10 Ways to Cook Tasty Low-Sodium Food A Low-Salt Diet Doesn’t Mean No Flavor

Has your doctor ordered you to follow a low-sodium diet to combat high blood pressure? Worried that you’ll be stuck with blah food? We asked three experts to share creative kitchen techniques to slash salt without sacrificing flavor. Here are their top 10 delicious ways to cook bold-flavored, low-sodium food your taste buds will love... When Jessica Goldman was diagnosed with lupus eight years ago, her kidneys failed and she developed dangerously high blood pressure. She spent months in a hospital and more than a year on dialysis waiting for a kidney transplant. So Goldman went on a very low-sodium diet – less than 1,000 milligrams (mg) a day – to keep her blood pressure down. “It was pretty much life or death,” recalls Goldman, who writes the Sodium Girl blog and is working on a low-sodium cookbook to be published by Wiley in fall 2012. Then, a miracle happened: She regained full kidney function. No one – not even her doctors – knows why. But Goldman credits her diet. That’s no surprise to Timothy S. Harlan, M.D., author of Just Tell Me What to Eat (DaCapo Lifelong Books). Harlan, a chef and the medical director of Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans, provides tips for low-sodium foods and cooking on his Dr. Gourmet blog. “It’s astounding how much impact a high-sodium diet has on health,” Harlan says. For example, “cutting salt has a profound effect on heart disease.” The average American gobbles 3,436 mg sodium a day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s more than 1,000 mg above the recommended 2,300 mg healthy adults should consume and more than double what anyone with high blood pressure (or over 50 or African-American of any age) should have. “Part of the problem is that processed foods have made the American palate favor saltiness,” Harlan says. As a result, a low-sodium diet gets a bad rap as being unflavorful, says Lilian Cheung, D.Sc., R.D., director of health communications for the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. “People think low-salt cuisine is bland, not tasty, unappetizing and boring,” says Cheung, who co-authored Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life (HarperOne). But Cheung, a passionate cook and public health advocate, says, “Our taste buds don’t respond to just saltiness.” “Research has shown that people don’t notice the difference when salt is cut back 25%,” Cheung says. “You can make a significant change without noticing.” But trim your salt intake gradually so your palate can adjust. “Your taste buds will learn,” Harlan says. “They’ll adjust to less sodium and appreciate the other flavors in food.” That’s what happened to Goldman. “I never appreciated what food really tasted like on its own because my palate had been so accustomed to tasting the salt,” Goldman says. “When you cut salt, you start tasting every ingredient in that dish.” Ready to start dishing up delicious low-salt meals? Here are our experts’ top 10 tips to switch to low-sodium foods without sacrificing flavor. 1. Get cooking in the kitchen. Processed food and restaurant fare are the primary sodium sources in the American diet, according to the CDC. So if you want to cut down salt, cook more meals from scratch to control how much sodium goes in your food. “Use fresh rather than processed foods,” Cheung says. “And pump up the produce, since it’s naturally low in sodium.” 2. Use measuring spoons. “Start measuring salt,” Harlan advises. How much is enough salt? Harlan has conducted tasting panels to gauge how much people really need. He recommends no more than 1/8 teaspoon per serving in a main dish (about 300 mg sodium). “With less than that, food doesn’t taste good,” he adds. “If you do nothing but start measuring and use that 1/8 teaspoon guideline, you should be OK.” 3. Use salty ingredients with care. The salt shaker isn’t the only source of sodium in cooking. Don’t forget to account for other salty ingredients, such as bacon and prosciutto, capers or aged cheeses like Parmesan. Harlan likes using full-flavored ingredients like these because they add complexity to a dish along with saltiness. His advice: Use good-quality ingredients in moderation and compensate by adding less salt in the dish. 4. Avoid hidden sodium traps. Other ingredients can be surprisingly high in sodium. Canned broths, tomatoes and beans harbor sodium; so does ketchup. Even foods that don’t taste salty can have a lot of sodium. “I was really shocked to find that [store-bought] bread has so much sodium,” Cheung says. White bread has 170 mg sodium per slice; wheat bread slightly less, at 130 mg. “It doesn’t taste salty but the sodium is in there to extend the shelf life,” Cheung says. But now manufacturers are offering more low-sodium and no-salt-added products. Also compare nutrition facts, because sodium levels can vary – a lot – from one brand to another. (Smart tip: Rinse and drain canned beans to reduce their sodium by 40%.) 5. Balance your flavors. Salt should enhance and complement a dish, not overwhelm it, says Harlan. You need only a little, especially if you’ve balanced other flavors: Sour. This comes in acidic ingredients like lemon juice and vinegars. A splash of acid brightens a dish’s overall flavor. Acid also stimulates saliva production to make food literally more mouthwatering. Sweet. If a dish is too sour, add a dash of sugar to counteract it. Similarly, sweet can help balance an overly salty dish. Bitter. Bitterness isn’t a typical flavor to add to a dish, but it can enhance flavors when it’s balanced (endive, for example)]. To tame it try a touch of sugar or salt. Umami. This is the so-called “fifth” taste and refers to savoriness. It’s found in foods high in an amino acid called L-glutamate, such as tomatoes mushrooms, nuts, carrots and Chinese cabbage. Often, when people reach for the salt shaker, they’re really looking for umami. “If you have something really umami, you don’t need as much salt,” says Harlan. But watch out: “Some high-umami foods are also high in salt – soy sauce and aged cheese – for example,” Cheung adds. “Use those with a light hand.” 6. Use smart techniques. Your cooking methods can take a blah low-sodium food and turn it into a satisfying one. Roasting, toasting, sautéing and grilling enriches flavor by browning food and boosting umami. “One of my favorite things is to roast [food],” Goldman says. “It’s amazing how it can enhance flavor and transform ingredients.” Take radishes, for example. Raw, they’re crunchy, peppery and pungent. Roasted, they’re rich and sweet. Mushrooms, which are already rich in umami, become even more intensely flavored when sautéed or roasted. You can even toast spices to amplify their flavor and fragrance. 7. Choose whole grains. Whole grains, which are rich in fiber and minerals, offer many health benefits, like preventing heart disease and diabetes. They also make a low-sodium diet more interesting because they have more complex flavors and texture than refined grains. That’s why they need less of a boost from salt, Harlan says. So skip white rice and cook brown instead. Or try quinoa, bulgur, whole-wheat couscous or one of these whole grain recipes. 8. Use healthy flavorful fats. “Using healthy oils is a great way to flavor food,” Cheung advises. For example, finish a dish with a light drizzle of a bold peppery or fruity olive or sesame oil. “You won’t even miss [the reduced] salt,” she adds. 9. Reach for fresh herbs. Basil, rosemary, thyme, mint and other fresh herbs not only enhance a dish’s flavor, but also make it aromatic. Boosting foods’ fragrance makes it more appealing overall, says Cheung. “Think of the smell of mint, rosemary, sage, lemongrass and basil.” Even better, experiment with different varieties of herbs. For example, lemon basil has an astringent quality compared to sweet Italian basil. 10. Play with your food. “Eating low sodium food is all about surprising your palate,” Goldman says. “If you’ve never tried something before, that’s the first thing you should use.” Goldman takes unusual ingredients and combines them in new ways. For her upcoming cookbook, she developed a “bacon-wrapped scallop” using pieces of halibut wrapped in zucchini and dredged in spices to mimic bacon’s smokiness. “I think of it as my ‘Iron Chef’ challenge,” Goldman says. “Before I started this diet, I didn’t eat anything very exciting.” Low-Sodium Recipes Try these dishes that incorporate low-sodium foods: Salmon with Pepita-Lime Butter This recipe uses much more than salt to enhance taste. Toasting the pepitas and searing the fish are both examples of using a cooking technique to heighten flavor. Maple-Chili Glazed Pork Medallions Chipotle chile powder adds a smoky element to this dish, while the cider, maple syrup and vinegar combine into a rich glaze that creates deep flavor without going overboard on salt. Corn with Bacon & Mushrooms This recipe features two of Harlan’s favorite umami ingredients: bacon and mushrooms. Bacon adds a smidgen of salt, along with smoky flavor that pairs beautifully with sweet corn. Sautéing the mushrooms deepens their umami character to make this sodium-light dish truly satisfying. Are You Savvy About Sodium?