How to Find Salt Substitutes
Sodium chloride, or salt, is one of the basic flavors we are hardwired to taste. Unfortunately, salt is limited or forbidden from the diets of many people. How do you make your food taste satisfying? Easy, you just bump up everything else. You'll create new dishes as you emphasize the other tastes, sweet, sour, bitter, hot and umami, or yummy. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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The first thing to remember is that salt "substitutes" are not necessarily healthy. Some will increase your potassium to dangerous levels. Choose instead to boost the flavors that are there, or add other flavors to complement them.
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Herbs are always a great go to. If you have room for a few pots, you can keep a supply of fresh herbs handy. Fresh herbs are also becoming more available and affordable in the grocery store. There are also good quality dried herbs available at the store or online.
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Increasing the acid in a dish can distract the taste buds into new areas. Lemon is always a good punch for a dish, but you can also add a dash of good balsamic vinegar, or even a slurp of a green, acidic olive oil.
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Check the supermarket shelves for salt-free seasoning blends. There are more and more of them every day, many of them quite delicious.
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If there is something you must salt, try using sea salt or kosher salt. Both are a more ragged crystal than ordinary table salt and you may be able to get the saltiness you're looking for with half the amount or less.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are avoiding sodium, make sure you read all labels. Some baked goods can contain more sodium than a serving of ham or bacon!
You can also get a hit of salty flavor from low-sodium soy sauce or fish sauce. Use in moderation.
Give yourself time to adjust. Food will taste very different to you at first, but you'll get used to the clean flavors of unsalted food. It's amazing how many foods we think of as flavorful are really just predominately salty.
