sister to get on this wagon with me. I don't know if she is 100% ready. I am trying to help her with ideas of things that I have used that have been helpful... but her food requirements and tastes are different than mine. SHe needs ideas for things that aren't sweet for breakfast or a snack..sweet things upset her stomach certain times of the day. What are foods that she can get the sense of something that is salty..without the added sodium that she doesn't need??? Thanks for any suggestions!!!

ltlemermaid

unsweet breakfast ideas:

steel cut oatmeal
sausage/biscuit
eggs and bacon
english muffin with peanut butter
cottage cheese
plain greek yogurt


Unsweet snacks:
granny smith apple
cheese stick
unsalted nuts-almonds, cashews
pretzels
air popped popcorn
veggies and hummus


As for salty foods--if it tastes salty its going to have sodium in it...I love to use 21 seasoning salute from trader joe's to season my food--adds a lot of flavor without the salt. goes great on everything!

MeeshyBW

Nothing tastes like salt apart from salt in my opinion.

You need salt in a lot of foods to enhance the flavour but it's just about having it in moderation.

For example there is no way I could eat eggs without a touch a salt. My view is you are better adding salt than buying a pre-prepared product with salts such a bacon or turkey bacon.

Is she not allowed slat full stop or has she just got to limit it?

Firefox7275

For flavouring meals I might use: no added salt yeast extract, reduced salt vegetable bouillon powder, South Asian dry spice blends or olive tapenade (all but the first one do contain some salt but the other flavours 'boost' the effect). Lo Salt is worth considering to use in place of table salt - it contain potassium as well as sodium. Some salty foods are nutritious enough to be worth having IMO, for example olives, traditional mature cheeses or oily fish.

srpm

I have noticed that sour foods usually help settle my cravings for salty food. Sometimes the un-salted versions do too.

I would try things like green apples, cottage cheese w/pepper, unsalted nuts, unsalted/lightly salted popcorn, citrus fruits, veggies with hummus or even a low-sodium ranch.

johloz

So..I got my sister to get on this wagon with me. I don't know if she is 100% ready. I am trying to help her with ideas of things that I have used that have been helpful... but her food requirements and tastes are different than mine. SHe needs ideas for things that aren't sweet for breakfast or a snack..sweet things upset her stomach certain times of the day. What are foods that she can get the sense of something that is salty..without the added sodium that she doesn't need??? Thanks for any suggestions!!!

I've heard that lime juice is registered in the same tongue receptors that salt is. From my experience, if I squeeze a little lime juice on/in something, I don't seem to crave nearly as much salt.

devan33

She deff needs to limit it. It's going to be a hard transition for her to learn all the new ways of cooking and snacking. She works full time and a single mom to a picky eater. I think she has used a lot of quick cook boxed meals (as I used to) and the sodium she has eaten over the years has been bad for her..So I think once I can hep her figure out better choices that she really likes, she will be able to do well

devan33

I am passing all this info on to her and making sure she reads this thread! Thanks everyone!

Firefox7275

She deff needs to limit it. It's going to be a hard transition for her to learn all the new ways of cooking and snacking. She works full time and a single mom to a picky eater. I think she has used a lot of quick cook boxed meals (as I used to) and the sodium she has eaten over the years has been bad for her..So I think once I can hep her figure out better choices that she really likes, she will be able to do well

Slow cooker/ crock pot, I can chuck a meal together in under five minutes.

kdiamond

I season my meat/veggies with Mrs. Dash salt free flavors, some of them are pretty good!

jdooks

In all honesty, unless you have a sodium sensitivity issue, salt intake really isn't something to be concerned about as long as you remember to have a good daily intake of potassium (lots of broccoli, lots of bananas, etc.). If you were lacking in potassium, that's basically the same as taking in too much salt.

devan33

LOVE Mrs Dash...I use it on all my chicken/turkey..haven't tried any on beef.

OUr family has a history of heart issues and high blood pressure...our mom passed away at 48..mostly due to her health and her obesity...

cwolfman13

I'm assuming some issues with hypertension and thus the reason for watching the sodium. I'm in the same boat. Unfortunately, all you can do is limit it and learn to live without it. That means way...way...way less processed foods, which includes a lot of those salty snacks that I so used to love. This means not adding salt to much of anything, and if you do, it's very, very, very little. For those times when you do add salt, use a coarse grain salt rather than iodized.

I'll be honest here and not sugar coat anything...it is extremely difficult. Sodium is in everything...and I mean everything. Watching sodium intake pretty much requires a whole sale change of what you eat and how you think about food. A lot more whole foods...fresh veggies and fruits...unsalted nuts, etc. Steer clear of lunch meats and the like and buy whole meats and cook them yourself and slice up for sandwhiches and the like. On that note, if she's eating white bread she should switch to a whole grain...generally less sodium...at that, she's still going to have to watch it. A sandwhich can really throw my sodium off for the day sometimes and I have to really make the effort to switch out some of my other foods.

Let's face it, sometimes it really can't be avoided, but you have to make the effort to do the best you can. I can't always make my own broth for soups and sometimes I have to buy it...I buy the lowest sodium stuff I can find. Same goes for canned goods...loaded with sodium, so you have to watch it. Look for no sodium added...sometimes hard to find so just go for the lowest sodium possible. Again, you have to limit consumption of these foods. Even things that you just wouldn't expect to have a lot of sodium are loaded with the stuff. I eat a lot of cottage cheese to help me with my protein goals and, you guessed it...most cottage cheese is loaded with sodium. I finally found one that is reasonably low sodium called Nancy's low fat cultured cottage cheese. Definitely pricier than the Fieldcrest 2% I was buying before, but about 1/2 the sodium content.

Watching sodium also requires a lot of home cooking...I mean like pretty much 95% or more home cooking. Eating out, even at good high quality restaurants can put you over your sodium goals in one meal. I cook with very little salt and a lot more herbs and spices these days for flavor. I won't lie...it was difficult at first and my taste buds really felt like they were missing out...but the longer I've done this, the more I've enjoyed food that is actually flavored with herbs and spices. Now when I have something overly salty or eat out or something I'm always like, "WTF...did they just dump a crap load of salt on here and call it good or what?"

A couple of other tips...look for ways to get more potassium. Potassium and sodium have a symbiotic relationships. A lot of people who have issues with salt are generally not getting enough potassium. Unfortunately, while sodium is very easy to come by, it's actually pretty difficult to meat your potassium requirements. Also, exercise goes a long way as you can get a lot of sodium out of your system via sweat and cardio in general helps to regulate blood pressure. Also, lots of water...like more than the 8 cups recommended...I easily drink double that per day.

Even when closely watching my sodium I find it to be pretty difficult. I've set my goals to 2,300 MG as per the American Heart Association guidelines, but try to stay below that. I'm usually around 1,700-2,000 MG, but I do have days that I go over...sometimes substantially, but I try to make those few and far between.

Feel free to add me or have your sister add me; my diary is open to my friends.

jdooks

Yup, what I said about sodium as I have stated, applies to people without sodium sensitivities. If sodium causes hypertension, that is considered a sodium sensitivity Just like how people with caffeine sensitivities should not take in caffeine.

However, please keep in mind that the health concerns with sodium is really ultimately linked with the sodium and potassium balance. Having a potassium deficiency is the same as having too much sodium. Broccoli, bananas, great ways to up your potassium levels.

devan33

Thank you!! All great advice! I don't know if she has added any other friends yet or not...I have been using the phone app, but we both just started the online version yesterday.

Acg67

So..I got my sister to get on this wagon with me. I don't know if she is 100% ready. I am trying to help her with ideas of things that I have used that have been helpful... but her food requirements and tastes are different than mine. SHe needs ideas for things that aren't sweet for breakfast or a snack..sweet things upset her stomach certain times of the day. What are foods that she can get the sense of something that is salty..without the added sodium that she doesn't need??? Thanks for any suggestions!!!

Does she currently suffer form hypertension that she wants to limit salt?

missANWilson

http://www.cooksmarts.com/cs-blog/2012/12/superfood-challenge-brussels-sprouts-hash-recipe/

The salt is optional and it taste great without any or even a pinch

jagh09

When I was limiting my salt intake, I found that cooking with lots of fresh herbs takes the sting out of losing the salt. There will be an adjustment period for sure, as your taste buds get used to actually tasting the food flavors, not just the salt. But after a week or so, you start to really taste and enjoy the flavor of your foods!

coolraul07

...
A couple of other tips...look for ways to get more potassium. Potassium and sodium have a symbiotic relationships. A lot of people who have issues with salt are generally not getting enough potassium. Unfortunately, while sodium is very easy to come by, it's actually pretty difficult to meat your potassium requirements.
...

My go-to sources for quick potassium boost:
• LOW SODIUM V-8 juice: about 800-900mg per 8 oz serving, yet only 50 cals
• OJ: mine is ~450mg per 8 oz serving, ~120 cals
• Large bananas are roughly equiv to OJ with fewer cals
• Large baked potato (skin ON) can easily exceed 1000mg

I used to strive for 4700mg potassium/day, but my doc let me off the hook and said, "Aim for 3500mg/day, but don't sweat it if you're a little short because potassium is not required to be listed on products. So you're probably getting more than you think."

I actually have something arguably worse that HBP; I have pressure regulation problems, high and low. After a powerful cardio workout, it can drop as low as 80s-over-50s! It made finding the right med mix an interesting journey on its own!