to take a look at salt content.
I spent a while yesterday going over our recipes and figuring out, well, yes, we could do better.
Discoveries. Your intake should be around 1500 mg a day, up to 2300.
Soy sauce is 920 a tablespoon. Wah! I’m going for the green label ‘low’ salt.
PF Chang’s doublefried noodles are over 7000.
I’m pretty sure the hamburger double no bun we had twice right before this incident (which tasted really salty, and was accompanied by fries) had no little to do with the problem. Probably in the 7000 range.
But things we now know: Mountain Dew is not a sodium offender. Coke is around 60 per can. Bacon is about 200 a slice, depending. Ham, any cured meat, is a problem. Corned beef (refers to the ‘corns’ or kernels of salt, well yes). Veggies generally are not. Potatoes are ok if not salted to death. And salad dressing is often right up there with a slice of bacon. Sauces in general tend to be high. Chicken broth is reasonable; chicken stock is not. Smoked sausage? We’re going to buy pork sausage and add our own spices.
I think it’ll be a good change, in general. Nobody needs 7000 mg of salt in a dish.
Be aware that the green ‘low sodium’ soy sauce is often made with potassium instead KCl, not NaCl…So if you have to watch your potassium, look at the amount. I don’t think it tastes quite as good, but that’s the hazard of being Chinese.
Most prepared foods hide NaCl, if not monosodium glutamate. I’m sure you’ve already looked at this.
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http://www.kikkomanusa.com/homecooks/products/products_hc_details.php?pf=10102
Apparently the Kikkoman is truly just less salt
Even less sodium (490 mg/Tbsp):
http://san-j.com/products/tamari-lite-50-less-sodium-gluten-free-soy-sauce
No wheat, either.
Thanks for the look-up. It’s still high, but for the flavor, maybe it’s worth a try. I just have to watch the other numbers.
I’m amazed at the amount of salt and sugar in some foods. Some foods are so salty, you can’t taste the food over the salt. If you look around you can usually find lower salt versions of food. That’s one of the advantages of the big boxes, 20 different types of the same food.
In cooking, you need to experiment. Some things require salt for them to cook properly. But in many cases, you can cut the salt way down and it tastes just as good, in some cases, better.
You can get low-sodium chicken broth. As for stock – making your own, if you have a chicken carcass, isn’t impossible.
In fact, if you have a tightly lidded pot, you can just throw the carcass in, cover it with water, and leave it in the oven at 215F or so overnight. Then cool it pick out the bones,(I pick any flesh off and keep it for the soup), and strain it. If avoiding fat, refrigerate and skim. It freezes well, and can also be put up in canning jars.
I rarely add salt to anything these days; spices, yes. A crockpot is also my friend, especially for things like ribs, pork shoulder, or chicken legs, all of which are inexpensive meats improved by long, slow cooking. Start it in the morning before work, and when I get home, usually perfect for dinner.
Off-Topic: Well, now I’ve done it!
* One room treated with flea powder, to leave for 24 hours, then vacuum up.
* One room treated with flea spray, and the cats and I will stay out for at least an hour. (I will likely later treat with powder for 24 hours, but this is the master bedroom, so we’ll be sharing a sleeping bag for a night, possibly the sofa. Oh, joy.)
* Both cats now sport flea collars, but they may work themselves out of them. They usually do that with any regular collar.
* I will later get Knockout plus the liquid doses to apply to the nape of the neck, next vet trip.
The flea spray bottle naturally broke off the trigger. I was lucky to have a (clean) sprayer nozzle that fits. Problem solved, but I’ll use another brand from now on, and now need a new sprayer for crafts. :-/
I’ll be watching the cats for any reaction to the collars or spray. — So far, Smokey seems OK with the collar. Goober didn’t like the idea, but may decide he’s OK with it. If they get the idea they’re getting relief from the gods-rotted fleas, this will help. But cats being cats, who knows?
In other news, I’ve ordered a desk. Very tired of using the dresser as a desk. The new desk is prefab, and so all morning, that song by what’s-her-name (Carrie Underwood?) “Rehab” has been trying to run through my head as “prefab,” in search of parody lyrics, hahaha. The desk is due late next week.
And — Today marks three months (plus a few days) since I moved into my new apartment. Hurray!
Friends were supposed to pick me up for an errand today. Looks like it’s going to be Monday, because they’re a no-show (again). Sigh. It is not urgent, so I’m only irritated, but geez, guys…. 🙁
I’ll be in the other room reading until the spray’s had time to settle. Ick.
Definitely try tamari sauce for the soy sauce. It’s thicker, less salt, and, in my opinion, tastes better (generally described as “richer”).
And yep, up the herbs and spices to make up for the decreased salt. And making things yourself versus packaged/bought helps.
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I haven’t been on the site for quite a while, so good wishes to everyone dealing with teeth, ear, dizziness, blood pressure, and lymphoma “issues”!
I think that soaking or pre-cooking prepared meat will greatly reduce the salt content. If I add beef summer sausage to a soup, I’ll first cut up the sausage into soup-sized pieces and then simmer it and strain it–twice–to remove salt and fat. I’ve never much cared for salt, and greatly prefer low-sodium V8 juice, which has a lot of potassium.
Potassium will help to counterbalance sodium intake. Some blood pressure medications increase the body’s excretion of sodium and potassium. When the electrolytes get out of whack, dizziness and tachycardia can result. When I’m making something that benefits from the richer flavor of tamari, I’ll use it preferentially over salt (NaCl).
Good luck, good health, and good cooking!