Pink Himalayan, Kosher, Pickling, Table: Salts
How Do You Know Which One To Use?
We all love salty, fried foods. I crave them. I am not a sweet eater, but if you give me a bag of potato chips or a plate of French fries, I am in Heaven!
Health Benefits and Medical Concerns When Using Salt
We also know we should limit our salt intake. Too much and not enough can be unhealthy and cause some high risk medical conditions.
Health Concerns
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
- Coronary problems
- Stomach problems
- Obesity
- Water retention
- Meniere's Disease
- Diabetes
Types Of Salt
- Table - iodine fortified, highly processed and the most common
- Kosher- milder flavor and quickly dissolves
- Himalayan Pink- has a slightly lower sodium content and is the IT salt currently
- Canning or pickling- used for preserving and has no additives
There are more salt varieties out there, but these are the ones I have on hand in my kitchen.
Sea salt is one I used to have and use for cooking, but I ran out quite a while ago and never replaced the container.
- Sea salt- comes from evaporated seawater and is good when "finishing" a meal. Kind of like a special touch to the meal.
Cooking WithOUT Salt
Try new recipes and experiment with other herbs and seasonings besides salt. There are hundreds of different herbs and seasonings available, some are even sodium free, that you can try and use in your cooking.
This is something I am currently doing. Instead of using salt on EVERYTHING, I am using more diverse seasonings and herbs.
- Cumin
- Curry
- Lemon pepper
Just adding a new flavor to a dish can really spice it up. No pun intended.
I made a beef pot roast the other day and instead of using salt to season it, I cut up a few cloves of garlic, slit some of the meat and slid the whole garlic cloves into the slices throughout the roast. I let the meat marinate with the garlic cloves for about two hours. (I also seasoned with pepper, onion powder, cumin and oregano). I tossed it in the cast iron skillet to brown each side for a moment then tossed in oven for another 20 minutes on 400-degrees.
OMGoodness! that little change of the garlic and omitting the salt made this the most delicious pot roast I have ever eaten.
Snacking WithOUT Extra Salt
In my house, my husband suffers from high blood pressure and I have Meniere's Disease, so we are constantly monitoring sodium and salt intake. I have found Lay's offers Lightly Salted Potato Chips; which satisfies my desire for salt and the crunch they offer up.
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Celtic Sea Salt is also very good! I also like to get smoked salt from time to time, puts a nice smokiness on meats and I use it on popcorn too!
ooohhh! Smoked salt? That sounds awesome!
I have never had it or even heard of it.
I ordered some from @mericanhomestead , Zac over there does a great job and it tastes great!
But.... Like the AHA's ideas on red meat, etc (90% bunk)
I dont know that the recommendations on salt these days applies to everyone. If you are a processed food junkie...then certainly. Have medical reasons...then yes, probably.
All I know is that salt has been used for millenia. It can't be all bad. And as I probably only eat 10-20% the processed food that most Americans eat...
I am and feel I can be fairly liberal with my salt intake. But I don't know...I dont claim to be an expert in everyone's nutrition.
And @goldendawne ...I am not meaning to contradict or argue.... These are just my thoughts that I have each time people start talking about salt intake.
I ask that everyone take these opinions .....with a grain of salt XD
I understand where you are coming from. I do.
In my case, as I am sure it may be the same with your wife, I do notice a difference in my sodium and salt intake. Too much... I get an episode.
But, in response (and no harm taken) I partially agree with you.
Salt has been around for centuries and used on a daily basis.
So.. keeping that in mind.
People have become lazy to some degree. Fast food, pre-packaged foods, etc. If we paid more attention to what we were putting in our bodies instead of what was on our smart phone screen, it could change.
Yes and yes!
For my wife the salt control does make a difference.
I almost deleted my comment because I was afraid it sounded argumentative... So glad it didnt seem so to you!
Oh heck no- I'm glad you didn't.. I am always open to polite and open-ended debate.
It's nice to hear others' POVs as well as share mine.