Suggestions for SALT alternative?

Rannoch3908
Rannoch3908 Posts: 177 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Everything always tastes bland to me - we eat a lot of salt and pepper in our house.

I don't want to making me retain water plus too much sodium just isn't good for you.

What are some good alternatives to keep on the kitchen table or at work for adding similar flavor to food of salt (but without the salt)?

Replies

  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 989 Member
    It depends on what you're eating. I sprinkle herbs or pepper on a lot of things but the 'what' depends on what I'm eating.
  • stevehenderson776
    stevehenderson776 Posts: 324 Member
    There are potassium based salt substitutes like NoSalt, but I believe there are similar concerns about using too much of that as sodium. So you'd probably want to look into whether or not that's a good idea for you.

    You could get a salt free Mrs. Dash variety or a bottle of flavored vinegar. Those might be better options.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    Different herbs and spices depending on the food. I second the Mrs Dash blends. Penzey has salt free mixes as well. So does McCormick.
  • Rannoch3908
    Rannoch3908 Posts: 177 Member
    Good ideas.

    I heard Mrs Dash doesn't taste like salt though - just tastes like herbs.
  • 4Phoenix
    4Phoenix Posts: 236 Member
    Only one: Table Tasty....the con: way expensive. You use a lot more of TT that you would salt to get the flavor...so I go through a lot of it.
    I purchase anyway....it helps keep me on track with my lifestyle decisions.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited October 2020
    Sure, a higher sodium than usual meal will temporary make my scale go up. But I don't worry about the salt I add to food. If I had an actual medical reason to limit salt, I'd add more herbs and spices.

    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt/

    ...the evidence linking salt to heart disease has always been tenuous.

    ...Worries escalated in the 1970s when Brookhaven National Laboratory's Lewis Dahl claimed that he had "unequivocal" evidence that salt causes hypertension: he induced high blood pressure in rats by feeding them the human equivalent of 500 grams of sodium a day. (Today the average American consumes 3.4 grams of sodium, or 8.5 grams of salt, a day.)

    ...Nevertheless, in 1977 the U.S. Senate’s Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs released a report recommending that Americans cut their salt intake by 50 to 85 percent, based largely on Dahl's work.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    Nothing really tastes like salt, but preparing food from scratch you can control it better. I’ve found using flake sea salt I use way less, mostly for finishing a dish, and it adds a satisfying crunchiness. Comparatively speaking, it’s quite a bit more expensive, but as I use it mostly for finishing a dish, I use less.
  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 631 Member
    We’ve been on a low sodium diet for years. I suggest gradually reducing the amount of salt to allow your taste buds to adjust. Eventually, you will be used to the less salt. Now we did when we eat out or at some else’s house (pre-COVID) we find everything tastes over salty.
  • Deviette
    Deviette Posts: 978 Member
    edited October 2020
    Honestly, when I stopped eating out so much/eating so much prepackaged stuff I started adding salt into my diet at home. A lot of prepackaged stuff has high levels of salt because it makes a good natural preservative.

    As long as you're not eating loads of prepackaged or processed foods or putting loads and loads of salt on your food, it's probably not in dangerous territory. Are you currently tracking your sodium intake? Is it especially high? Or are you trying to reduce your intake because "it's a healthy thing to do". I'm honestly not a fan of making things harder than they need to be. If your sodium isn't in dangerous levels then why bother restricting it, as you said, it makes stuff taste nice.

  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited October 2020
    While it's a good idea to keep an eye on your sodium intake, especially if you have high BP, often times the salt you add from the shaker isn't that big of an issue unless you are emptying, like, half the shaker onto your plate. Salt is a pretty necessary element of some dishes to make the flavors balance when you're cooking.

    The bigger issue is the amount of sodium that's already in the food as a preservative ...fast food is usually a sodium bomb, as well as a lot of prepackaged foods. If salt is a worry for you, your best bet might be to cook more meals from scratch, and limit salty snack foods like chips, pretzels, etc...Rinsing off canned foods when you can, like beans, etc, will also help.

    Eta: if things are always bland for you, it may also help to add ingredients that pack more of a punch..extra garlic, extra herbs and spices, vinegar, spicy peppers, etc..
  • tracybear86
    tracybear86 Posts: 163 Member
    Try adding acid to your dishes. Lemon, lime, vinegar, etc. A lot of times what a dish is missing is acid to lift the flavor.
  • Rannoch3908
    Rannoch3908 Posts: 177 Member
    What about Bragg Amino Acid?
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    This is my favorite! 9msuaw27r3nm.png
    Been using it daily for years. As long as you don't have kidney issues or something that causes your potassium to be really high, there are no negative effects that I've read about.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    Potassium-based salt substitutes can cause kidney problems so we avoid those. We love Mrs. Dash Herb & Garlic flavor. We also have lots of other salt free spice mixes from www.penzeys.com which even has a "salt free" tab on its search page. Lemon wedges are great. Also, start stocking salt-free condiments in your fridge. Some like Ketchup are easily available at the supermarket, for others you may want to use specialized sources like https://healthyheartmarket.com/ We almost always have their salt-free dill pickles in the house.
  • sal10851
    sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
    Salt is bad for you if you don't exercise. We need water retention to avoid dehydration during our workouts. To answer your question Mrs. Dash has some good salt free seasonings.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    edited October 2020
    Sodium only causes water retention issues if you have constant swings and/or not consuming adequate amounts of potassium and magnesium. Also, when people exercise they need greater amounts of electrolytes, which sodium is a key part of that.

    ETA: even with a low sodium diet, you can have water weight fluctuations. You can't change that. Its like changing the oceans tides.
  • Awesomizer06
    Awesomizer06 Posts: 5 Member
    If your taste buds used to salt you'll need time for your brain to adjust.
    For me I use seasonings (peppers, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder..etc) lemon or vinegar.
    These work for me I hope they will work for you as well.
    All you need is time :smile:
  • MadDogManor
    MadDogManor Posts: 1,529 Member
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  • MadDogManor
    MadDogManor Posts: 1,529 Member
    They use that on everything, as a salt substitute, here in SE Louisiana
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    edited October 2020
    HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »
    Potassium-based salt substitutes can cause kidney problems so we avoid those. We love Mrs. Dash Herb & Garlic flavor. We also have lots of other salt free spice mixes from www.penzeys.com which even has a "salt free" tab on its search page. Lemon wedges are great. Also, start stocking salt-free condiments in your fridge. Some like Ketchup are easily available at the supermarket, for others you may want to use specialized sources like https://healthyheartmarket.com/ We almost always have their salt-free dill pickles in the house.

    There has been no studies showing it CAUSES kidney problems. It exacerbates those with poor kidneys because those with kidney failure have an increase in potassium as potassium balance is regulated largely by the kidneys.

    Your body has no problem metabolizing potassium if you are perfectly healthy and no amount would be bad for your kidneys unless you are eating a whole jar at once very day.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited October 2020
    MadDogManor wrote: »
    They use that on everything, as a salt substitute, here in SE Louisiana

    I'm all about some Tony Sachere's (I have a friend from New Orleans who got me hooked on it), but Im not sure I'd call it a salt substitute. Especially since the first Ingredient is salt...
    Good stuff though, for sure.
  • spyro88
    spyro88 Posts: 472 Member
    edited October 2020
    I'm not sure about a substitute, but I have heard people say that you can quite quickly get used to having less.

    If you can just manage a few days/ weeks with less salt, it will start to taste less bland and you will get the real flavours of your food coming through more, then you will stop needing it. (Also depends what you're putting salt ON, of course, because if you are eating a lot of beige food then it will probably taste bland anyway ;) ) Good luck.
  • Jacq_qui
    Jacq_qui Posts: 443 Member
    Agree that gradually reducing it is probably the way forward. You could try tipping it in to your hand first and then sprinkle it on to your plate so you can see how much you are using? As others have said, you will soon find that you don't need to add it. Cooking from scratch will drastically reduce your salt intake too and eventually you'll be surprised at what foods you find that are actually quite salty by themselves.

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