Confessions of a salt fiend.

finchest
finchest Posts: 245 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
Since beginning to track my meals on MFP, i realized i have a serious sodium dependency!! I am trying to keep an eye on this, and when I stay within the daily limit, I notice the weight comes off MUCH easier. But what do you do to keep your sodium down, besides cook from scratch with lots of dried spices for flavor?

Any filling, sodium free snack suggestions?
For long time sodium watchers, does the craving EVER go away??

Let me know what works for you - I'm trying to kick the habit, but I can't help but notice all my favorite foods (like miso soup) are off the charts with the stuff.
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Replies

  • jenj1313
    jenj1313 Posts: 898 Member
    Mmmmm... miso soup is almost as good as Ramen :-)

    I know I like salty foods, and am noticing that EVERYTHING seems to have salt added now that I'm logging. I'm not sure I can speak to whether the craving goes away, but I will say that since I've been trying to cut back on it, I notice that I am starting to taste the salt in things more.

    For instance, I was eating my typical can of tuna today for lunch when I noticed that it tasted salty to me... and, yep, there on the ingredient list: they add salt. I never would have known or guessed that before.

    I find that most of my salt intake seems to come from "convenient" foods (lean cuisine, tuna, lunch meat), so yes, it seems that cooking from scratch is the way to go. I cook with sea salt and don't worry too much about it unless I'm running super high on my sodium count anyway. BUT, I cook a lot for pot lucks for work and we've got a few people who have heart issues, so I try not to cook with salt when I'm doing that. I just put in a TON of Ms. Dash and it really seems to work.

    So maybe there's hope.
  • SPBROOKS68
    SPBROOKS68 Posts: 561 Member
    LOVE salt and have a serious lemon covered in salt craving (I eat at least 2 lemons per day). Dr. says no big deal as I drink a lot of water.
  • juliekaiser1988
    juliekaiser1988 Posts: 604 Member
    I have low blood pressure, so doc told me a few weeks ago: "make sure you eat plenty of salt and get some caffeine each day".... NO PROBLEM, DOC!!!
  • mrselanco2268
    mrselanco2268 Posts: 38 Member
    This is an area where I struggle. I consume too much sodium and have to make it a goal not to go overboard. I don't salt my food anymore but have been eating out the past week. I am so thankful for this website because now I can keep track of my daily sodium intake. I have been drinking plenty of water. Thank you for starting this post and I want to thank everyone for their helpful responses as well.:happy:
  • mrselanco2268
    mrselanco2268 Posts: 38 Member
    Julienne, your stats are amazing...Wow!!!
  • dfborders
    dfborders Posts: 474 Member
    I use the Morton Lite Salt so that I make sure to get the iodine from salt but less sodium and if I do eat canned food (i.e. black beans, kidney beans, etc.) I opt for low-sodium. I don't eat canned veggies and am very careful when buying out of the frozen food section to look at the back of the packages and I buy fresh veggies on the weekends and then grill them on Sunday afternoon and once cool throw them in the fridge for throughout the week. When I cook I also use about half or third-less salt than a recipe calls for. If it needs more salt after cooking I can add it. I have also cut way down on the amount of cheese I eat and when I do eat cheese I eat stronger cheeses so that I get all the cheesey flavor. Good Luck this is a major stumbling block for me as well.
  • flyingwrite
    flyingwrite Posts: 264
    I cook most of our food from scratch, but you can find low-sodium options. Goya and Bush's both make low-sodium beans. In fact, you can get a lot of canned foods now that have reduced sodium or no salt added. But if you eat a lot of processed or fast foods, you won't be able to control the sodium. Once you reduce the sodium though, you'll be able to taste the other flavors in the food. I cook a lot with lemon/lime juice and fresh herbs. It's amazing how wonderful food actually tastes when you take salt off the table. And yes, the cravings will go away (mine have at least).
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    Yes, the craving does go away. Matter of fact, once you get away from so much salt, a lot of processed foods will taste too salty to you.

    I used to get a McDonalds hamburger and put salt and ketchup on it and extra salt on the fries. Now I don't even like how salty they taste without the extra salt.
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
    I'm a serious salt addict too. I don't eat any processed food, and this has helped lower my intake tremendously. Sodium is a preservative, so it hides in places you wouldn't expect...like boxed bicuits/cookies.

    I cut down the salt I add to my recipes by more than 50%, and for about a week my food tasted really bland. After a while, my taste buds adjusted, and now I'm quite sensitive to salty food. I still love it, but need less to taste it.


    I've also started omitting salt completely from things like grilled meat, and just adding some high quality salt flakes at the table. Something like fleur de sel, makes a big impact with a lower sodium content.
  • Pifflesmom
    Pifflesmom Posts: 134 Member
    When I first started on this, I was ASTOUNDED as to what had copious amounts of sodium in it. 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce is something like 450 mg. Soup - good GOD! Can't even eat that now...even the low sodium stuff. 2 pieces of healthy bread - 400 mg...it's amazing. And not in a good way.

    I love my 'salty foods' - you can keep your cake and cookies, but give me a bag of chips and...sigh.

    What I am finding is that I can really taste the salt in food now - I never salted my food, but never noticed it. Now, there are some things I used to adore that I really don't eat anymore because they taste too salty. So, to answer your question - I don't think it goes away, but as you learn to eat differently, you will find that some foods taste differently.

    My absolute FAVOURITE seasoning is called SPIKE - I add it to everything (on popcorn - YUM!) and it helps.

    Good luck!!!
  • OcchiBluToo
    OcchiBluToo Posts: 5
    I just updated my food diary and didn't notice that it tracked sodium.

    Am I not looking in the right place? I ate a lot of convenience foods this past week and I'm concerned.

    Thanks.
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    I just updated my food diary and didn't notice that it tracked sodium.

    Am I not looking in the right place? I ate a lot of convenience foods this past week and I'm concerned.

    Thanks.

    It's under your settings. Then select Update Diary Settings and choose which nutrients to track.
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
    I know your feelings all too well. I've never been very into "sweets" but my GOD I love anything salty and savoury.
    Im over my sodium nearly every day, too ):
  • sherrybaby81
    sherrybaby81 Posts: 257 Member
    LOVE salt and have a serious lemon covered in salt craving (I eat at least 2 lemons per day). Dr. says no big deal as I drink a lot of water.
    Do you not get enamel issues with your teeth? Once I had a lime craving, and ate I think 3 limes a day for a week. Totally messed up my teeth and made them feel soft and fuzzy for a good 2 weeks after.

    I also have a major sodium dependency. I like salty things and I never knew how much sodium I was eating until I started tracking it and thought, holy crap! If I eat that much NOW I hate to know how much I was eating before tracking my foods and eating better...most of my food was pre-packaged. Right now my issue is with Old El Paso fajita seasoning on stir fried veggies. So much sodium in the seasoning but SO GOOD!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    Sodium is also tracked by Default on the Printable Version of your Food Diary (click the orange button at the bottom of your food diary.) So you could track something else on the main page, sodium will always be on that printable page.
  • finchest
    finchest Posts: 245 Member
    I never knew how much sodium I was eating until I started tracking it and thought, holy crap! If I eat that much NOW I hate to know how much I was eating before tracking my foods and eating better...

    Ha! My sentiment *exactly*!

    i don't (and never have) added additional salt to any recipes -- I actually thought I *did* have a low sodium diet! (I was wrong.) but i have added vegetable broth to many, many recipes (even simple things like rice / quinoa) and everything just seems so much less flavorful without it. It's nice to know that many of you seem to have adjusted...
    i agree, sneaky salt is hiding in all sorts of places!!
    i'm going to look into that "Spike" stuff - it looks like they make a low sodium version. Has anyone tried it??

    Any low sodium / sodium-free snack suggestions that satisfy the cravings? I'd love to hear 'em.

    Any good low sodium broths? I loved "better than bouillon's reduced sodium" vegetable base, but then realized it has EXACTLY the same amount of sodium as other brands' "normal" - must be why it tasted so good to me.

    Thank you all, for your feedback and support!
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    You and I...we understand each other. On top of my massive sodium intake, I salt almost every (non sweet) food I eat. I'm terrible.
  • glittersoul
    glittersoul Posts: 666 Member
    I noticed that you can use onion powder in a lot of stuff and it seems to work w/o having to add any salt.
  • Dauntlessness
    Dauntlessness Posts: 1,489 Member
    Pumpkin seeds! They are so salty but only have 10 mg of salt on them. I have no idea how they do it...lol
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    But what do you do to keep your sodium down, besides cook from scratch with lots of dried spices for flavor?

    Pretty much just this. My snacks tend to be fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese sticks, Luna bars. I cook the majority of our meals myself, we eat salad with dinner 3-4 nights a week (mainly with pasta dinners) and have lots of vegetables in the other meals. The only reason I'm having a hard time keeping sodium down right now is because I'm having to eat close to 3000 calories (because of breastfeeding) and because I'm eating more processed foods than I usually do.
  • a5sk1ck
    a5sk1ck Posts: 21
    Salt addict here. I've done a tremendous amount of change to my diet but not reaching for that sea salt tub is still harder than an hour of workout.
  • amanda8o
    amanda8o Posts: 352 Member
    I was so bad with my salt before I started here I had gotten into the habit of salting everything before even tasting it,it still amazes me how much sodium simple foods have in them,I love olives but man I really gotta watch how many I eat now I couldn't believe how much salt was in them,I can only imagine how much salt I was eating before MFP!!
  • c3js80
    c3js80 Posts: 82 Member
    And another salt field. I managed to lose 50 pounds without giving it up. I know I should, but haven't yet. I'm one of those people who salt their food before I even taste it. Bad, bad, bad.
  • sun33082
    sun33082 Posts: 416 Member
    Sodium is also tracked by Default on the Printable Version of your Food Diary (click the orange button at the bottom of your food diary.) So you could track something else on the main page, sodium will always be on that printable page.

    Somehow I never noticed the printable version of the diary! Not that I would print it, but it is nice that you can run a report and see all those details on one page!
  • OcchiBluToo
    OcchiBluToo Posts: 5
    I just updated my food diary and didn't notice that it tracked sodium.

    Am I not looking in the right place? I ate a lot of convenience foods this past week and I'm concerned.

    Thanks.

    It's under your settings. Then select Update Diary Settings and choose which nutrients to track.

    THANK YOU! That's a big help!
  • OcchiBluToo
    OcchiBluToo Posts: 5
    Sodium is also tracked by Default on the Printable Version of your Food Diary (click the orange button at the bottom of your food diary.) So you could track something else on the main page, sodium will always be on that printable page.

    Thank you very much for your help.
  • finchest
    finchest Posts: 245 Member
    Happy to hear i'm not alone in the battle against salt! Any other tips or tricks, I'd love to hear them. Lately I've been dousing everything in SPICY SPICE to make up for lack of salt. And pepper. A lot of pepper.
  • Tajdancer
    Tajdancer Posts: 82 Member
    I've (finally!) learned to cook dried beans, opt for low-sodium versions of canned tomatoes, and use fresh or frozen vegetables. Seldom add salt to my cooking, use Salt Sense on the table. Herb-Ox makes a sodium-free broth powder.

    Rinse all your canned stuff, including tuna. Here's an article about how much salt you can eliminate by doing so:

    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat/chat-leftovers/chat-leftovers-salt-down-the-d.html
  • moonsforeyes
    moonsforeyes Posts: 228
    Avoid processed foods, especially things frozen! They are loaded with sodium. Soup as delicious as it is is also loaded with sodium. Frozen waffles, lean pockets, etc.

    Great snacks low in sodium: nuts, fruits, vegetables, nut butters, whole grains, dark chocolate
  • newve
    newve Posts: 82 Member
    bump
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