Help! My Food Tastes Terrible!

[brewmaster15]

Calling all culinary gurus ... I could use some help! For Health reason my wife needs to ditch the salt. Being the supportive guy I am and the one does most of the cooking I have been going the low salt no salt way, and I have to tell you its not fun. I'm not a crave salty chips guy, but a steak without some salt is just blah! :cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:

Shopping is a nightmare as well... Theres excess salt in everything! Except fruits and Veggies and meats/ poultry and fish. The veggies and fruits are fine, but the other stuff, not appetizing at all!

Its near impossible to keep your sodium down to 1500 mg day! and enjoy flavor.

So help a fellow foodie out, aside from Mrs. Dash, and Pepper.. Anyone have good lowsalt recipes or salt free seasoning ideas? Theres got to be others in the same boat here given how many people in the USA have high blood pressure!

al







Reference...https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sodium/how-much-sodium-should-i-eat-per-day
What should my daily sodium intake be?

The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults.
Because the average American eats so much excess sodium, even cutting back by 1,000 milligrams a day can significantly improve blood pressure and heart health.
And remember, more than 70 percent of the sodium Americans eat comes from packaged, prepared and restaurant foods — not the salt shaker.
On average, Americans eat more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium each day — much more than the American Heart Association and other health organizations recommend. Most of us are likely underestimating how much sodium we eat, if we can estimate it at all. One study found that one-third of adults surveyed couldn’t estimate how much sodium they ate, and more than half thought they were eating less than 2,000 mg sodium a day.
Keeping sodium in check is part of following an overall healthy eating pattern. The American Heart Association diet (https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/aha-diet-and-lifestyle-recommendations) emphasizes fruits, vegetables and whole grains; includes low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish and nuts; and limits sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages. Eating this way should help you limit your sodium as well as harmful fats.
Here are sodium-related terms you may see on food packages:



Sodium-free – Less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving and contains no sodium chloride
Very low sodium – 35 milligrams or less per serving
Low sodium – 140 milligrams or less per serving
Reduced (or less) sodium – At least 25 percent less sodium per serving than the usual sodium level
Light (for sodium-reduced products) – If the food is “low calorie” and “low fat” and sodium is reduced by at least 50 percent per serving
Light in sodium – If sodium is reduced by at least 50 percent per serv

[Filip]

Nice and informative Al. I have to admit I have never wondered about how much salt I eat and how much have I exceeded daily recommended doses in the past . My attention for food if any , was always related to carbs/prots/fats ratio .
Sorry but I don't have anything useful to give you on this subject , except my empathy and understanding of your feelings towards your new dietary routines :) .
All I can recommend from my own experience is gym, heavy Work out , a lots of WC s ( I my self practice a gallon of WC per day at least :) ) for a couple of months and you'll be able to eat whatever and whenever you want again (: .

[0Dgreen]

Al,

I too am a salt fiend...perhaps an addict. My better half rid the house of all salt usage last year with a goal of trying to keep me around longer (I'm not sure why anyone would want to do that :evilgrin:). But, she has been buying Pink Himalayan Salt and cooking with that, and I'm "allowed" to use it from a shaker on my food should I see the need/want to satisfy my taste buds.

I must admit, I haven't looked into why it might be better for me (according to her), but I notice very little difference in taste, if at all. The only thing I do know, it is more expensive...maybe it's worth looking into??

Cheers!

[rickztahone]

Al, I have no experience with this but want to pose the query, do you believe that reducing salt intake is akin to lessening sugar intake? I ask because my wife, just out of the blue decided to take her coffee black one day. No creamer, no sugar, and after about 2 weeks, she had gotten used to it. Last week, I added the smallest amount of sugar to her coffee, accidentally, I swear, and she noticed! She asked, "why is this sweet?".

During her weaning of sugar, I tried to lessen my sugar intake as well and had gotten to drinking my coffee almost black as well. I will admit, it was very difficult but I've gotten really close and am satisfied with the sugar reduction. We do not add sugar to anything else but coffee. Of course, items in the pantry will always have sugar but we (our family) are avid label readers and reduce sugar as much as possible.

I saw all of that to say this, should you continue in supporting your wife with reduction in salt intake, you too may become accustomed to lower salt intake through repetition. This, as a whole, actually makes you step back and acknowledge the fact that you (in general) were consuming so much of said product.

In the end, we all want to eat healthier, and many of us know what needs to be done but don't have the will to do it. We, as parents can set an early example on how to eat healthier to our children, which in all honesty, is an absolute necessity in this day and age with so many unhealthy processed foods.

Please feel free to share your journey, I am almost positive, many of us here need to keep reading this thread and its progress.

[LizStreithorst]

Have you looked into the DASH diet, Mr Sabetta?

[bluelagoon]

I sometimes use this,but then potassium levels will be affected.https://www.walmart.com/ip/NoSalt-Original-Sodium-Free-Salt-Alternative-11-oz/37233033 Some folks can't use (No Salt) either;depending on what kind of diuretics one is on.I no longer buy sugar at. all

[AquaWoman]

My short answer is Herbs. May seem obvious but fresh Herbs like Chives, Lemon Thyme, Sage etc. are super Flavorful.
Dried Herbs are great too! Seasoning foods with Herbs and Spices can actually benefit your health too.
For steaks try fresh cracked pepper corns, minced garlic, Dried Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil and a tiny bit of cayenne sauté in unsalted butter and baste away. YUM!

[rickztahone]

My short answer is Herbs. May seem obvious but fresh Herbs like Chives, Lemon Thyme, Sage etc. are super Flavorful.
Dried Herbs are great too! Seasoning foods with Herbs and Spices can actually benefit your health too.
For steaks try fresh cracked pepper corns, minced garlic, Dried Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil and a tiny bit of cayenne sauté in unsalted butter and baste away. YUM!

I'm having a Sirloin steak later and I know how I will prep it now :)

[AquaWoman]

Hope it comes out Great! Enjoy! :)

[brewmaster15]

Al,

I too am a salt fiend...perhaps an addict. My better half rid the house of all salt usage last year with a goal of trying to keep me around longer (I'm not sure why anyone would want to do that :evilgrin:). But, she has been buying Pink Himalayan Salt and cooking with that, and I'm "allowed" to use it from a shaker on my food should I see the need/want to satisfy my taste buds.

I must admit, I haven't looked into why it might be better for me (according to her), but I notice very little difference in taste, if at all. The only thing I do know, it is more expensive...maybe it's worth looking into??

Cheers!

Mike from what I can see theres not much of difference between the himalayian pink and table salt sodium wise but the pink has more beneficial minerals.

[brewmaster15]

Al, I have no experience with this but want to pose the query, do you believe that reducing salt intake is akin to lessening sugar intake? I ask because my wife, just out of the blue decided to take her coffee black one day. No creamer, no sugar, and after about 2 weeks, she had gotten used to it. Last week, I added the smallest amount of sugar to her coffee, accidentally, I swear, and she noticed! She asked, "why is this sweet?".

During her weaning of sugar, I tried to lessen my sugar intake as well and had gotten to drinking my coffee almost black as well. I will admit, it was very difficult but I've gotten really close and am satisfied with the sugar reduction. We do not add sugar to anything else but coffee. Of course, items in the pantry will always have sugar but we (our family) are avid label readers and reduce sugar as much as possible.

I saw all of that to say this, should you continue in supporting your wife with reduction in salt intake, you too may become accustomed to lower salt intake through repetition. This, as a whole, actually makes you step back and acknowledge the fact that you (in general) were consuming so much of said product.

In the end, we all want to eat healthier, and many of us know what needs to be done but don't have the will to do it. We, as parents can set an early example on how to eat healthier to our children, which in all honesty, is an absolute necessity in this day and age with so many unhealthy processed foods.

Please feel free to share your journey, I am almost positive, many of us here need to keep reading this thread and its progress.
Ricardo I think you are right.I have already noticed that foods that I used to eat taste a tad salty now...maybe in time I won't miss my old sodium chloride.

[brewmaster15]

Have you looked into the DASH diet, Mr Sabetta?

I have been buying all the Mrs Dash off the shelves at the store.. its one of the few herb mixes we have locally thats salt free.It does help....alot.

[brewmaster15]

Nice and informative Al. I have to admit I have never wondered about how much salt I eat and how much have I exceeded daily recommended doses in the past . My attention for food if any , was always related to carbs/prots/fats ratio .
Sorry but I don't have anything useful to give you on this subject , except my empathy and understanding of your feelings towards your new dietary routines :) .
All I can recommend from my own experience is gym, heavy Work out , a lots of WC s ( I my self practice a gallon of WC per day at least :) ) for a couple of months and you'll be able to eat whatever and whenever you want again (: .

Exercise hmmm.. that sounds like alot of work.Does walking to the kitchen from the couch for snacks count? lol jk I have no doubt you are correct on the exercise.I am by no means lazy but I could use more exercise...My wife on the other hand wont be able to for a bit. She is having knee replacement surgery next week.

[brewmaster15]

My short answer is Herbs. May seem obvious but fresh Herbs like Chives, Lemon Thyme, Sage etc. are super Flavorful.
Dried Herbs are great too! Seasoning foods with Herbs and Spices can actually benefit your health too.
For steaks try fresh cracked pepper corns, minced garlic, Dried Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil and a tiny bit of cayenne sauté in unsalted butter and baste away. YUM!
Thats about what I have been doing.. I did find that combining various herbs with balsamic vinegar makes a decent marinade but I will have to try your recipe .. the freezer is stocked with unsalted butter that was on sale and I have a ton of hot peppers from my gardens.

thank you!
al

[LizStreithorst]

I have been buying all the Mrs Dash off the shelves at the store.. its one of the few herb mixes we have locally thats salt free.It does help....alot.

The DASH diet is a diet, not a salt substitute. Google it.

[dagray]

I take a family pack of chicken thighs and liberally apply garlic powder, dill weed, black pepper (light on the pepper), and a little cumin.

Bake on a broiler pan at 350 for ten minutes shy of two hours.

These are skin on bone in thighs.

[brewmaster15]

The DASH diet is a diet, not a salt substitute. Google it.

lol..my bad
.. Hadnt heard the diets name before. We arent following a Diet plan but most of that Diet plan is what we do.

al

[brewmaster15]

I take a family pack of chicken thighs and liberally apply garlic powder, dill weed, black pepper (light on the pepper), and a little cumin.

Bake on a broiler pan at 350 for ten minutes shy of two hours.

These are skin on bone in thighs.
hmmm..sounds interesting.I havent used Dill on chicken yet.. but I do a lemon rosemary one with garlic powder.I will have try yours Dave. Is the dill fresh or dried?
al

[dagray]

hmmm..sounds interesting.I havent used Dill on chicken yet.. but I do a lemon rosemary one with garlic powder.I will have try yours Dave. Is the dill fresh or dried?
al

I used store bought dill in a jar most of the time. If my dill is coming up outside (we have a small plant or two that comes up in the spring) I use that.

[RogueDiscus]

I understand you are trying to work with your wife on this, Al, but I'm trying to cut you some slack. Why are you trying to reduce your salt intake? Most folks do so because their doctor advised it as part of efforts to reduce high blood pressure. If that's not an issue(but it often is) there may not be a great need to reduce if you are eating well. I think you and others have hit the main points:eat fresh as much as possible, and add herbs for seasoning. But I agree, meat needs a little salt. As a reference, I try to figure if I actually notice the salt, it's too much. Over time I do think you notice it more and can choose less, or if you use less, you get used to it.

[RogueDiscus]

OK so here's a link I found that makes some good points.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/15/america.salt.addiction/index.html