“SALT, SALT, SALT”
THE NAKED TRUTH VS THE WELL DRESSED LIE!
Sodium/salt is not and I repeat IS NOT A FLAVOR!!! I could end this blog on that note but what fun would that be. Over the years we’ve sat at dinner tables and uttered the words “the food is bland and needs some salt” or “I can’t taste anything, can you pass the salt.” We need not pass the salt, we should pass on the salt and here is why.
Our bodies need sodium to function daily, the human minimum requirement for sodium in the diet is about 500 mg per day - A low sodium diet is a diet that includes no more than 1,000 to 1,500 mg of sodium per day. Sodium is an essential electrolyte that helps maintain the balance of water in and around your cells. It's important for proper muscle and nerve function. It also helps maintain stable blood pressure levels. Insufficient sodium in your blood is also known as hyponatremia.
Let’s break this down. What does 1000 mg a day look like compared to a table spoon. So 1000mg of salt = 0.06 tablespoon or 3/50s tablespoon, now if we break this down and divide a tablespoon into 50 sections and take 3 sections.... you can see where I am going with this. This is your daily amount and if you are a salt lover you can see where you need to make some adjustments. Although the phrase “a pinch of salt” or “a grain of salt” comes from bad mid evil food times. We should take this into consideration when dressing our food. A pinch is all you need.
Here is the problem with even adding a pinch of salt to your food. Since sodium is required by all life to exist, it is naturally found in all foods and does not need to be added.
It can be surprising which foods contribute the most salt to our diets. Some foods that we eat every day are not necessarily high in salt but because we eat plenty of them they contribute a lot to our daily salt intake. As mentioned salt is naturally present at low levels in all foods but around 80% of our salt intake is hidden in processed food and the rest comes from salt added during cooking and any salt added at the table.
HEALTHY TIPS:
- Add Cook By Color healthy flavors to your food without salt
- Don’t add salt to your foods as you will over index your daily healthy amount because they naturally already have them.
SALT SUBSTITUTES TIPS:
- Mint
- Rosemary
- Nutmeg
- Basil
- Cardamon
- Chilli / Cayenne
- Cinnamon
- Chives
- Coriander
- Dill
- Cumin
- Ginger
- Oregano
- Paprika
- Parsley
- Sage
- Tarragon
- Thyme
- Turmeric
Here are foods high in sodium include table salt, sauces, salad dressings, cured meats, bacon, pickles, bullion, instant soup, roasted salted nuts, snacks, fast foods, and canned foods, milk, celery, beets
Foods that are often high in salt
|
Anchovies Bacon Cheese Chips (if salt added) Coated chicken e.g. nuggets Corn snacks e.g. Wotsits Gravy granules |
Ham Noodle snacks pots Olives Pickles Potato snacks e.g. Hula Hoops Prawns Salami |
Salted and dry roasted nuts Salt fish Sausages Smoked meat and fish Soy sauce Stock cubes and bouillon Yeast extract e.g. Marmite |
Foods where some brands are high in salt
|
Baked beans Biscuits Burgers Breakfast cereals Bread and bread products Cakes and pastries |
Cooking sauces Crisps Filled pasta Pasta sauces Pizza Potato croquettes |
Ready meals Soup Sandwiches Sausages Tinned pasta Tomato Ketchup |
Foods that are low in salt
|
Breakfast cereals* e.g. Shredded Wheat Couscous Eggs Emmental Fresh fish Fresh meat and poultry Fromage frais |
Fruit and Vegetables (dried, fresh, frozen and tinned)** Homemade bread* Homemade sauces* Homemade soup* Mozzarella Pasta and Rice Plain cheese spreads |
Plain cottage cheese Plain popcorn Porridge oats Pulses (peas, beans, lentils)** Ricotta Seeds Unsalted nuts Yogurt |
* with no added salt
** choose tinned products with no added salt
Artist image credit: (IG) @groehrs