500 Low Sodium Recipes (4 page)

You should also get used to looking at the list of ingredients, particularly in the case of items that don’t have the full nutritional label. This is often the case with items such as spices, which are usually exempt from nutritional labeling because of the small size of the package. In addition to the obvious salt, you should try to avoid any products that contain other sodium compounds such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) and sodium carbonate, which is used as an anticaking additive.

This section contains more detailed information on some of the ingredients that you will find in the recipes in this book. This may include how to find the ingredients as well as information on why I’ve chosen to use a particular item rather than an alternative.

The recipes in this book call for unsalted butter. When I first started the low sodium diet it seemed a good reason to switch from regular margarine to unsalted butter. It was readily available, sodium-free, and tasted great. It also contains no trans fats, which margarine does. Then my doctor suggested lowering my cholesterol. So I was off on a search for unsalted margarine. It’s not as commonly stocked as unsalted butter, but it does exist in several national brands. I’ve since switched back to butter since my cholesterol is no longer an issue. I also use the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray for foods like toast and vegetables. It is still low in sodium and much lower in fat than putting a glob of butter or margarine on something.

Even though the recipes call for eggs, I often use egg substitute instead. I started this as a way to reduce the amount of cholesterol I was taking in, especially since I have eggs for breakfast fairly often. The brand I use does have 25 mg more sodium than whole eggs, so there is a trade-off. If cholesterol isn’t an issue for you, it’s cheaper and easier to just use whole eggs. I use a store-brand egg substitute that is similar to Egg Beaters. It’s basically colored egg whites with some vitamins and minerals. You could also just use egg whites in most of the recipes, but I’m the kind of guy whose mother did too good a job teaching me to clean my plate, and I have a tough time just throwing the yolks away. The “real” whites have more sodium than the yolks do, by the way, so you don’t save any sodium by doing that.

Although the recipes call for skim milk, there are some lower-sodium alternatives. Some of the liquid nondairy creamers are sodium-free and give you a much richer taste than skim milk. There are also low sodium soy milk products. I’ve used the nondairy creamer instead of milk myself. I haven’t found any recipe where creamer is a problem. The drawback, of course, is that you get none of the nutritional benefits of milk; it is primarily corn syrup and water with some chemicals added. Milk would obviously provide protein and a wide array of vitamins and minerals that my creamer does not. This is not a major concern to me personally because I am careful about getting these nutrients elsewhere,
but it is something you should be aware of in making a personal decision to use either the creamer or real milk.

In my humble opinion, this is a no-brainer. If you bake anything that uses baking powder with the regular stuff off your grocer’s shelves, you are eating sodium that can easily be avoided. Given the amount of sodium in standard baking powder, it’s likely to be 100 to 200 mg per serving. Some doctors also believe the aluminum in regular baking powder is bad for you. The simple solution is sodium-free, aluminum-free baking powder. Several brands are available, but the only one I’ve found available locally is Featherweight. I find it at a health food store. It’s also available online at Healthy Heart Market and Salt Watcher. The price is also comparable to the regular baking powder.

Like baking powder, regular baking soda is unnecessary sodium intake. The only brand of sodium-free baking soda I’m familiar with is Ener-G, and the only places I’ve seen it are online at Healthy Heart Market and Salt Watcher. The only thing you need to remember with the sodium-free baking soda is to double the amount called for in your favorite recipes. The recipes in this book already have the amount doubled.

This covers a whole range of items like seasoned salt, seafood seasoning, taco seasoning, and other blends like Cajun, barbecue, and curry powders. You’ll likely be able to find some salt-free versions of these on your regular grocer’s shelves. Mrs. Dash makes a number of different blends that are widely available, and major spice manufacturers like McCormick do also. Many spices come in bottles small enough to be exempt from the usual labeling requirements in the United States, so you’ll need to read the ingredient list and look for added salt. Health food stores often stock salt-free spice blends, and there are a number of places to get them online. You’ll also find recipes for spice blends in
Chapter 2
: Spice Blends and Seasonings.

In looking at products like barbecue sauce, Asian sauces, ketchup, mustard, and salsa, you’ll find a wide range of sodium values. Most of the low sodium varieties are made by companies in the organic and specialty foods areas, so you’ll have a better chance of finding them in health food stores or markets with large organic food sections. Most of the products you’ll find on the regular grocery shelves will contain high amounts of sodium. Low sodium varieties are also available for sale online, or you can make your own using the recipes in
Chapter 3
: Condiments and Sauces.

In the United States, more of the large food companies like Hunt’s and Del Monte are making these products. I have no trouble finding a good selection of no-salt-added tomato products and a more limited selection of other no-salt-added vegetables in any large supermarket. Beans are less common and are another area where organic food producers are leading the way. With a little more effort you can cook your own dried beans without salt for a fraction of the cost of the canned ones. I usually cook a pound bag at a time and freeze the ones I don’t need for future use.

Like other products, low sodium versions of these are available, but not as widely as might be hoped. Again, organic food producers are the best bet to find a truly low sodium item. There are recipes in
Chapter 4
: Basic Ingredients (Can’t Find It? Make It!) for your own stock to replace canned broth. Some very low sodium soup bases from companies like RediBase and Home Again are also available online. These come in a variety of flavors and have a much more natural taste than the sodium-free bouillon cubes.

Some recipes in this book contain beer, wine, or other alcohol. I realize that these will not be right for everyone. There are any number of good reasons why you might want to avoid alcohol, whether they be medical, religious, or simply that you are cooking for children. And contrary to what we have been told, I’ve seen several reports that chemically analyzed food containing wine and found that the alcohol does not all burn off or evaporate during cooking. In fact, a sauce made with wine that was simmered for 20 minutes may still contain up to 40 percent of the alcohol. Some alternatives will still let you enjoy the recipes. “Nonalcoholic” beers and wines have had most of the alcohol removed. Typically they contain about one-half of 1 percent alcohol. I’ve seen it stated that this is about the same as what occurs naturally in orange juice, but I’ve never seen any conclusive proof of this. You’ll have to decide if that is acceptable to you or not. Many of the recipes made with beer or white wine could have chicken broth substituted with no ill effects. For recipes made with red wine, you could replace it with grape juice, adding a few tablespoons of vinegar to counteract the sweetness, although the final flavor may be a little different. In some recipes you may also choose to omit the alcohol. The Bourbon Barbecue Sauce (see page 45) will taste different, but still good, without the whiskey.

If you are like most people, one of the biggest single changes that you can make to reduce your sodium intake is to make your own bread. Most commercial bread has well over 100 mg per slice. Many rolls and specialty breads are in the 300 to 400 mg range. A bread machine can reduce the amount of effort required to make your own yeast bread to a manageable level. It takes at most 10 minutes to load it and turn it on. You can even set it on a timer to have your house filled with the aroma of fresh bread when you come home. And you have the satisfaction of knowing that great taste of warm bread is accompanied by a single-digit sodium count. You will read that the salt in bread recipes is required to help control the yeast. Don’t believe it! Other than an occasional loaf that has risen too fast and fallen in on top, I’ve not had a problem. Even in the rare times when that happens, it still tastes just as good. The introduction to
Chapter 20
: Yeast Breads, contains information on bread making, including instructions for converting between bread-machine and hand-formed recipes. If you decide to purchase your bread, you should read the label carefully. Some stores here carry one or two kinds of low sodium bread. Pita bread, low in sodium, may also be available.

These days, many fresh meats are “enhanced” by injections with a broth solution to make them juicer. Unfortunately, the process also increases the sodium level from 75 to 80 mg per serving to more than 300 mg. This is especially true of chicken and increasingly true of pork also. There is still unadulterated meat around, but you have to be careful and look for it. I’ve also seen several instances of pork marked “enhanced” that didn’t contain a nutrition label to let you know how much sodium had been added.

You won’t find any salt substitutes listed in the ingredients in this book. I know that some people really like them as a way to get that salty flavor without the sodium, but I’m not fond of them myself. There are really two reasons. One is that the potassium chloride they contain tends to have a metallic aftertaste. The other is that I’m concerned that using the substitute will make it harder for your body to adjust to the taste of food without salt. If you are considering using one, you should check with your doctor first to make sure that the increased potassium will not be an issue.

Fortunately, the number of salt-free seasoning blends has increased in the past few years. Major spice companies like McCormick now make a number of salt-free blends (look for the bottles with the green caps). Other organic and specialty suppliers make only salt-free seasonings. However, you may not be able to find the spice you are looking for in a salt-free version. Or perhaps you are just out when you needed some. In those cases, making your own spice blends is a simple solution. We have in this chapter a wide variety. You probably won’t use all of them. But I hope you discover a few favorites.

This is one of my favorite variations of a no-salt seasoning mix. It is particularly good with red meats or in soups. The lemon also makes it a good choice for fish.

1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder

1 ¼ teaspoons dried thyme

1 ¼ teaspoons onion powder

1 ¼ teaspoons paprika

1 ¼ teaspoons celery seed

1 ¼ teaspoons white pepper

1 ¼ teaspoons dry mustard

1 ¼ teaspoons dried lemon peel

1 ¼ teaspoons black pepper

Mix all the ingredients together. Store in an airtight container.

Yield:
46 servings (¼ teaspoon)

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
0 g water; 1 calorie (19% from fat, 15% from protein, 66% from carb); 0 g protein; 0 g total fat; 0 g saturated fat; 0 g monounsaturated fat; 0 g polyunsaturated fat; 0 g carb; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 3 mg calcium; 0 mg iron;
0 mg sodium
; 5 mg potassium; 34 IU vitamin A; 0 mg vitamin C; 0 mg cholesterol

This blend is my attempt to approximate the flavors in the typical seasoned salt blends like Lawry’s, without the sodium. It is the latest in a number of variations, and I believe it captures the flavors of the herbs and spices typically used. Use it anywhere seasoned salt is called for or when you want to give food a little extra flavor. I particularly like it in soups and egg dishes.