Salt Poll

mike65

I used to put salt on my food not a lot but certainly enough to taste then one day I got my blood pressure checked and twas a bit on the high side. I decided there and then to stop adding salt. A strange thing happened (the same strange thing when I quit sweetening my tea and coffee).

I did'nt miss the salt! I wonder why I ever added more looking back. So do you and if so how much and do you smoke per chance?

Mike,

Owen

I'll only have salt on a few dishes. In sandwiches the odd time, and on fried chicken/pork - but it's rare that I eat a dish as fatty as that these days. I prefer the taste of Pepper on most meats, or curry.

Yeah, I never add salt to meals - except for when I visit the chipper, of course.

Tea does still seem like it's lacking something without a spoonful of tea in it though.

Photi

Myth wrote:

Tea does still seem like it's lacking something without a spoonful of tea in it though.

Too true.

tSubh Dearg

I add a pinch of salt to pretty much everything I cook. But at least I know exactly how much salt is going into what I'm cooking.

I'm always amazed at how salty pre packaged stuff tastes when I eat it now.

I've made my fiance cut down on his salt intake, when we first met he used to put salt on everything without even tasting it first (well he is from Northern Ireland ). I rectified this by cooking him lots of made from scratch foods that had a minimum amount of salt added to them and made him taste it without salt first. I'm proud to say he now only puts salt on chips.

noby

I try to only add salt during the cooking process. I try to limit the salt by only having it on the table when we're having chips, and on a fried egg sandwich.

Kojak

Myth wrote:

Tea does still seem like it's lacking something without a spoonful of tea in it though.

Same goes for coffee as well, IMO.

As for using the salt, I never use it except when I am eating chips. Then I use a lot of it...

Nordie

I can't stand the taste of salt on my food but I do season my cooking with a little of it and I do like the odd bag of ready salted or salt & vinegar crisps

Kolodny

I use to lace my food with salt, scary amounts, but have managed to cut it down to virtually nothing since I quit smoking. Was a shock to the system when my taste buds began to function normally again!

What's the relationship between smoking and salt? I don't get it.

mike65

Thats why I added the smoking option! Smokers are doing serious harm not just from the nicotine but from all that sodium. Double whammy.

Myth, smokers can't taste anything properly so they dump salt on everthing to make up.

Mike.

Oirthir

With the grand exception of Chipper Chips, I almost never salt at the table. But I cook most stuff from scratch (no packets or stuff like that) so I add a whack of sea salt during the cooking process.

Mr Magnolia

I only use salt during cooking really, or on my chips.

Rick Stein is one of my favorite tv chefs, the amount of salt he puts in his dishes while cooking is unreal though.

The Sweeper

I salt when I cook and taste for salt when I cook - it's amazing the difference it makes.

I never salt at the table any more. Cracked black pepper, however, oh dear...

RE*AC*TOR

My god, I love how people latch on to trendy science.

Firstly to answer the question, I always use salt when cooking. Its called seasoning, it makes food taste better. Anyone, for example, who cooks a steak with seasoning, should be shot.

The original scientific finding from 1991 that claimed decreased salt intake would save lives, has since been widely debunked. There is no supported scientific evidence that a reduction in dietary salt has any benfit for the majority of the population (a small percentage of the population has an increased genetic sensitivity to salt).

The more important question is: What kind of salt do you use? For salting water (for potatoes or pasta etc) I use table salt. For steak and other meats I use Maldon's Sea Salt. For general table use, I use Fleur de Sel.

Mr Magnolia

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

My god, I love how people latch on to trendy science.

The original scientific finding from 1991 that claimed decreased salt intake would save lives, has since been widely debunked. There is no supported scientific evidence that a reduction in dietary salt has any benfit for the majority of the population (a small percentage of the population has an increased genetic sensitivity to salt).

Too much salt increases blood pressure which can lead to heart disease & stroke.

high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke

There are a number of things that increase the risk of developing high blood pressure, including:


eating too much salt
being overweight
not being physically active
drinking too much alcohol....

Eating less salt can help reduce blood pressure. We can all take steps to cut down on salt by shopping wisely and being sparing with salt at home.

From here

RE*AC*TOR

Mr Magnolia, I'm afraid that that advisory page, while well intentioned, is not basing that recommendation on any firm science.

Mr Magnolia

Maybe so, they still can't make totally unfounded claims.

Some quotes from a UK funded site.

most people would benefit from cutting down on the amount of salt they eat.

Cutting down on salt reduces blood pressure, whether or not your blood pressure is high to start with.
When your blood pressure goes down, your risk of developing heart disease and stroke goes down too, whatever your age.
If you have high blood pressure, cutting down on salt can help to lower your blood pressure in weeks.
You may start to notice a wider range of flavours in food, as your taste buds adjust to having less salt.

From here

Salt is also known as sodium chloride. It's the sodium in salt that can raise your blood pressure. It doesn't matter how expensive salt is, where it is from, or whether it comes in grains, crystals or flakes - it still contains sodium.

From here.

Where has this research been dis-counted as you describe RE*AC*TOR? It'd be an interesting read

RE*AC*TOR

Here is a kind of layman's article about it:
http://www.health-report.co.uk/sodium_chloride_salt_myths1.html

Here is a more in depth review (although still easily readable):
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/281/5379/898

Start there. There is a huge amount of data, of arguements and contention about the subject.

What I take from the current knowledge, however, is that the jury is out on salt. The best evidence presented so far would indicate that reduction is salt intake in people with high blood pressure might benefit a proportion of those people. There is no either no evidence or conflicting evidence of the benfits of decreased salt intake in people with normal blood pressure.

RE*AC*TOR

Myth wrote:

Tea does still seem like it's lacking something without a spoonful of tea in it though.

Yes, I find that too. I generally call it "water".

Kojak wrote:

Same goes for coffee as well, IMO.

I don't like tea in my coffee, that's just weird.

RE*AC*TOR

Mr Magnolia wrote:

Salt is also known as sodium chloride. It's the sodium in salt that can raise your blood pressure. It doesn't matter how expensive salt is, where it is from, or whether it comes in grains, crystals or flakes - it still contains sodium.

That is correct, they all contain sodium chloride. That is not all they contain, however. Table salt also contains iodine, and anti-caking agents. Fleur de Sel, has traces of other minerals from the salt-marshes it was harvested from etc.

I use Maldon's Sea Salt flakes, because if I put them onto a steak I'm going to put in a pan, they are big enough and strong enough that they don't simply dissolve off into the pan.

Fleur de sel, just plain tastes better. I did a blind taste test with a friend of mine with the 3 salts and he immediately identified the table salt and had a preference for the other two.

To be honest, I was skeptical myself beforehand, and did think - salt is salt, but I have become a convert of late.

From a health point of view, though, if there is a risk, they should be equal if used in the same quantities. Except of course that the iodine in table salt can prevent goitre.

Mr Magnolia

I never doubted the difference in taste, in fact, I'll probably have a try of the salts you recommend above. What I did question was the validity of the 'no adverse effect' argument, I'll have a read this evening, thanks.

Minder

I don't add salt at the table, but do add salt to cooking. I can taste the difference in pasta & rice that has been cooked in salted water and prefer the salted water. Usually season with salt & pepper if there is no salt in other ingredients, but I avoid adding salt if cooking stir fries or curries. There is salt in soy sauce and fish sauce.

There is a huge amount of salt in processed foods. I use tinned soups for lunch at work and some have horrible amounts in.

watna

I have to add salt to carbohydratey foods like potatoes, pasta and rice, I think they taste bland without it. otherwise I try not to add it to too many things. I agree with previous posters though, as I usually cook all meals from scratch when I eat processed foods (even m and s ready meals that I used to really like) they taste very salty. I try not to feel too bad about adding salt as at least I know exactly how much is in it. The only time I really worry about salt is when I make risotto, if you use a lot of stock you can easily go over your recommended sodium intake for the day with one meal.

rubadub

I add plenty of salt but also drink a lot of water so need electrolytes.
I dont put it on blindly though. I know people who dump it on without tasting food, fair enough if they cooked it, but I saw a guy do it on an already salty soup without tasting and then though it was horrible!

Minder

watna wrote:

The only time I really worry about salt is when I make risotto, if you use a lot of stock you can easily go over your recommended sodium intake for the day with one meal.

Are you buying stock rather than making your own ?

I hate the amount of salt in supermarket stocks - even those bottled concentrates contain large amounts of salt.

Homemade stock is the only way to go. But a large fridge is a must. I stopped buying chicken pieces after seeing a news report about condenmed chicken being recycled for human consumption.

The benefit of buying whole chickens is that I usually have something for the stock pot.

_blank_

Salt and Vinegar on chips.

And, come one people, you HAVE to put salt on a tomato.

Mr Magnolia

seansouth wrote:

Salt and Vinegar on chips.

And, come one people, you HAVE to put salt on a tomato.

Same as that, bit of freshly ground balck pepper on the tomato works wonders too.

Also put salt on my scallions back in the day

watna

Minder wrote:

Are you buying stock rather than making your own ?
.

I'd love to make my own stock rather than buying it but I would only roast a chicken if my parents are coming over for dinner or something. It would take a long time for me and my other half to get through a whole chicken. Plus we don't have a big fridge at all. How much stock would you get from one chicken? Can you keep it til you need to use it or does it have a small shelf life? I'd make a lot mroe risotto if I did get around to making my own stock.

RE*AC*TOR

watna - just freeze your stock.

I imagine you'd make several lites of stock from the carcass of a chicken.

MooseJam

I pour salt on everything, so much food is tasteless without it, especially chips, chicken, roasters, pasta, rice etc etc