In an effort to be healthier where possible, I've been doing research across a number of categories and came across the topic of salt.
The daily recommended intake is 1 tsp according to what I've seen. This seems like an outrageously low amount, even if one removes eating out. When I'm not out in another city on business, I'm always preparing my meals at home. I don't use pre-made sauces and the only thing I regularly use out of a can are San Marzano tomatoes. I season with salt, pepper and whatever herbs and spices depending on the dish.
If we look at making something like a prime rib roast, you're adding more than a teaspoon to season that alone. In other meals, once you've considered every component of your meal (pasta cooked in salted water, roasted vegetables maybe with a simple EVOO, salt and pepper marinade), I don't see how many meals we consume stay below the 1 teaspoon recommended daily intake.
Lowering your salt intake isn't healthier, unless you consume large amounts a day (over 5g).
In the short term, it might lower your blood pressure. But there is no strong evidence to show that it will lower your risk of heart attacks or stroke.
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I have cooked pasta in both regular water and salted water and not ever noticed a difference in taste. I guess maybe if you were eating the pasta plain, and had heavily salted the water, there would be, but in my experience you're almost always adding a sauce and/or meat that would mask that anyways.
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I use on the vine tomatoes and this sauce is for several days worth of meals not just one. I'm just a bit lazy and would rather make a larger batch and burn an hour of cooking time than 30 minutes each day. This is better when the tomatoes are cheaper, whatever juicy tomatoes are available are best. Better if they are ripe too. Greenish tomatoes make for a less good sauce. Try several chardonnay's separately and choose whichever tastes best to you in the glass. Go with that one in the sauce, as it has a major impact on the flavour of the sauce.
20 mid sized on the vine tomatoes (About 7-7.5 lbs worth)
5 large cloves of garlic or about 8 mid sized ones (adjust for how much garlic flavour you want. This is moderately garlicy, not overwhelming and not bland)
4 tablespoons of a good full fruity flavoured white Chardonnay. I use the bizarrely named "Fat Ba-stard" chardonnay from sobey's myself.
8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (Aside, use non-italian or greek oil as those are cut due to the mob with not as good oil. Kirklands best is actually the best one to use).
9 teaspoons of thyme - I use McCormicks for all spices as they are the best of the supermarket ones. Organic is better even flavour wise.
5 teaspoons of Oregano
1 teaspoon of black pepper.
2 oz of spinach (one of the smaller pre-washed/packages in the store)
Mix all spices + Press the garlic and wine + oil in big sauce pan.
You can de-skin the tomatoes by either boiling water and deskinning them or do the lazier thing like I do and core and halve them and put them in the pan. If you do the lazy method, put on high for 20 minutes.
Take off heat and begin the fun of taking off the skins. Because it's on high for 20 min, they should come off rather easily.
Put the de-skinned tomatoes back in and put on for another 5 minutes, while you stir. Add spinach and go for another 5 minutes.
At the end of this, if you have a submersion wand blender, go to town blending it in the pot. Otherwise, get a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Nice tasting sauce that is full of flavour, doesn't need salt at all. Can be used for spaghetti, chicken, lasagna (May need to reduce the sauce a tiny bit for that), and basically anything a tomato sauce is needed for.
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Last edited by Caged Great; 03-09-2020 at 06:19 PM.
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I think salt is one of those things you acclimatize to. Growing up my parents never added salt to anything, and whenever I'd eat at someone else's house I'd find everything tasted really salty (my Grandma added salt to vegetables even). There's plenty of salt in stuff you buy, unless you're not eating any processed foods, I can't remember the last time I added salt to something.
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I use on the vine tomatoes and this sauce is for several days worth of meals not just one. I'm just a bit lazy and would rather make a larger batch and burn an hour of cooking time than 30 minutes each day. This is better when the tomatoes are cheaper, whatever juicy tomatoes are available are best. Better if they are ripe too. Greenish tomatoes make for a less good sauce. Try several chardonnay's separately and choose whichever tastes best to you in the glass. Go with that one in the sauce, as it has a major impact on the flavour of the sauce.
20 mid sized on the vine tomatoes (About 7-7.5 lbs worth)
5 large cloves of garlic or about 8 mid sized ones (adjust for how much garlic flavour you want. This is moderately garlicy, not overwhelming and not bland)
4 tablespoons of a good full fruity flavoured white Chardonnay. I use the bizarrely named "Fat Ba-stard" chardonnay from sobey's myself.
8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (Aside, use non-italian or greek oil as those are cut due to the mob with not as good oil. Kirklands best is actually the best one to use).
9 teaspoons of thyme - I use McCormicks for all spices as they are the best of the supermarket ones. Organic is better even flavour wise.
5 teaspoons of Oregano
1 teaspoon of black pepper.
2 oz of spinach (one of the smaller pre-washed/packages in the store)
Mix all spices + Press the garlic and wine + oil in big sauce pan.
You can de-skin the tomatoes by either boiling water and deskinning them or do the lazier thing like I do and core and halve them and put them in the pan. If you do the lazy method, put on high for 20 minutes.
Take off heat and begin the fun of taking off the skins. Because it's on high for 20 min, they should come off rather easily.
Put the de-skinned tomatoes back in and put on for another 5 minutes, while you stir. Add spinach and go for another 5 minutes.
At the end of this, if you have a submersion wand blender, go to town blending it in the pot. Otherwise, get a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Nice tasting sauce that is full of flavour, doesn't need salt at all. Can be used for spaghetti, chicken, lasagna (May need to reduce the sauce a tiny bit for that), and basically anything a tomato sauce is needed for.
Thanks for sharing! I keep my homemade sauce simple and use San Marzano tomatoes, basil, EVOO, parmesan and garlic (no salt!). Keep the sauce on hand for use through the week and use what I need through the week.
The amount of salt I add to my pasta water is based on the sauce I am making and how salty the cheese is.
I think salt is one of those things you acclimatize to. Growing up my parents never added salt to anything, and whenever I'd eat at someone else's house I'd find everything tasted really salty (my Grandma added salt to vegetables even). There's plenty of salt in stuff you buy, unless you're not eating any processed foods, I can't remember the last time I added salt to something.
That's perhaps the difference between us. I rarely cook with anything processed and almost exclusively, will use fresh ingredients.
I cook quite a bit and a rarely use more than a pinch or two of salt for even 3-4 servings of sauce or something. I don't know, just never really liked salt.
I think outside of specific doctor recommendations to limit salt (probably because of water retention problems), or a diet extremely tilted toward meats a preserved food, it's unlikely you have a big salt intake problem. (and I mean extreme, like the super size me diet)
And being northern prairie folk as we are, it might not hurt to get a little bit of the iodized version (lower levels of seafood in most of our diets than the average human).
On the same hand, living in an easy calorie world with a grain first society, you almost certainly take-in too much sugar, best thing to combat that is focusing on having high fiber vegetables with every meal that you can. Dark Greens & Roots.
Be very wary of any advice on the internet regarding nutrition and diet. Nutrition is one of those universally experienced things that everyone has an (often poorly informed) opinion on.
I would spend some time perusing PubMed for review articles regarding sodium intake and health outcomes.
BP correlates with sodium intake, with multiple mechanisms underlying this relation. Preclinical and clinical studies demonstrate that sodium adversely affects multiple target organs independent of BP.
Quote:
Because of the weight of evidence in favor of salt reduction and the difficulties in organizing a clinical trial, the AHA recommends a population-wide reduction in sodium intake
An environment in which a person encounters only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own, so that their existing views are reinforced and alternative ideas are not considered.
Thanks for sharing! I keep my homemade sauce simple and use San Marzano tomatoes, basil, EVOO, parmesan and garlic (no salt!). Keep the sauce on hand for use through the week and use what I need through the week.
The amount of salt I add to my pasta water is based on the sauce I am making and how salty the cheese is.
Sorry I had to laugh at this. You are adding salt to your homemade sauce, just not directly.
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The problem with salt for a lot of people is the amount of hidden or unexpected salt intake from other foods. Rarely is the salt concern for when you grab the salt shaker when your making your own meals. The odd heavy seasoned steak or some extra salt in the pasta water isn't really the issue for a lot of people. One of the most surprising culprits is supermarket bread. It's loaded with salt and sugar in order to last longer on the shelf.
Restaurant meals are very very heavy with salt and sugar as those have a relationship. They are more concerned with flavor and their pocket book than your general health which is fair. In sauces, spices, cooking and a lot of foods both in restaurants and processed, the amount of salt that is being consumed unexpectedly is very very high.
What than compounds the problem for the general population is that our diets generally lack sufficient potassium, magnesium and other key pieces that help dealing with blood pressure and other heart related issues.
It's not the well salted grilled salmon and steamed swiss chard that's the problem, it's the loaded nachos, the pizza and the wings watching a Flames game that will do you in over the years.
Salt and Healthier Diet Habits
