Adding Flavour

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Spice up your meals without the salt

We all need some sodium, but too much can be harmful to our health, leading to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Sodium is the main ingredient of salt, meaning all types of salt (table salt, sea salt etc.) contain high levels. Healthy adults only need about 1500mg of sodium each day (about 2/3 teaspoon of salt). 

One way to decrease the sodium in our diet is to avoid adding salt when cooking. There are many combinations of flavourful ingredients to make food tasty without adding salt. We’ve added a few ideas in the chart below to get you started. Start experimenting with your favourite dishes and find a mix that you enjoy.

DISH	FLAVOUR IDEAS
Beef	Ginger Mustard Paprika	Garlic powder Rosemary Sage Thyme
Pork	Onion Black pepper Apple Applesauce	Thyme Sage Oregano Garlic Rosemary
Poultry	Lemon Tarragon Basil Paprika	Shallots Thyme Garlic
Fish	Lemon Ginger Black pepper Basil	Chives Green onions Parsley Fennel
Legumes	Black pepper Thyme Cloves	Onion Chives Parsley
Pasta	Oregano Thyme Marjoram	Parsley Mint Lemon juice Olive oil
Cooked veg	Thyme Parsley Oregano	Black pepper Garlic Ginger
Salad	Extra virgin olive oil Canola oil   Grapeseed oil Red or white wine vinegar	Lemon juice Balsamic vinegar Fresh herbs e.g. mint, basil, coriander Thinly sliced scallions or onions
Grains  i.e. brown rice, quinoa or bulgur wheat	To cook these grains, combine water with either; no salt added stock; no salt added tomato juice or 100% lemon or orange juice

 

RECIPE IDEAS
Marrakech rub for chicken, pork or lamb
¼ cup paprika 2 tbsp ground coriander 2 tbsp ground cumin 2 tbsp ground cinnamon 1 tbsp cayenne pepper 1 tbsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground cloves	Combine all ingredients and store in a covered container for up to six months
Cajun marinade
1 clove garlic (minced) 2 tsp chili powder 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp ground coriander ½ tsp black pepper 2 tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp water 4 tsp fresh lime juice	Whisk all ingredients together Pour marinade over meat of choice and coat both sides Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to two hours When ready to cook, drain off and discard excess marinade
Blueberry vinaigrette
½ cup blueberries 1/3 cup liquid honey ¼ cup balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp water	In a small bowl, mash blueberries with a fork Whisk in honey, vinegar, oil and water Tip: serve over your favourite leafy greens

 

Source: Simply Great Food, Dietitians of Canada 2007. Published by Robert Rose.