Kicking the salt
The Institute of Medicine yesterday issued a report stating what many of us probably already knew: Americans are consuming way, way too much salt and it is killing us. According to the IOM, “Analysts estimate that population-wide reductions in sodium could prevent more than 100,000 deaths annually. While numerous stakeholders have initiated voluntary efforts to reduce sodium consumption in the United States during the past 40 years, they have not succeeded. Without major change, hypertension and cardiovascular disease rates will continue to rise, and consumers will pay the price for inaction.”
The IOM recommends new government standards for sodium content in foods. It sounds to me like they are saying the only way this is going to get any better is if the government requires food manufacturers and restaurants to cut the sodium content.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, “hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects one in three U.S. adults – nearly 75 million people aged 20 or older. An additional 50 million adults suffer from pre-hypertension.” The FDA says an average person should consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day unless you are African American, have high blood pressure, kidney disease or diabetes or are middle age or older, in which case you need to try and limit your daily intake to 1,500 mg.
Take a look at the labels on food you’re eating. A “healthy” frozen dinner, for example, may contain 600 mg of sodium or more. I find that processed foods tend to contain far more sodium than other foods. Restaurant meals are hard to gauge unless the restaurant offers nutritional information. But if you’ll recall, that KFC Double Down sandwich we talked about last week contains 1380/1430 mg for the fried/grilled versions. A sandwich like that will take up almost the entire daily allowance of sodium for one of those high-risk people I mentioned above.
I’m no doctor or nutritionist, but it seems to me the best way to limit sodium intake, beyond checking labels and keeping a tally, is to cook as much at home as possible. The FDA has some tips, but they are frankly pretty obvious (eat more fresh fruits and veggies, buy unsalted snacks). One that did catch my eye was the tip to consume more potassium, which apparently “blunts the effects of sodium on high blood pressure.”
Below, I will attach a bunch of other tips from the Mrs. Dash company and Robin Miller, author of “Robin Rescues Dinner: 52 Weeks of Quick-Fix Meals.” If you have been watching your salt consumption and have other good ideas, please share those with the group.
Sauce Swap: Instead of prepared sauces, make your own. In a blender, combine roasted red peppers (home-made!), balsamic vinegar, fresh garlic, fresh parsley or basil, olive oil, and ground black pepper. Puree until smooth. Add water until you reach the desired consistency. The same sauce can be made with rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes. Thick sauces can be used over chicken, fish, pork, steak, and vegetables. Thinner sauces can be used in pasta and rice dishes.
Better Broth: Make home-made broths with the liquid from rehydrated wild mushrooms such as porcini and shiitake. Soak 1 ounce of dried mushrooms in 1 cup of very hot water for at least 20 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve to remove any debris and use the broth and mushrooms in your favorite dishes that call for chicken or beef stock (soups, stews, sauces).
Go Nuts: Before roasting, create “crusts” for chicken, fish and pork by coating them with finely chopped, unsalted nuts, such as almonds, walnuts and peanuts. As the food cooks, the nuts become golden brown, while adding incredible texture and flavor to the dish.
Vinegar In, Salt Out: Use intensely-flavored, aged vinegars in place of salt in sauces, dressings, marinades, and “drizzles” for steamed and roasted meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables. Aged balsamic vinegar is an excellent choice and when simmered over medium heat, you can reduce it down to a syrupy consistency (the perfect topping for chicken, fish, pork, steak, and vegetables). Watch out for “seasoned” vinegars, they often have tons of sodium.
Pantry Raid: Keep of hearty stash of salt-free seasoning blends such as Mrs. Dash. Grab these instead of salt to truly enhance the flavor of sweet and savory dishes. For example, nutmeg brings out the cheese flavor in dishes made with cheese (casseroles, egg dishes, etc.). Cardamom, cumin, curry, and cinnamon add warmth and depth. Oregano, marjoram, bay leaves, and garlic add robust flavor to Italian, Spanish and Greek dishes. Sage and tarragon add a wonderful floral quality to meat, fish and vegetable recipes. Start experimenting (when first starting, read the labels – they often highlight the ideal food “partners” for the particular herb or spice!).
Secure Some Cedar: Roast chicken, beef, pork, fish, and vegetables on a cedar plank – the plank adds a delicious and delicate smoky-sweetness to the food.
Peel Out: Just before serving, add the grated peel of lemons and/or limes to pasta, rice, fish, and vegetable dishes. The subtle tartness eliminates the need for salt!
Be Wary of Dairy!: Check out the dairy products in your fridge right now. Shocking how much sodium is in one slice of processed cheese, huh? Check all your dairy and cheese products (1/2 cup of cottage cheese has almost 500 mg of sodium!!), and opt for reduced-sodium versions when available.
Source: Mrs. Dash; Robin Miller.
April 22, 2010 - 10:54 AM
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You may also want to spend a little time reading the labels on some of the basics…it may surprise you that the frozen veggies are as bad or worse than the canned varieties as far as salt content. They are soaked in a salt bath prior to freezing to avoid ice crystallization within the vegetables. Maybe going salt diminished is another reason to hit the farmers market and buy fresh local produce!?!
Hey Linds,
Is roasting peppers easy? I love me some roasted pappers. I buy them though, and they are full of sodium!
Heather
Yes, roasting peppers is exceptionally easy. I roasted a bunch of them for my wedding because I did my own food (with lots of help, and yes I am crazy as a June bug) and we had an antipasto tray. The way I did mine was to clean the peppers and cut them into big slices, then coat them in olive oil and place them on a cookie sheet in the oven and broiled until soft and beginning to brown. But you can also roast them whole, which most cooks seem to prefer. The skins can blacken pretty quickly, but if you put the peppers in a paper bag right out of the oven or in a Tupperware container with a lid on top, they sort of self-steam and it’s easy to peel the skin off.
Here is a decent tutorial: http://allrecipes.com/howto/roasting-peppers/detail.aspx
And here: http://localfoods.about.com/od/preparationtips/ss/roastpepper.htm
Lindsey, I think I seem to remember reading a blog post about a trip you took down to Charleston South Carolina? Is that right? If so, I’m looking for food suggestions. I’m going down for Memorial Day weekend with my Mom and Sis would love to check out the local food offerings. Especially if they involve seafood. I <3 seafood.
Yes, Bailie! Here is a link to that blog post: http://blogs.roanoke.com/rtblogs/fridgemagnet/2008/06/09/eating-my-way-through-charleston/
In addition to the restaurants mentioned in that post, I hear very good things about McCrady’s.
I always knew that consuming too much salt isn’t healthy but for now we can’t do without it in our diets, we can only try to reduce it and enlighten more people……Nice Post
Awesome, thanks for that link Lindsey! I tried searching for it in your tags but I couldn’t remember how it was tagged. The Wreck sounds like it’s definitely worth checking out. Do you know how far that is from the historic district of Charleston (where we’ll be staying)? I’ve also seen good reviews on Magnolia’s so that might go on the list if we decide to go some place fancy.
It isn’t far, Bailie. You’ll just have to take the expressway (17) bridge across the water toward Mt. Pleasant and the restaurant is only about a mile, maybe less, from the other side of the bridge. You guys might want to check out Sullivan’s Island and that whole area anyway, so maybe you could plan a sightseeing trip over there and hit the Wreck for dinner on your way back into Charleston or something.
Win, I took your suggestion last night and looked at the sodium content of some of our frozen veggies. Thankfully, the Birds Eye peas had 0 sodium, as did the Kroger hash browns. We had frozen ravioli for dinner and it was 200mg per serving (12 mini ravioli = 1 serving). We eat a lot of frozen veggies rather than canned because of the sodium content in the canned alternative. I’m definitely going to pay more attention to the label on the frozen veggies I buy.
Seasoned vinegars are extremely easy to make, and in a pretty bottle with a ribbon can make great Xmas gifts. If you have a reasonably sized herb garden, you can easily make them.
I start with a few small containers, and put in basil, rosemary, sometimes a clove or garlic – or whatever herbs you prefer and want to use to season your vinegar. Top off with inexpensive white vinegar (I guess you could use apple cider, although I never had) and let it sit for a week or so. The resulting products make great marinades, salad dressings, or whatever else you use vinegar for.
Bailie, definitely check out Sullivan’s Island. You can take 17 out over the Isle of Palms bridge, and get to SI that way. It’s a lovely drive, and there are several restaurants along the way. You can also check out Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island and across the harbor is Fort Sumter.
My Mom was traveling once and ran across this funny named restaurant. And I’m pretty sure it was in Charleston! It’s called “The Squat and Gobble” and I couldn’t tell you what they served or if it was good, just remembered the name and thought it funny!
After suffering TWO strokes within a month of each other, my 51 year old boyfriend was diagnosed with Diabetes, high blood pressure, and high chloresterol. I’ve had to learn a whole new way of shopping and cooking. At first, I thought the toughest challenge would be cutting the sugar and carbs (for his diabetes). WRONG! Modifying recipes and finding recipes that help with that is a piece of cake (no pun intended!). The REAL challenge is keeping his intake of sodium within the doctor’s allowance of 2000 mg per day! I thought tossing the salt shaker out the window would take care of this – wrong again! I am constantly shocked at the different foods that are LOADED with salt! Even milk! Even a simple can of peas! Forget about any prepared soups, frozen foods, etc. Most prepared foods are simply off-limits. It’s crazy – and darned near impossible! It’s easy to see why there are so many health problems in America. Eating truly healthily requires planning – and work! And money! Eating healthy is soooo much more expensive that not! I’m still reeling and it’s been 5 months!
Potassium can alter the effect of certain blood pressure medications. Check with your doctor before using.
Thanks for the tip, Art. Lee, do you have any tips for others who need to cut salt since you’ve been working on that yourself?
I read this online today. 16 food companies are cutting back on the salt in their products. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2620697020100426