I have found myself eating way better in the last few months but the biggest thing I struggle with is salt... is there anything I can substitute salt with? I have always been the one to cook in my house not because my wife cant cook but because I enjoy it. one of my biggest problems so far in the kitchen though, is that I like salt. all my food taste really bland when I don't use it. I have read over and over that salt causes water weight. any advice would be greatly appreciated.
sodium or salt intake
- Thread starter comquick
- Start date
I put myself through college as a Sous Chef. I learned from a very good chef that salt is rarely needed in cooking. If you start with the items you don't realize that have salt you can slowly remove it from your diet. Salted butter can be replaced with non salted butter. Most items that you bake do not need it. Cookies, breads, bars etc. Secondly, you can always season to taste with salt. That means you can add salt at the table. My wife loves the shit. I don't use it. we purposely leave it out when we are seasoning and then each adds desired amount.
Some ways that I have found you can avoid adding salt. Spicier foods. for me more pepper needs less salt. When i marinate i use a dash of soy and Worcestershire sauce and skip salt for beef, and use an stronger herb for chicken, like lemon pepper or thyme. for me it's like sugar. The more you remove at once the more you miss it. but if you slowly tune it down you won't even notice it.
I ate corn on the cobb a couple days ago with no salt. My family thought it was crazy but it was actually good.
calmb4dastorm
Moderator
I agree with the rationale RAM gave you, decreasing the amount of sodium taken in is better than bring intake to a halt all of sudden. I was a salt maven when my other half and met 4 years ago. I truly like the way salt tastes and cooked with it and added more at the table. However, he did not like salt cooked in food, he'd rather add it to suit his taste. It was trying for me to change what I had always done. I slowly decreased adding salt during my cooking process, bought tons of other seasonings and spices to use and now, I rarely even add it the table now. My taste for it began to decrease with time as I minimized the use of it. Yes, sodium causes our body to retain water.
my diet has changed so much already. I just left the grocery store and it was like $300.00 . my wife says man I cant believe how much it costs to eat healthy. just the veggies and fruits were a lot. shes going threw the withdraws already lol. Me on the other hand I love eating healthy. I eat anything at all with the exemption of sushi. I eat all veggies cooked or raw, all fruits, all beans, and all meats.. Not pickey at all. But my weakness is SALT. I eat it on everything even most fruits. watermelon , oranges, apples, canalope, and all veggies no exceptions. so it is really hard for me to stop cold turkey per say lol. but I am trying to reduce it by more than half.
calmb4dastorm
Moderator
So much more expensive to eat healthy! I thought I was the only one that felt that way.!
M
Mister A
Guest
Like Ram, I cut my teeth working as a cook under some good chefs and one famous one actually. I was a grill cook in San Francisco and New York and I learned early on that cooking is about bringing out the natural flavors of a food rather than masking it with added flavors. Every type of meat has sodium in it already and with my body type, adding a little bit of salt means Ill be bloated. I use the sodium free seasonings, but Im mostly about cooking a juicy piece of meat that doesnt need much. The only reason Ill add some paprika or chili powder to my chicken is because Im always eating my meals cold while at work and even Emeril cant make a cold grilled cutlet taste juicy.
Im part of that party as well!
I think its why obesity is such an issue in the US. Many folks that are on a limited income or are using federal aid for food can only buy processed junk because it has a much longer shelf life. I know this for a fact after visiting my sister in Kansas last year. 5 years ago she and my father were hit head on at 70mph by someone texting and driving. My father died (he was 81) and my sister took 80% of the force on the drivers side. She ended up having both of her legs amputated because they were crushed beyond repair. The trauma of the accident and the injuries left her on disability. She gets food stamps for herself a whopping $200 a month. Fresh produce and meats are very expensive, so she buys TV dinners, and just overall junk. She was obese before the accident (4'10" and 290 pounds)..when I saw her last year she was 325+ pounds. It was sad....I went out and bought her $400 worth of frozen veggies and fruit and stocked the freezer full of meat. I also signed her up for a farmers co-op so she gets a bushel container full of various in season fruits and veggies every week delivered to her house. She ended up staying in my Dad's house, which was creepy to sleep there...without my Dad.