As diabetics, it's important that we lower our salt-sodium chloride-intake, as all too often diabetes is complicated by high blood pressure, a major cause of both heart disease and stroke. We're fortunate that many food manufacturers are recognizing the public's growing concern about salt and have begun to offer "reduced salt" or "no salt" alternatives. Restaurant owners are also more willing to prepare food with less salt-especially when asked to do so.
We're not suggesting that you banish salt from your diet. The components of salt, sodium and chloride, are essential nutrients and, with potassium, they are the main regulators of the body's water-balance system. The average person in the United States consumes 1 tablespoon of salt a day-about 20 times the amount of sodium really needed. For most people, the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommends 2,200 mg of sodium as a desirable daily intake. That is equivalent to one teaspoon of salt. Check with your health care team for their recommendations for you.
Here on this website, we use salt as an optional ingredient in most recipes, calling for it in small amounts when necessary, such as in baked goods. Since recipes’ ingredients give sodium counts, we flag any recipes that are high in sodium (above 800 mg/per serving) and suggest ways to reduce the sodium intake. Reduced sodium versions of soy sauce, canned tomatoes, and canned chicken or beef broth are always called for. Naturally salty foods such as anchovies, capers, dill pickles, canned tuna, etc. are used in moderation.
Here are some ways to keep salt under control:
* Cook without salt, and taste the food before adding it after it's cooked. Once you've cut back on salt, you'll find most foods actually need very little, if any.
* When you do use salt, use kosher salt-you’ll need less than when using table salt.
* Retrain your taste buds to appreciate herbs and spices in place of salt. Basil, bay, dill, marjoram, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, tarragon, and thyme are particularly good salt replacement herbs.
* Read the labels on the foods that you buy at the store and, whenever possible, choose low-salt, reduced-salt, or no-salt-added versions of a product. This is especially true for tomato-based products and soy sauce as they easily can use up your sodium allowance for a day.
* Check out your drinking water. If your home has a water-softener, drink bottled water. Ask your local water district how much sodium comes out of your tap. If it totals more than 45 parts per million, attach a sodium filter to the kitchen faucets.
* Eat more potassium-rich foods, such as oranges, bananas, mangos, cantaloupe, dried peas and beans-you 'll excrete more sodium in your urine than the average person. However, unless your physician prescribes them, don't take potassium supplements as too much potassium can cause nausea, vomiting, and even irregular heartbeat.
Sodium-Free Herb Seasoning
You can purchase salt-free herb seasoning in the spice section of most grocery stores, but it may contain a salt substitute that can be harmful to some. Besides, it's easy (and much cheaper) to make your own. This is one that we developed for our James Beard Cookbook Award-winning Joslin Diabetes Gourmet Cookbook. Use it as a salt replacement on salads, vegetables, fish, and baked potatoes.
2 tablespoons crushed dried basil
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
1 tablespoon crushed dried mint
1 tablespoon crushed dried tarragon
1 tablespoon crushed dried thyme
1. Combine all ingredients.
Store in a spice jar away from heat and light. Use within 1 month.
