Posted Nov 26, 2011
Holiday dinners remains sacred to most people even though the traditional menu can contain a multitude of dietary sins: Fat, sugar, salt, portions super-sized and way too much booze. There’s not a lot you can do about most of these things; just try to keep Uncle Harry off the sauce. Still, salt is one area where you can try to reduce what you use without being too obvious.
Reducing salt in the diet can lower blood pressure, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health. The institute, based in Bethesda, Md., recommends ingesting no more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium a day, that’s the same as 6 grams of salt a day, or 1 teaspoon. That figure, the agency adds, includes all sodium and salt, including what’s in the product as well as what’s added in cooking and at the table. And one needs to remember to tally up all salts, kosher salt and sea salt included, in calculating one’s daily sodium intake.
Getting salt down to 1 teaspoon a day is a big challenge. Here are some ways to eliminate salt from Rachel Johnson, a nutrition professor at the University of Vermont, a registered dietitian and vice chairwoman of the American Heart Association’s nutrition committee.
“Thinking fresh is the biggest thing,” Johnson says. “Start with fresh, fresh, fresh ingredients rather than using processed or canned foods.” Her logic is simple: Fresh ingredients won’t have the salt or other ingredients used in processing foods.
Here are some of Johnson’s salt-slashing tips:
Don’t used canned broth in making your gravy. Make your own from the turkey neck and use that instead.
If you must use canned foods, go for the low-salt or no-salt brands. Read the labels. “Salt” and “sodium chloride” are what you want to look for and avoid, she says.
Avoid using canned soups as a base for casseroles. Johnson suggests updating the classic green bean and cream of mushroom soup combo by using either low-salt soup or replacing it with unsalted slivered almonds.
Don’t brine the turkey before roasting.
Replace salt with other stimulating flavors. Johnson recommends garlic, shallots, fresh herbs, spices, lemon or lime juice. Consider roasting or grilling to add additional taste to foods.
When cooking with salt, always measure it first.
Take the salt shaker off the table.
SALT SUBSTITUTES
Herbs, spices and flavorings to use instead of salt.
Carrots: Cinnamon, cloves, marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, sage
Corn: Cumin, curry powder, onion, paprika, parsley
Green beans: Dill, curry powder, lemon juice, marjoram, oregano, tarragon, thyme
Greens: Onion, pepper
Peas: Ginger, marjoram, onion, parsley, sage
Potatoes: Dill, garlic, onion, paprika, parsley, sage
Winter squash: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, onion
Tomatoes: Basil, bay leaf, dill, marjoram, onion, oregano, parsley, pepper
Source: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute