One of the realities of my health condition is that my blood pressure is somewhat elevated. I’m on medication to control it but also try to manage it in other ways like regular exercise and by significantly restricting the amount of salt I have in my diet.
What that looks like for me is not adding any salt to my prepared meals, either during or after cooking. I no longer add salt to vegetables, pasta, or rice when boiling them. I no longer add even a dash of salt to salads, or to season a meal.
I’ve obviously had to get creative about how to add more flavour to ensure my food doesn’t become bland. I mean, who wants to eat bland food, right?
Here’s a few techniques I’ve discovered that are working for me:
1 Using Spices:
making careful use of spices like hot peppers/chilis, paprika, coarsely ground black pepper and curry spices like cardamum, coriander powder, mustard seeds, ginger, and cumin.
2 Adding Dried Herbs:
Adding dried herbs to the meals I’m preparing, usually dried Origanum or herbs de Provance, which add a wonderful flavour to any dish I’m cooking. I typically would use these in a pasta sauce, or a sauce where I’m blending several vegetables together.
3 Adding fresh herbs as a garnish:
The herbs that have become standard in my home are mint, basil, coriander, chives and parsley. We’ve even started growing herbs in our garden so we’re not constantly running out. They taste wonderful snipped straight from the plant rinsed and consumed. As a vegetarian I don’t often find that herbs like thyme, rosemary and sage blend as well with my food, but I’m open to suggestions I might try.
4 sprinkling food with seeds and nuts:
Also a new addition to our regular shopping list are a variety of seeds and nuts. I find adding a small handful of lightly roasted seeds or nuts can bring a meal to life. As an example, one of the staple meals I’ve made over the past few years is a cauliflower gratin. Previously this would have been topped off with a melted layer of cheese. Now I replace the cheese with sunflower seeds for a crunchy and delicious alternative that is more in line with my dietary recommendations. I also add seeds or nuts to salads, curry, baked vegetables and even occasionally to a small bowl of soup (provided I’ve saved up sufficient of my daily fluid allowance to treat myself to soup).
5 Cooking with Garlic:
I almost feel like adding garlic as a flavouring goes without saying. It is so often used in a variety of meals and certainly does make an unsalted dish more interesting. However, I’m adding it for completeness’s sake.
Interestingly, I’ve realized that I barely miss the taste of salt nowadays. I can’t say whether I’m just used to not having it, or whether I truly don’t miss the taste because of the different flavours I’m exploring when I prepare a meal. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter.
Of course, I’m less able to find no or low salt options on the rare occasions we eat away from home. So I know there will be days when my salt intake will be higher than I might wish. But I try to ensure these odd occasions are balanced out by what I’m doing when I can control what I’m consuming.
Overall, I’ve been surprised at how easy it’s been to cook tasty food that contains no added salt. I’ve had such fun experimenting with each of the ingredients listed above and the results have often been satisfyingly delicious.
Please note that I’m not a dietitian and this is not dietary advice. It is merely a few strategies that work for me. If you’re struggling with a medical condition that may require you to make dietary changes, please consult a qualified professional for advice.
