Healthy food doesn’t have to be boring…or bland. Words to live by. Like my bio says, She’s Cookin’, is about simple + seasonal, healthy recipes, plus, sharing dining experiences with a focus on restaurants with seasonal, farm-to-table menus so readers know where they can find healthy choices when dining out. Growing up on a small family farm and being the oldest in a household of 6, I learned to cook at a young age and have always eaten relatively “clean”, but the heart healthy impetus is inspired by my husband’s twelve sixteen year struggle with heart disease.
If you’ve never had someone close to you die from heart disease or are young and have yet to experience any health issues, you may wonder what exactly a heart healthy diet is. Adhering to a heart healthy diet is really the same as a cancer prevention diet or a basic healthy diet: one that is low in refined or processed sugar, low in saturated (animal) and trans fats, rich in nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, eat fish at least twice a week, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products. But there’s another matter of vital concern, for heart health and being healthy overall: the amount of sodium that the average American ingests. Sodium has come under increasing scrutiny in the past few years and has long been a silent culprit in high blood pressure and heart disease.
The American Heart Association actually recommends consuming less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day – at 2,325 milligrams per teaspoon that is less than ONE teaspoon of salt per day! According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the average American consumes 3,436 mg of sodium a day, much more than the government’s recommended daily maximum. Our bodies require sodium (about 180 to 500 mg/day) – it helps maintain blood pressure, send nerve messages and plays a role in muscle contraction, but too much has been linked to high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
One way to shake the salt habit is to cut back on the amount of table salt, however, most of the salt we consume is from restaurant and processed foods — bread has lots of salt, as do cereal and cakes, cheese and meat, and, of course, snack foods. Many of us have been conditioned with a craving for salt from the foods we ate as children and it takes time for your tastebuds to grow accustomed to the inherent flavor of foods without the pop that salt adds. Besides eliminating processed foods as much as possible, I started cooking without added salt years ago, allowing everyone (mostly me) to sprinkle sea salt to their taste at the table.
Using herbs, spices, and other flavorings is a great way to season food and lower your dependence on the salt shaker. Here are my Top 10 ways to add flavor and enhance the taste and complexity of food, along with popular recipes from the archives that you might like to try.
1. Onions and garlic: raw or cooked they complement nearly any savory dish. I especially like caramelized onions for a deeper, umami flavor in stews, soups, any braised or roasted dish, tomato based pasta sauces, burgers (beef, veggie, or turkey), meatloaf, pizza (allowing you to cut down on cheese). The umami flavor of caramelized onions work well in vegetarian and vegan dishes as well. Experiment with omitting the butter and using only sesame, avocado, olive, and grape seed oil to cook them. Since the holidays are coming up, I wanted to feature my healthy take on Green Bean casserole – that ubiquitous holiday favorite since the 50’s:
Mushroom Green Bean Casserole Redux – be gone Campbell’s mushroom soup!
2. Herbs and spices: if your spice rack consists of Italian seasoning and basil, it’s time to expand your horizons – reinvent the dishes you’ve been making for years and bust a move with a few new ones! Pick up some fresh rosemary, thyme, chives, or basil at the market or stock up on dried herbs and ground spices such as: Herbs de Provence, cumin, coriander, cayenne, lemon pepper, no-salt chili seasonings and spice mixtures for every cuisine at stores like Savory Spice Shop, where I satisfy my urge for Moroccan with Ras el Hanout and Za’atar.
Moroccan Chicken featuring Ras el Hanout
Moroccan Kefta (Meatball) Tagine with Charmoula
3. Lemon juice: not just for water or cocktails or as a salad dressing substitute for dieters, lemon juice adds a bright taste that is capable of replacing salt – the #1 culprit of bloat and water retention besides being a major contributor to high blood pressure – in a lot of foods. Oftentimes when a dish tastes flat, it needs a little acid – not salt. Add a squeeze of lemon to salads, steamed or sautéed veggies, grilled fish or chicken, sauces, and soups. Don’t limit yourself to lemon juice either – lime, orange, tangerine, and grapefruit juices are also equal contenders depending on the dish – lime is a staple in Mexican, Central American, South American, and Asian cuisines, orange and tangerine are fabulous foils for pork and game, and experiment with grapefruit juice in place of lemon (unless you’re on a statin drug).
Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken Breast – still one of the most popular recipes I’ve posted
4. Citrus and citrus zest: this includes lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit and tangerine: take that marinade up a notch and include the zest of the fruit, not just the juice. Citrus is the perfect complement to fish and seafood and citrus zest is also great in baked goods where the liquid may change the delicate composition of the recipe.
5. Vinegar – as I said previously, if a dish tastes “flat” add a dash of acid. It’s the supporting character behind many a stellar sauce, salad dressing, marinade, salsa, or chutney. Vinegars are far more versatile than you (or I) ever suspected. If cost per ounce were calculated they are the ultimate flavor enhancer – stock up on white balsamic, apple cider, balsamic, rice, red wine, white wine, and champagne vinegars.
Pear Vinaigrette using rice vinegar proved to be very versatile and received rave reviews on my Grilled Pluot & Mozzarella Salad
6. Infused oils: a wonderful replacement for butter, salted butter, and soy sauce or to add another layer of flavor beyond extra virgin olive oil. I frequently use truffle oil, blood orange oil, Meyer lemon oil, chili oil, garlic-infused oil, and oils infused with Asian flavors which have far less sodium than soy sauce.
Wilted Kale, Caramelized Squash, and Onion Salad
7. Beer and Wine: use beer and wine (and even coffee) to add flavor to stews, soups, chili, pasta sauces, and braised dishes on their own or instead of broth. Avoid all canned soups – they are loaded with sodium. Canned or boxed broth or soup base, unless you make your own at home, is high in sodium – even the low-sodium varieties can be too high for someone on a restricted sodium diet, unless one serving, which is usually considered 1/2 cup (read labels), is all you’re going to consume.
Guinness Beef Stew flavored with marrow and Guinness Stout
8. Salsa and chutney – whether traditional tomato-based, sweet seasonal fruit, or a combination of the two, they are a colorful, fresh flavored accompaniment to grilled meats, fish, omelets, a wide-range of appetizers, cheese plates, chips and crudités. Homemade salsa and chutney are actually quite easy to make, you’ll wonder why you’ve never bothered.
Hoppin’ John Salsa – great with chips, on nachos, with eggs – you name it!
9. Chiles and Peppers – low sodium fare does not have to taste bland, if you crave highly seasoned food there’s no better way to get that punch than with chiles and peppers, whether you like them mild or packing some heat, add them freely.
Enchiladas with Hatch Chile Sauce
10. Mushrooms – add a meaty, satisfying flavor to vegetarian and vegan dishes and can provide that elusive umami taste to Asian-inspired dishes without sodium-loaded soy sauce by using a mixture of caramelized onions and mushrooms sautéed in a sesame oil/vegetable oil combination with a dash of balsamic vinegar. You can eliminate soy sauce, oyster sauce, worcestershire sauce, and other high-sodium condiments with natural umami flavors.
I hope these 10 tips for readily-available, natural salt substitutions will inspire you to reprogram your taste buds and begin cooking with more flavor and less salt and to pay closer attention to the foods you are consuming. If you have any questions about the recipes or methods, please leave a comment and I’ll be glad to help. AND, if you like this post, please pin the collage above to one of your Pinterest boards for future reference.
I love all the ways you can add flavor without sodium – I have tons of spices and love using fresh herbs, lemon juice, and lots of onion, garlic, bell pepper, and celery.
While I use all of these ways to spice up my meals, I never thought of them as sodium replacements. Just as flavor enhancers. Great post!
Hi Matt – if that’s the case, then you’re already on your way to eating healthier 🙂
Great suggestions…I love salty foods, but they make me puffy. NOT a good look. I need to do a slow wean and your ideas will be most helpful!
I know the feeling, Liz :/ They say you either crave salt or sweet – I’m definitely a salt, too. Slow weaning is the way to go!
It’s my first time here and I got here through Nami’s blog. I love your blog! Just looking at those delicious meals made my mouth water!
Thank you! I’m glad you found me via Nami (love her) 🙂
We are always looking for ways to cut out excess sodium in our diet, this is a very helpful post! It is amazing how much the average daily intake is, pretty scary. We stopped buying already made soup, we only make soup now. The sodium in store bought soup freaked us out. Take care, Hugs, Terra
What a fantastic and thorough roundup, Priscilla. I love them all, but especially the Moroccan Kefta Tagine with Charmoula !!! Yes. Bookmarked the post for future making!
I LOVE this post! I always season well so no one will ever have to add extra salt, ut I love these substitutes for it! I can’t wait to try some dishes with them in lieu of salt!
This is such a great post. So informative!! As your resident taster I
approve! 🙂
where do you include the Na/serving for these recipes?
Hi Diane – click on the photos to go to the recipe. Sorry, but I have not run them through a nutritional analysis, but know that they are low sodium because no salt is added in the form of seasoning, only fresh or frozen produce, and what few canned products I use are no-salt added. There is some sodium that occurs naturally in the meat.
None of these suggestions (except perhaps citrus and lemon juice,) offer anywhere close to the immediate kick of salt, combined with the freedom of being able to sprinkle it on just about anything. You can’t put mushrooms on your popcorn, nor would you want to. We need a real solution to this issue.
Hi Ken – When your physician mandates a low sodium diet, you have to change your eating habits and adjust to not relying as much on salt to enhance the flavor of food. It definitely takes time to adjust your taste buds to less salt. The salt intake of Americans is far above the AHA recommended amount, largely due to the amount of processed and fast food that we eat. Cooking at home and not using processed (boxed or canned) foods is a huge step in the right direction. You can still sprinkle a little salt on your food, especially if none or very little has been used in cooking. If you’re looking for a substitute that can be sprinkled there is always No-Salt and Lo-Salt which substitute potassium for sodium. For popcorn in particular, Bragg’s makes a kelp seasoning that is quite good and there are lots of other spice blends that are salt-free that you could try as well.