Get the Salt Out

by Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph. D. , C. N. S.

  64 Or try Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids, a soy sauce alternative that contains 630 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon. The sodium in this condiment is a healthy source because the sodium is derived entirely from specially formulated soy protein. Unlike soy sauce, the product is not brewed or fermented, and it does not have any MSG, alcohol, chemicals, preservatives, or added salt. Therefore, Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids is particularly well tolerated even by many individuals who are afflicted with chemical sensitivities. It is worth making a trip to your local health food store to find.

  65 Miso is a fermented soy paste that has the consistency of peanut butter and is used primarily in Japanese and macrobiotic cooking as a flavorful condiment, soup starter, or spread. There are twenty-nine varieties of miso, and each one has a different flavor and degree of saltiness. Light-colored varieties such as chickpea miso usually are sweet and lower in salt, whereas darker varieties like hatcho miso have a meatier taste and higher salt content. No matter which type you choose, look for unpasteurized miso (sold in round plastic tubs in the refrigerator case in natural food stores) because it contains a wealth of beneficial natural enzymes produced by lactobacillus, yeasts, and other microorganisms that stimulate digestion. Take care not to boil miso, however, because boiling kills the live bacteria in it and diminishes its rich aroma. Miso is a potent seasoning and it does contain natural MSG, so it is best used in small amounts.

  66 Cheese should be used more as a condiment in place of salt than as one of your dietary mainstays. That is because cheese is a good source of valuable calcium, but it also can be a significant source of undesirable salt and saturated fat. To lower your salt intake, always choose natural cheese instead of highersalt processed cheese products. While even natural cheese is salty, it is still far lower in salt than most processed foods, and it is more nutritious.

  BONUS TIP: Although few people realize it because dairy products do not taste salty, dairy products are good sources of bio available sodium. Some sodium-sensitive individuals may need to limit their consumption of dairy products, especially their intake of salt-rich cheese and buttermilk. Individuals who have low-sodium levels, however, may want to increase their intake of these foods.

  67 Higher-sodium vegetables, such as celery, carrots, beets, parsley, chard, kale, and spinach, can be used to impart naturally salty flavors in cooked foods. If you have a low-sodium blood level, emphasize these foods in your diet to increase your sodium intake.

  68 Salt-free herbal seasonings are the safest and best alternatives to salt for sodium-sensitive individuals. Made from flavorful herbs that contain more minerals like potassium and magnesium than sodium, salt-free seasonings come in a multitude of tasty varieties and are a real boon for anyone trying to reduce his or her sodium intake. When choosing a seasoning, be sure to buy one that does not contain MSG in any of its various forms. (See tip 90 for more information.) One good brand to try is The Spice Hunter, which does not add MSG to any of its sixty different varieties of salt-free blends.

  69 Try making your own herbal seasoning. This way, you can be sure to avoid both salt and MSG, and you can experiment with blends that suit your tastes. Here are a few suggestions of herbal combinations that make excellent, piquant salt substitutes:

  Equal parts ground cayenne and dried mint leaves

  Equal parts dried marjoram, dried sage, ground cumin seed, and ground celery seed

  Four parts onion powder, two parts paprika, two parts garlic powder, and three parts cayenne pepper

  Two parts peppercorns, one part allspice berry, and one part mustard seed, ground in a pepper mill as needed

  Remember that freshly ground or crushed herbs and spices have the strongest flavor and aroma.

  70 Salt substitutes made with potassium chloride may sound like a good idea, but they should be avoided. Although these products do supply additional potassium in the diet, the potassium they supply is unnatural, and the body does not utilize it well. They also contain the same undesirable chemical additives found in table salt. In large amounts, potassium salts can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and ulcers, and they sometimes distort the flavor in foods and leave a bitter taste. The best way to get salt out of your diet is to use the tips in this book, not to turn to artificial replacements.

  71 Determine which kind of salt or salt alternative is best for you. One person may feel best using miso (see tip 65) or reduced-sodium tamari (see tip 63) while another may tolerate Real Salt better. Since our individual body chemistries are so different, we need to choose the sodium sources we feel best eating on an individual basis as well.

  SUPERMARKET SAVVY

  72 Shop for groceries mainly in the outer aisles of your supermarket—the produce, meat, dairy, and bulk food sections. These sections carry mostly natural foods that have little or no salt added. A grocery store’s inner aisles, however, are home to foods that are loaded with salt and sodium preservatives so they can sit on the shelf for long periods of time without spoiling. If you limit the groceries you pick up from the inner aisles and buy mostly natural foods from the outer aisles, you will automatically reduce your sodium consumption dramatically.

  73 Take trips to your local natural food store to seek out better forms of salt and salted foods. You should be able to find a wider selection of unsalted foods there as well as unrefined sea salt or Real Salt. Contrary to the beliefs of some of my clients, however, not all foods carried in health food stores are low in sodium. Though the foods carried there are usually superior alternatives to the salted foods normally found in regular supermarkets, always check the nutrition labels to be sure.

  74 Become a label reader. No matter where you buy your food, you have to pay attention to what’s in it. Don’t forget that the overwhelming majority of the salt Americans consume is “hidden” in processed foods. This means that you have to be skeptical about every food you’re thinking of buying. If you do nothing else to lower your sodium intake, read those labels and don’t let the “hidden” sodium sneak past you.

  75 Label Reading Lesson No. 1: Read the number of sodium milligrams listed on the Nutrition Facts label of the food you’re considering buying. Although sodium requirements differ for each individual, use this as a rule of thumb: focus on buying low-sodium foods—foods that have 140 milligrams or less of sodium per serving—and make these your staples. (If you need additional sodium in your diet, add extra natural salt at the table.)

  76 If it helps you to understand milligrams of sodium in terms of teaspoons of salt, remember that there are 2,000 milligrams of sodium in just one teaspoon of salt. That amount is more than sufficient for most of us in a single day. With this in mind, understand that a TV dinner that has 1,500 milligrams of sodium supplies three-quarters of that amount.

  77 Label Reading Lesson No. 2: Check the “% Daily Value” of sodium the product provides. Never buy foods that contain more than 16 percent of the Daily Value of sodium. If you’d like to emphasize Two Salt Shaker foods in your diet, buy foods that contain less than 10 percent of the Daily Value, or if you’d like to eat predominantly One Salt Shaker foods (something most of us should do), choose foods that contain less than 6 percent of the Daily Value. If you buy and eat foods with more than 16 percent, be especially conscious of the sodium levels of the other foods you eat that day

  78 Label Reading Lesson No. 3: Peruse the ingredient list and look for sodium in all its various forms. It can be listed as any of the following: baking powder, baking soda, disodium phosphate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), salt, sea salt, sodium alginate, sodium aluminum sulfate, sodium ascorbate, sodium benzoate, sodium bisulfite, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium caseinate, sodium erythorbate, sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium hydroxide, sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, sodium pectinate, sodium propionate, sodium pyrophosphate, sodium saccharin, and sodium sulfite.

  BONUS TIP: Not only are these ingredients unhealthy sources of sodium that the body can’t easily use, but many of them also are chemicals that have been proven to jeopardize ou
r health. Avoiding unnecessary chemicals in our diet is just as important as avoiding refined salt

  79 Label Reading Lesson No. 3 (Short Version): A quick way to discern sodium on the label is simply to look for the words salt or sodium in any form or for the chemical symbols Na or Nacl.

  BONUS TIP: While you’re reading the label for sodium content, pay attention to the other ingredients in the food as well If you have no idea what some ingredients are, the chances are good that your body has no idea what to do with the ingredients either. Avoid the fake foods and instead buy nutritious products that contain identifiable whole foods the body knows how to use.

  80 Label Reading Lesson No. 4: If you have high blood pressure, you should compare the milligrams of potassium a food has in relation to its sodium milligrams and choose foods that have much more potassium than sodium. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to choose high-potassium foods because most manufacturers do not voluntarily provide information about potassium content on their labels. However, some companies such as Arrowhead Mills do. This is a true service to those customers trying to reduce high blood pressure by increasing potassium intake at the same time they reduce sodium.

  81 Understand the meaning of “sodium-free” and other recently regulated terms under the FDA’s new food-labeling rules. “Sodium-free” means that the food contains negligible sodium—less than 5 milligrams per serving.

  82 “Very-low-sodium” is a nutrient claim given to foods that have 35 milligrams or less of sodium per serving. Both “very-low-sodium” and “sodium-free” are good terms to look for when your diet requires strict control of your sodium intake.

  83 “Low-sodium” refers to foods that contain 140 milligrams or less of sodium per serving. (All tips given the One Salt Shaker designation in this book meet this definition.) If you don’t know how to start reducing your sodium consumption, just begin by buying “low-sodium” foods. You can eat these foods frequently throughout the day without exceeding the FDA’s guidelines for sodium.

  84 “Light” can mean several things under the FDA’s new labeling regulations. When referring to sodium, “light” can signify low-calorie, low-fat foods whose sodium content has been reduced by at least 50 percent. If the sodium level of a food has been reduced by one-half but the food is not low in calories and fat, the label must be specific by saying “light in sodium.”

  85 “Less” or “fewer” are terms that can help you choose foods that have been altered to contain a certain percentage less sodium than a comparable food that is normally salted. This means that a soup may contain “20 percent less sodium” than the original soup, for example.

  86 A “reduced-sodium” product contains at least 25 percent less sodium than the regular product. This applies only to products that were not low in sodium to begin with. (If you’re confused by this regulation, don’t feel badly. This rule is tricky and hard to understand even for seasoned nutritionists.) To keep it simple, remember to choose “low-sodium” foods over “reduced-sodium” foods whenever possible.

  87 “Unsalted,” “without-added-salt,” and “no-salt-added” mean that no salt was added during processing of the product and indicate that the food is usually processed with salt. (In other words, these terms would not apply to sorbets, candies, or anything that doesn’t normally contain salt.)

  88 Also look for foods that are labeled “good sources” or “high sources” of potassium, magnesium, and calcium. These three minerals are known to counteract some of the effects of a high-sodium diet and can be protective against—and even therapeutic for—both hypertension and heart disease. (To be labeled a “good source” of one of these nutrients, one food serving must supply between 10 and 19 percent of the Daily Value for that nutrient. If a food supplies 20 percent or more of the Daily Value for a particular nutrient, it legally can be called a “high source” of that nutrient.)

  89 No matter how much food labels help you select low-salt foods, understand that the best foods are the natural ones that have no labels to tout their many benefits. For example, a potato found in your supermarket produce section probably won’t have a label, but if it did, the label would claim “very-low-sodium” and “high in potassium” (not to mention “cholesterol-free” and “99% fat-free”). These all are accurate claims about the potato, but because fresh produce requires no labeling, many of us don’t know these facts.

  90 To avoid buying groceries that contain MSG (monosodium glutamate), become a supersavvy food consumer by steering clear of MSG’s other aliases. According to Russell L. Blaylock in Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills (Health Press, 1994), ingredients that always contain MSG include: hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed protein, hydrolyzed plant protein, plant protein extract, sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate, yeast extract, textured protein, autolyzed yeast, and hydrolyzed oat flour. Other additives that frequently contain MSG include: malt extract, malt flavoring, bouillon, broth, stock, and natural flavorings.

  91 Become familiar with groups of foods that are very likely to contain MSG. According to In Bad Taste: The MSG Syndrome by George R. Schwartz, M.D., these include: potato chips and prepared snacks; canned soups and dry soup mixes; canned meats; boxed dinners; prepared meals; frozen dinner entrees; salad dressings; cured meats; lunch meats; and international foods. According to Dr. Schwartz, MSG can be disguised under the following names, particularly in international foods: Ajinomoto; Zest; Vetsin; gourmet powder; Subu; Chinese seasoning; Glutavene; Glutacyl; RL-50; Mei-jing; and Wei-jing.

  92 If you’re severely allergic to MSG, call or write the manufacturer directly to find out if a food product is free of MSG.

  93 Or find reputable products in health food stores that are labeled “no MSG” or “no MSG added.”

  94 If your local grocery store doesn’t carry products that meet your needs, speak up about it! If enough consumers tell supermarket managers how unhappy they are with the high-sodium foods currently being offered, I can promise you that a more healthful variety of foods will appear. In the meantime, it’s up to you to ask for the kinds of foods you want. Request—maybe even politely insist—that the store begin to carry or at least take a special order for some of the low-sodium and MSG-free foods mentioned in this book.

  95 Never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry. This is just as basic a rule for those who consume too much salt as it is for those who consume too much sugar. If your stomach is empty as you browse the aisles, your weak adrenals will beckon you to grab high-salt and high-sugar foods that give your adrenals a quick—but artificial and temporary—lift. To avoid the trap of bringing home more salty foods than you bargained for, eat sensibly before you go shopping so you can buy sensibly when you’re there.

  LOWER-SODIUM COOKING SUBSTITUTIONS

  96 Don’t concern yourself with the sodium content of natural foods in recipes. If the food is fresh and unprocessed, the sodium content really is too small to worry about.

  97 Instead, focus your attention on avoiding salt-laden processed foods; this is the key to cutting sodium in recipes. When a recipe calls for any of the following ingredients, substitute the corresponding lower-sodium alternative:

  98 Table salt: herbs or salt-free herbal blends of your choice. (Salt-free all-purpose blends are the most common substitution.)

  99 Celery salt: celery flakes.

  100 Garlic salt: garlic powder.

  101 Onion salt: onion powder.

  102 Tomato paste: salt-free tomato paste.

  103 Tomato sauce: a tomato sauce with no salt added—or make your own by blending two cans of water with one can of salt-free tomato paste.

  104 Canned tomato juice or vegetable juice cocktail: low-sodium tomato juice or low-sodium vegetable juice cocktail. If the taste of the low-sodium version is too bland for you, make it zestier by pouring the juice into a glass bottle and adding one whole green onion and several pieces of diced celery. Let it sit for a few hours, strain it, then taste the flavorful transformation.

  105 Canned tomato
es: canned tomatoes that are salt-free or have no salt added.

  106 Soy sauce or tamari sauce: reduced-sodium soy sauce, reduced-sodium tamari sauce, or Braggs Liquid Amino Acids. (See tips 63 and 64.)

  107 Canned soup or broth: homemade or low-sodium canned soup or broth. (See chapter 4 for more information.)

  108 Cooking wine or cooking sherry: table wine or drinking wine or sherry. Most people don’t realize it, but cooking wine has added salt, an addition that is totally unnecessary because wine that is cooked into foods is tremendously flavorful all by itself. It’s interesting to note that the term “cooking wine” goes back in history to a time when wine set aside for use in food was salted to prevent the cook from drinking it.

  109 Butter or margarine: unsalted butter.

  BONUS TIP: Always choose butter in place of margarine, no matter what you may have heard to the contrary. Yes, butter does contain saturated fat, but our bodies can handle saturated fats in small amounts. Far more damaging to the human body than saturated fats are trans-fats—hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils found in products like margarine. Our bodies were not designed to handle these unnatural fats, which are now known to lower “good” HDL cholesterol levels, raise “bad” LDL levels, and increase the risk of heart disease. The French seem to prove this point: they eat butter and other forms of saturated fats but no trans-fats (and also less sugar). Consequently, they have a much lower rate of heart disease than Americans do. Excessive use of butter isn’t good either, but using a little bit of butter is far better than using any margarine.

  110 Cheese and cottage cheese: reduced-sodium cheese and low-sodium, dry-curd cottage cheese. (If cheese is eaten moderately, this substitution is not necessary for most individuals. It is helpful, however, for individuals who need to greatly reduce their overall sodium intake or for those who want to reduce the salt content in a particular meal that contains these ingredients.)