Salt - cooking pasta.
7sorok
Posts: 112 Member
When I cook pasta, I put some salt into water. So, how to figure out how much remains in pasta after cooking? I would think that some percentage of salt stuck to pasta, but I wonder how much?
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Replies
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Why do you care?3
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You could weigh the pot, the water, the salt, the pasta, determine the weight of the water lost as steam during boiling/cooking, determine the weight lost as steam as you take the time to work out the calculations as you reweigh everything after cooking....
And after all that stress you've probably sweated out the equivalent amount...
In all seriousness, it would be negligible. If you are worried about it, don't use any.2 -
I had tried cooking without salt, but It's so bland, that it turns me off. I'm want to have my 1100-1200 cals as tasteful as possible because I want to lose weight and keep it off for the rest of my life. But you are funny, your chemistry lesson is pretty good.0
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Do you have a specific reason to track your sodium intake? If not, that's one I wouldn't worry about.1
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When I cook pasta, I put some salt into water. So, how to figure out how much remains in pasta after cooking? I would think that some percentage of salt stuck to pasta, but I wonder how much?
It's not so much that it "sticks" to the pasta as that the water that enters the dry pasta while you're cooking it is salt water. For a rough approximation (ignoring water lost as steam and the amount of salt already in the pasta, which will affect how much salt enters the pasta with the water), weigh water, salt, and pasta before cooking. Calculate the salt weight as a percentage of the weight of the water + salt solution. Weigh the pasta after cooking. Difference between uncooked and cooked pasta weight = weight of water-salt solution that entered pasta. Using previously calculated percentage for salt in the water-salt solution, determine how much of the increased weight in the cooked pasta is salt.
It doesn't seem worth it to me.0 -
This is deep insight, but don't try to eat below 1200 calories unless you're also below 5 feet.I had tried cooking without salt, but It's so bland, that it turns me off. I'm want to have my 1100-1200 cals as tasteful as possible because I want to lose weight and keep it off for the rest of my life. But you are funny, your chemistry lesson is pretty good.
Don't worry about minor details. What's minor details, depends on your specific situation. Has your doctor told you to reduce/limit salt? If not, use enough salt to make your food taste good.0 -
Yes, I'm below 5'. At my prime I was 5'. I'm not trying to stay away from salt per se, but with too much salt (above 1600-1800mg) I retain water and it will slow down the weight loss. I want to avoid this slow down because it's a human mentality- if you don't lose weight as you plan, you lose motivation and I definitely don't want to fight myself in motivation area. Thus this question.0
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Yes, I'm below 5'. At my prime I was 5'. I'm not trying to stay away from salt per se, but with too much salt (above 1600-1800mg) I retain water and it will slow down the weight loss. I want to avoid this slow down because it's a human mentality- if you don't lose weight as you plan, you lose motivation and I definitely don't want to fight myself in motivation area. Thus this question.
But if you're eating bland food you're not going to stay motivated either. Your weight loss may seem like it slows but your fat loss isn't. I'd stick with the salt.1 -
@7sorok, it's not a race. Your body will adjust to a consistent level of salt intake within a week and your weight loss will continue according to the CICO numbers. Sodium is a necessary electrolyte your body needs to function properly. If you don't have specific risk of hypertension caused by high sodium levels, there's no reason to worry yourself about sodium.0
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Yes, I'm below 5'. At my prime I was 5'. I'm not trying to stay away from salt per se, but with too much salt (above 1600-1800mg) I retain water and it will slow down the weight loss. I want to avoid this slow down because it's a human mentality- if you don't lose weight as you plan, you lose motivation and I definitely don't want to fight myself in motivation area. Thus this question.
You won't retain much water if you increase your water intake.0 -
Salt is good for you and healthy. We'd die without salt. Don't be afraid of it. Only those with a medical condition that requires it need to restrict salt. For those who don't have a medical condition, cutting back too far on salt can be just as dangerous as overeating salt is for those who need to eat a sodium restricted diet.1
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Yes, I'm below 5'. At my prime I was 5'. I'm not trying to stay away from salt per se, but with too much salt (above 1600-1800mg) I retain water and it will slow down the weight loss. I want to avoid this slow down because it's a human mentality- if you don't lose weight as you plan, you lose motivation and I definitely don't want to fight myself in motivation area. Thus this question.
Temporary weight gain from salt is not the same thing as weight gain from body fat. If you understand this, then seeing minor (and natural!) fluctuations on the scale should not affect you mentally nor make you lose motivation.
Unless you have a medical reason for limiting salt intake, stop majoring in the minors because that alone will cause you all sorts of demotivational grief if you tie your success or failure solely to what the scale says each day.
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I am allergic to iodine. That's a reason to avoid salt. Kidney disease is another. Otherwise, don't worry about it. (I can and occasionally do use kosher salt, which has no iodine and cooking my pasta is definitely one of those occasions.)1
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MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »I am allergic to iodine. That's a reason to avoid salt. Kidney disease is another. Otherwise, don't worry about it. (I can and occasionally do use kosher salt, which has no iodine and cooking my pasta is definitely one of those occasions.)
Would sea salt be another option for you?0 -
Yeah, there's lots of non iodized salts. (My mother read somewhere that iodized salt causes skin to break out, so bought the non iodized kind.)
Anyway, I don't log salt used in cooking (I don't add it afterwards) because what a pain, and I definitely wouldn't log salt in cooking pasta, but logging it roughly is better than not using it for cooking, IMO, unless you have a reason not to.1 -
OP don't worry about the amount of salt sticking to the pasta, worry about the amount of pasta sticking to your belly
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Thank you everybody, but I feel extremely happy with 1600-1800mg/day. I do not stress if it goes higher - so be it. The question was: how much salt cooked pasta retains. When I cook pasta let say in 1qt of water and add 1tsp of salt, I definitely can taste it as too much. I figure that my body doesn't need this much salt. That's it. The amount of 1600-1800mg is being calculated by MFP.0
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snickerscharlie wrote: »MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »I am allergic to iodine. That's a reason to avoid salt. Kidney disease is another. Otherwise, don't worry about it. (I can and occasionally do use kosher salt, which has no iodine and cooking my pasta is definitely one of those occasions.)
Would sea salt be another option for you?
Pretty sure sea salt naturally contains iodine. Iodine is added in larger amounts to regular (mined, table) salt because so many people live inland where there they don't get enough iodine from sea foods.0 -
Thank you everybody, but I feel extremely happy with 1600-1800mg/day. I do not stress if it goes higher - so be it. The question was: how much salt cooked pasta retains. When I cook pasta let say in 1qt of water and add 1tsp of salt, I definitely can taste it as too much. I figure that my body doesn't need this much salt. That's it. The amount of 1600-1800mg is being calculated by MFP.
If it tastes like too much, use less. I use between 1 1/2 quarts and 2 quarts of water to cook pasta for one or two people, and I use about a half teaspoon of salt, and it tastes fine to me, but obviously tastes vary.
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