Take it With a Grain of Salt

I love blog requests, this came from a client last week:
  I'd like to know what you think about salt.  My husband says I shouldn't put it in anything, even when the recipe calls for it.  I know that my body reacts negatively to it and that it is better to avoid it (and given the paucity of salt we eat, things, especially fast food, tend to taste overly salty).  But soy sauce on sushi, salt on edamame, and even on some scrambled eggs, tastes good.  What do you think?  Is a sprinkle a good thing or a bad thing?

First, I think whomever is making the recipe gets the final say on what goes in it. Just so you don’t think your husband is the only one with questionable salt habits, my husband salts everything before tasting it. So we don’t all “shake” the same but I’m getting off topic.

We do need some salt. It's  particularly important for people, like yourself,  who bike and run outside in the heat. Salt or sodium is lost in sweat. The higher the temperature and humidity, the more sweat and the more sodium you lose. While I don’t think salt replacement during exercise is warranted for workouts or races under 90 minutes. I do think some salt does an athlete good.

While dangerous hyponatremia or low sodium is rare. Too little salt is as dangerous as too much. Salt is needed for muscle contractions (our heart is a muscle), salt moves nutrients and water into our cells and interestingly salt may be a mood food or mood mineral. Research from the University of Iowa showed rates deficient in sodium chloride (table salt) shy away from activities they normally enjoy.  I provided the link if you’d like to learn more about rat fun but let’s suffice it to say we’re very similar to rats.

The amount of salt we need isn’t all that much. The AI or “adequate intake” which differs slightly based on age is 1500 mg or about ¾ of a teaspoon of salt. The UL or “upper limit” is 2300mg and 2000mg is 1 teaspoon so this is a little over that. To put this into food context show how easy the AI is to hit:

• 1 medium pickle has about 800 mg of sodum


• 4 slices of smoked salmon have 500mg


• canned beans have 500mg in ½ cup (rinsing reduces this number almost in half).


• Sushi Roll (naked, sans soy) 500-1000mg per 6-piece roll.

As to what type of salt to use, there are a few I love. Himalayan Sea Salt is unrefined so it’s a more natural product in a more raw state and contains more minerals (84 different minerals) than processed table salt. I like the Himalania brand. I also used Kosher salt and received a gift of Sicilian Lemon Salt recently. Table salt contains iodine (can throw off taste) and can contain additives so look at your labels. The only ingredients should be salt.

So salt via soy sauce (unless you're gluten free) or with edamame or eggs is absolutely fine.  You mentioned “reacting negatively” and I assume you were referring to bloat. Bloat may be telling you you over salted. Salt can be sneaky, here’s a list of some surprising salt sources. So don’t close the salt cellar just hide it from your husband.

Are you pro or anti salt? What type do you use? What are your favorite salty foods?

10 Sneaky Sources of Salt

We all have a friend or family member who, like my husband, often reaches for the saltshaker even before tasting their food. Perhaps this person is chided for their overzealous shaking; perhaps not. But the truth is that even the most serious salt-lover isn’t in danger of approaching the recommended one-teaspoon-a-day of salt from that habit. Instead, have you ever considered criticizing the amount of spaghetti sauce someone uses? Maybe you should.” Here are ten sneaky salt sources lurking in your food from a post I wrote for Blisstree.

 Chicken Breast

And I’m not talking about fried chicken or chicken tenders, either. Most supermarket chicken breasts are injected with a sodium solution. One serving of that can contain 400 mg of sodium (raw!), while less than 100 mg of sodium are naturally found in chicken. I first learned about this from Janet Helm’s Nutrition Unplugged post and have been disturbed ever since.

Medications

You have PMS, so you pop an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) to help relieve your cramps. But many NSAIDS (like ibuprofen) are high in sodium, which is a concern for those with high blood pressure or high “bloat.” A salt pill won’t likely help improve your moodiness once you realize that.

Baked Goods

Muffin with your salt? A Starbucks low-fat red raspberry muffin contains 500 mg of sodium, but at least that’s 400 mg less than the 900 mg in its egg white, spinach, and feta wrap. Either way, go easy on the baked goods.

Tomato Sauce
You may obsess about the carbs loaded in your bowl of pasta, but have you contemplated the sauce? Tomatoes are full of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant; tomato sauce also contains lycopene – and a lot of salt. A cup of tomato sauce (no meatballs) contains almost 1,500 mg of sodium. For less salt, make the sauce yourself using fresh tomatoes (yes, less convenient).

Deli Sandwiches

It’s no surprise that processed meats are salty. However, at delis, the meat, bread, and “extras” also contribute salt. A 6” Subway turkey breast sandwich has 910 mg of sodium. American cheese adds 200 mg and pickles another 125 mg, for a grand (or not so grand) total of 1,235 mg of sodium. How’s Jared’s blood pressure doing?

Canned Beans

You’ve probably considered the serious salt in canned soups, but what about your beans? Those that come from a can will run you more than 700 mg of sodium per cup (or 1/3 of your daily allowance). If you eat beans at home, give them a rinse in a colander or buy low-sodium beans. Better yet: Soak and cook your own.

Raisin Bran Cereal

You know that fiber is a good-for-you whole grain, and we all need more of it in our diets. Problem is, salt and sugar are often added to processed whole grains to spice them up. One culprit is raisin bran cereal, with 342 mg sodium per cup (plus a whole lot of sugar).

Bottled Salad Dressing

Just two tablespoons of bottled Italian salad dressing contain almost 500 mg of sodium. (And two tablespoons is not a lot.) Pair that with the aforementioned beans, plus some olives or roasted peppers and now you know why you feel bloated after hitting the salad bar. Foodtrainers’ favorite dressing olive oil and lemon juice.

Cottage Cheese

When you mention “diet” foods, many people’s heads fill with images of cottage cheese, Melba toast, and Kellogg’s Special K cereal. But cottage cheese is certainly not a low-sodium diet food. Just one cup contains 900 mg of sodium, so you may want to rethink breakfast (just not with raisin bran).

Ketchup

Those cute little packets look so harmless, especially compared to the fries next to them. But just one tablespoon of this adorable condiment means 190 mg of sodium. Add the fries, and you’re well over 500 mg.

The moral of the story is to read labels and check out the sodium. You don’t want your day’s food composed of many serious sodium sources, the same can be said for your children’s food. Which of these items was the biggest surprise? Do you consider yourself salt sensitive? Any strategies, other than making yourself to cut salt?

Snack of the Week

 

I suggested Food Should Taste Good to a client with a chip habit. I told her about my 2 love children. First there was  "Lime" and later  "Cheddar".  My client showed up at her next nutrition session visibly annoyed.   She sat down and unloaded "so I'm wondering why you didn't tell me about The Works, this is the best Food Should Taste Good flavor and you didn’t’ mention it. Did you think I couldn’t be trusted with them?” I tried to diffuse her anger and told her I hadn't tried The Works. They were a new flavor and I would never intentionally withhold crucial snack information. My client calmed down and the session ended nicely.

A few days later I was with my family in Vermont at the local Shaws market. I was going up and down the aisles explaining to my kids why we couldn't buy the junky items they requested. Finally, I spotted Food Should Taste Good chips and staring me in the face was "the Works". We opened the bag right there in aisle 4 and they didn't disappoint. It was as though an everything bagel had been transformed into a snack food. We all loved them. My 8 year old said " Mom you have to buy these again." I emailed  my client to tell her about my 3rd child.

What are your favorite snacks? Your favorite Food Should Taste Good flavor? And if you were a bagel what type would you be?

Salty Tooth

All this Halloween talk has made me realize something I’ve probably known for a while. There are sweets I like. I mentioned Wednesday that I liked Mounds’ bars. I also like caramels, lemon meringue pie, crystallized ginger and dates. My mother used to give me Teuschers’ champagne truffles while I sat when she had her hair done and I still like those. If forced to choose between any of these treats and say delicious cheese or a French fry, the sweets will lose. I googled “salty tooth” and found a lot of information on various dental procedures and salt water rinsing. While that expression may not be legit, I know I’m not alone. At Foodtrainers, all of us are more salty than sweet. And so I offer some of our favorite “salty tooth” foods.
(photo above is from India, these are salt gatherers and photo take my the mother who bribed her child with champagne truffles)

Popcorn
My friend, chef Julie Negrin had a great blog post about popping popcorn in a pot and it changed my life. You put a little oil in a pot, add your kernels and cover the pot leaving a little room for air to escape. When the popping stops a little Kosher salt or a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Salty and crunchy.

Cerignola olives
Olives have to be one of the great salty foods and these are the king of olives. These large green olives have a firm flesh and amazing flavor. They are 3-4 times the size of a typical olive and fantastic for parties or snacks. In NYC, I get them at Citarella market.

Applegate Sunday bacon What’s salt without bacon? My kids love bacon but the nitrites and nastiness of bacon worried me a bit. I was happy to discover this Applegate product. Two slices are 60 calories and 290 mg of sodium (a serving of canned soup has 500). It’s gluten free and really good.

Marcona almonds
I referred to the Cerignolas as the king of olives and just read these almonds described as the “Queen of almonds.” What a great couple they would be. This “queen” hails from Spain. The almonds derive their saltiness from sea salt and there’s olive oil involved too. Add these to a salad or simply pop them in your mouth.

Nori snacks
I love nori (the black seaweed used for sushi) and often use it as a sandwich wrapper. A client brought me these snacks and they’re delicately salty and very low in calories. I could see these used in soups or one their own.

Pickles
I wrote about McClures  before and have jars of their pickles, bloody mary mix and relish in my pantry at all times. They would go in my salty hall of fame but they might have another pickle with them. I love NY Deli Pickles Horseradish Kosher Pickles . Ricks picks are pretty darn good too.

As far as my fellow Foodtrainers, Melissa loves salted edamame and crumbled feta cheese and Lisa likes avocados with kosher salt. None of us are advocating salt up the wazoo. The funny thing is many of these foods are far lower in sodium than processed foods. One still needs to exercise caution. Too much salt isn’t good but a little sure is.
Do you have a sweet tooth or a salty tooth? What are your favorite salty foods?