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Dec 9

How to take the bland out of a low-sodium diet – CNN

Diet Comments Off on How to take the bland out of a low-sodium diet – CNN

Without salt, we would be "adrift in a sea of blandness," wrote Samin Nosrat in her seminal tome, "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat," noting that "salt has a greater impact on flavor than any other ingredient."

Salt "coaxes out flavors in a pan and awakens the taste of just about anything it touches," said Steven Satterfield, the James Beard award-winning chef of the farm-to-table restaurant Miller Union in Atlanta. Aside from amplifying the natural flavors of foods, he said, salt can suppress bitter compounds such as the spice from a raw radish and expose the vegetable's hidden sweetness.

Yet salt and sodium are not the same thing. The salt we consume, a crystal-like compound whose chemical name is sodium chloride, is a major source of sodium in our bodies, a mineral necessary for proper muscle and nerve function, hydration, regulating blood pressure and other biological processes. To put it another way, we need a certain amount of salt to survive. Determining how much is the tricky part.

For those at high risk of hypertension, the American Heart Association advised aiming for 1,500 milligrams.

Cooking food at home, reading labels and trying new tastes are all effective strategies for lowering your salt intake, she said. Salt-free seasoning blends made of herbs and spices can also help, she added.

Fat naturally carries flavor, and Knowles suggested adding a small amount of a healthy fat source to your food just before serving, such as a spoonful of nut butter in your oatmeal or a drizzle of olive oil over your chicken.

Most important, though, is building a diet around unprocessed or minimally processed whole foods. Even though there is naturally occurring sodium in some of those foods, such as cow's milk and beets, the amount, she said, is typically very small, especially when compared to processed foods such as commercial bread and deli meat. And they are also great sources of potassium, as are other natural foods, including bananas, legumes, baked potatoes, avocados and seafood.

Potassium moderates blood pressure along with other electrolytes such as sodium, Knowles said. And most people don't get enough. So, increasing your potassium intake, while reducing sodium, can do double duty in helping lower blood pressure.

Cooking techniques such as roasting, grilling, searing and smoking can also add layers of complex flavor. Sharma has even discovered that some dishes that normally call for salt taste better without it.

Here are some other easy switches to consider for cutting sodium, without cutting flavor.

1. Go easy on the bread

2. Move hearty veggies to the center of the plate

3. Instead of canned or bottled tomato products, use fresh

4. Build a better salad

Bottled salad dressings can drown a bowl of nutritional goodness in salt and other not-so-good-for-you things in a flash. Try dressing your greens with extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar (or a squeeze of lemon) directly in the bowl instead. No need to measure, just figure on about a 3:1 ratio of oil to acid. The more flavorful your greens and olive oil, the less salt you'll likely be tempted to use. Adding fresh herbs, citrus zest, toasted nuts or fresh or dried fruits to the mix will also boost flavor without the need for salt.

5. Instead of sugary boxed cereal, start your day with oatmeal or another hot cereal

6. Make your own spice blends

Susan Puckett is the former food editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the author of "Eat Drink Delta: A Hungry Traveler's Journey Through the Soul of the South."

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How to take the bland out of a low-sodium diet - CNN

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