Salt in food?

elfen

Only put a dash in potatoes and pasta and some on pork for crackling, then a little if I think food needs it - usually I'm OK with just pepper

oystercatcher

The only thing I add salt to is the garden path in icy weather :rotfl:

It annoys me that so much is added to processed food. So unhealthy.

adouglasmhor

I add salt depending on how much training and sweating I am doing. It's not one size fits all. Of course I will need some salt on my food after wresting on the mats with another powerfull athlete. Or doing an hours aerobic exercise. Or labouring on abuilding site in the summer. Or doing army duties in Belize. But I would need less if I was sat my behoookey all day at work.

~Chameleon~

Some salt is essential in our diet but as with everything the amount needed varies from person to person. There should be no need to add table salt if food is seasoned properly when it's cooked, apart from chips of course

A pinch of sea salt can make all the difference to a meal and turn a bland tasting dish into something quite delicious! Also, carbs (pasta, rice, potatoes) certainly benefit from adding a teaspoon of salt to the boiling water.

Neither of these small amounts are going to cause any health problems, even to someone with high BP but will certainly enhance the flavour of the food you're eating. If using soy sauce, worcestershire sauce etc then you could effectively leave out the salt.

valk_scot

When I cook from scratch I'll put salt in bread dough and also in soup while cooking, but not anything else. I might put a little salt on something at the table but that's rare. I don't leave the salt grinder on the table, it lives in the herb and spices box and if one of us wants it we have to make the effort to walk through from the dining area, so it's more of a choice to add the salt, not automatic. I won't let the kids put salt on anything. Salty food is one of these tastes you get used to and then you expect it all the time. I'd rather they didn't get used to it.

Incidentally I'm Scottish and I really don't like chips. Weird, eh?

mcc28_x

I know salt is bad for you - but I don't know why, please enlighten me....

Magpye

Low sodium diets are usually prescribed for those with renal failure or kidney damage - basically, where the body can no longer filter and excrete excess sodium. Somewhere along the line, this was extended to preventative care, presumably following the reasoning that if it is good for cure, it must also be good as prevention. You may want to check out articles like those on JunkFoodScience for a less 'mainstream' view of things to make up your own mind.

tandraig

My MIL used so much salt - at least a tablespoon for a pan of potatoes! I had to wean my OH off it. and they used to pour salt on their dinner before even tasting it! I couldnt eat anything she cooked!
I like to add a pinch of rock or sea salt to veg for cooking, and never, and havent in thirty odd years of marraige allowed salt on the table.
my MIL had stomach cancer - and my OH went gray when her consultant said to him ' I bet she loved salt'!
Too much salt is linked to stomach cancer, but we do need some salt in our diet. especially in hot weather or for gym freaks.
balance - as they say 'a little is good for you'.

MrsE_2

mirry wrote: »

I never used to put salt on anything until recently ,
I am under the hospital for fainting nearly every day and it turns out my blood pressure drops too low. So now I have to put salt on every meal and drink lots and I feel alot better now :j.

So it can actually help some people , it all depends on your blood pressure.

I have quite low BP despite being a salt lover:D

eamon

Too much salt in your diet is linked to strokes and heart attacks, apparently!
I recall a TV programme from some years ago demonstrating that adding salt to the cooking water of vegetables raised the boiling point and hence reduced the cooking time. However for rice & pasta the addition of salt interfered with osmosis and hence tougher pasta and longer cooking time for the rice.
As for me I rarely add salt except for the cooking water, chips, boiled eggs. Watching TV cooks is scary stuff and gives me the impression that their ingredients can't be upto much and/or their taste buds are already shot to pieces by too much salt.

Eamon