OT: Low salt diet?
 

My husband has borderline high blood pressure, and the doctor wants him to try a low salt diet before trying medication. I don't mind modifying recipes and menus and such, but everything "low salt" is so dry and tasteless - either cooked at home or purchased. I have one low salt cookbook, but mostly it just leaves out the salt, flavoring, and oil and doesn't add anything back in to compensate for that (thus, dry and tasteless). Does anyone have any suggestions?

I prepare our food with as little salt as possible and it was hard at first so we reduced until it's minimal. There are definitely some things that need salt though.

It actually isn't as hard to make things flavorful as you might think. Spices of all varieties are increased, and as your taste buds adjust, you adjust to not really wanting it.

The key is examining labels and preparing your own versions of things like prepared seasonings, sauces and condiments, etc. They have so much sodium that you start to be stunned how much you actually consume.

Take a look at what you use the most and start there. It took a solid year for me to adjust and substitute things to find versions we enjoyed. I'll never go back to eating the way we were before.

Feel free to PM me with any specific questions. :sun:

What FOLV said. I've been watching labels and cutting out salt for years due to migraines. It takes awhile, but you do adjust. I still have good fats, oils, and other seasonings. Just not salt.

Now if I could only get on board with lowered sugar...

my taste buds adjusted after a while.

that said, i am taking a low-dose prescription "water pill" to keep my BP low. I don't want doc to increase the dosage, so i have been trying to keep it down by keeping my salt intake down.

i am also a blood donor - they won't take your blood if your BP is higher than a certain range, so a few times, i had to defer. these are the sure-fire ways that bring it down swiftly, and i mean in a matter of minutes:

1) alternate nostril breathing
2) *beet juice
3) *low sodium V8 juice (of which beet juice is one of the major components)
4) cardio - low intensity, about 30 min

*eating low sodium foods/beverages with high potassium lowers your BP - a banana, baked potato, cantaloupe, others

i also inadvertently lost a few pounds, and that brought it down a lot, in addition to my cholesterol.

Yes, you do get get used to it, tastebuds become more salt sensitive as they get more used to the taste of foods without so much added salt in everything.

I use lots of herbs and spices. Lemon juice or lime juice are also good on vegetables and in soups to add another layer of flavor.

You could look at some recipes for the DASH diet, designed to lower blood pressure.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-l...s/rcs-20077146

Salt substitutes I find are hit or miss. Mrs. Dash, Table Tasty, No Salt are some. It’s not a salt substitute but I like the Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning.

Trader Joe's 21 seasoning is a staple!!

I'm all for everyone making smart dietary choices. As FanofLadyVols points out, so much of our (prepared and processed) food comes to us with too much sodium.

However, I want to point out that where you live also might influence how much salt you need. When I am home, in AZ, I need more salt than I do when I'm in a cooler or more humid climate. When I travel, it takes me about a day to adjust to the different need for salt and water, and when I get home, it takes about a day to remember to drink more water and add a bit more salt.

Those of us in dry heat just might need a bit more salt than those who live in more humid or cooler areas.

This seems interesting to me since we sweat a lot more where the humidity is high. Wouldn't that mean we need more salt where it's humid?

I'm not one really to answer about salt intake. My BP is at the low end of normal most of the time and I salt everything (well, savory things, and apples). However I have started buying the no salt added versions of some canned things like tomatoes and broth, unless the broth is a big part of the dish like our garlic soup and bean counter chowder. Hubby hasn't seemed to notice the difference and I figure we can add salt to taste IF we need it.

I agree with the recommendations about trying different seasonings to amp up flavor without the salt.

TJ's Umami seasoning and Everything But the Bagel and 21 Seasoning Salute are staples in our cupboard. there are copycat spices sold by other companies giving you other suppliers besides Trader Joe's - you could do a google search.

you can also learn to combine different flavors - like citrus - to various recipes to enhance the flavor.

as far as salt, you want to avoid anything with MSG which is the uber-level of salt. then slowly wean yourself off of regular salt and sodium in time. as mentioned earlier, it could be a lack of potassium that could be looked into.

In AZ, the dry air wicks the sweat, unless the temps are high (for me, 98+) so that it seems that I'm not sweating, but having lived here my whole life and having traveled to many different climates, I'm sweating as much in the dry climate as I am in the humid air. For me, hot and humid makes breathing harder, and the sweat rolls off, but if I were home in the same temp, much of the sweat would evaporate quickly, and I wouldn't need gills to breathe.