 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
Please Come Back. New Questions And Answers Are Added Every Day.
Question of the month: Where can I find Grandma's Chili Powder?
The use of salt is optional in all canned tomato products. Salt is used in canning only for flavor or color protection. I add an extra dose of fresh lemon juice when canning tomatoes to help retain the color.
Learn More Here
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back to the top.
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back To Top Of Salt Section
I need some help with how much salt or sodium we should have if we were
measuring it by measuring spoons, that is if we use a teaspoon in the morning and a
teaspoon for lunch and dinner would that be too much? Do we need to be mindful of
products with baking soda, baking powder and MSG, etc.? It is not that I can not have salt; it is I need to watch
it because my feet, ankle and legs swell so. If you have information I would
appreciate it very much. — Jeanette
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Potassium is necessary in most diets, but too much can be harmful as you already know.
I suggest you make your own substitute. Understand however, that salt substitutes do not help in baking or cooking. Salt is in breads for instance as a preservative and it is in canned goods and some packaged goods for the same reasons. It's also used to cause a flavor that would not otherwise exist, although the excuse is to "enhance" the flavor.
Our latest No Salt, Lowest Sodium Light Meals book has a great bunch of soup and salad recipes that do not use salt, salt substitutes or potassium. These are definitely a plus in your diet. You can read more about it at Light Meals Book.
As to Mrs. Dash. I haven't looked at a jar of that in a long time and can't remember. Neither can I find the nutrients for it on the Web. If it says it uses potassium however, then stay away from it would be my suggestion.
Also, we feel that using salt substitutes develops a "crutch" where we wouldn't otherwise learn how to prepare foods with flavor without salt. That aside, as a quick substitute for flavoring you can try:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lemon juice works on some foods, no salt added salsa on others. And a shaker filled with a variety of herbs can be a tasty, convenient way to use less salt. Try this
combination:
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Also, at the bottom of this page you can click on
the USDA NUTRIENT DATABASE button. This will take you directly to the USDA
where you can type in any foods in question including brand labels
(sometimes).
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Other salt "substitutes" have 1/2 salt, half potassium chloride or some spices or herbs. Sodium level for these amounts to about
1,300 mg a teaspoon.
I have avoided salt substitutes in all recipes for the above reasons and for another reason that plays heavily in success or failure in
adopting a no salt lifestyle.
And there is the Crutch theory. If we use crutches all our life, we'd probably end up not knowing how to walk. Salt substitutes
becomes a crutch against learning how to prepare foods so that you still enjoy them, and keep your daily sodium levels
below 500 mg a day.
Our No Salt, Lowest Sodium Cookbook has
a 28 day meal-planning guide at the back of the book. You can make your own plan based on this one.
It's important to try it. Cutting salt out and changing our lifestyles is saving the lives of many of us, include
my own. It was no joke for me...I quickly developed a plan, stuck to it and now, after nearly 6 years, I'm
practically normal again.
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back To Top Of Salt Section
Back To Top Of Sodium Section
Back To Top Of Sodium Section
Back To Top Of Sodium Section
In the back of the book you'll find a 28-day meal-planning guide. The recipes in the guide are in the book. You can adjust the meal planner to your tastes and desires. But use the format.
You'll find just the right recipes to attain your goal.
You may also have to cut some portions of some foods in half. Generally remember this: Fresh fruits are all low in sodium. Most fresh vegetables are low but carry some like a single medium carrot has 35 mg of sodium. Same with celery and spinach. But others like onions, potatoes,
mushrooms have very little. Lettuce and other such greens are nearly zero but do have traces of sodium. A single medium tomato (whole) has 11 mg, so if you use a slice you can figure about 2 mg.
And never, never eat anything from a can, package, box, frozen item or processed deli meats without first ensuring they are "no salt added," or contain absolutely no salt in the ingredients. Remember too that a single cup of milk has 130 mg of sodium.
The book will be a "life-saver" for you. No other "low salt" book can match this one for your needs.
Back To Top Of Sodium Section
Back To Top Of Sodium Section
You can access a great deal of information at our web site by clicking on the All About SODIUM
button on most pages or clicking All About Sodium.
If you need further information, scroll to the bottom of that same page and click on the USDA button at the bottom.
Back To Top Of Sodium Section
Brining requires soaking a whole turkey in salted water for hours -- usually
overnight. It's done to "firm up the bird's breast meat" and give better
texture and a saltier flavor. It firms it up by soaking the salt into the meat.
"Briners" add between 75,373 milligrams of sodium and 100,000 mg to a 12 to 16
pound bird during soaking.
Recipes published with USDA stats show between 980 mg sodium per serving (16
servings of 4 to 6 ounces out of a 12 to 16 pound bird) to over 1,200 mg per
serving.
By the way, a fresh, raw, cooked without salt turkey delivers about 72 to 100 mg per serving size ranging from 4 to 6-ounces.
Back To Top Of Sodium Section
Please Let me have your doctors name and address and St. Martin's Press will send him a complimentary copy of the No Salt, Lowest Sodium Cookbook.
I believe you can explain to your doctor that this is new territory, unexplored before, and that we are proving it is just fine. Renal patients by the way
are told to try to get even lower than 500 mg a day.
Lower than 500 on a daily basis seems to not be harmful and that comes from my experience of having gone at lengthy times never exceeding 300 mg a day. However,
I try to stick around 500; never over it.
I am not a doctor and can't advise you, but have given you my past 8 years of experience above.
I can also tell you that we have had a few thousand letters from successful users of the program who have returned to work after having been diagnosed
with CHF with very low EF numbers.
And others have been removed from the transplant list since their hearts remodeled back to normal size.
(2006 Update: A response to a visitor to Megaheart, September, 2006)
Back To Bread Section Top
Stir together the above ingredients, in a two quart plastic bowl. Let stand on your kitchen counter top, or near an open window for 7 days.
Stir once a day. Cover lightly on the 4th day, allowing air in. Refrigerate after that unless you intend to use some of it. If using a 1/2 cup,
for instance, replace the sourdough mixture with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup flour. Let stand all day out of the refrigerator and then
return to the refrigerator. This mixture should be thick enough now.
When using after it's been stored in refrigerator, set out on counter top overnight for next use. You want it at room temperature.
If this is what you have done, and your sourdough is oozy thick, that is, it pours
a bit like a heavy syrup, then you should be okay with your recipe. If on the other hand, you still get dough that's too wet, then
cut back the water in the bread recipe by a good half cup. Watch the dough in the machine while it kneads. If it's still too wet, add some flour
for that mix, but next time cut back yet another 1/4 cup. Once you have mastered it, write it down. Sourdough, unfortunately, can
react differently in different parts of the world, but you can finally reach success with it if you attempt all the above. (By the way,
this is pretty much double the starter in the first edition of the cookbook. I have doubled it in the upcoming bread book to help allay any of these
problems that might occur with a smaller batch. Remember too: When the sourdough sits for a week unused, it will develop a brackish appearing
fluid on the top. Pour this off first time, then next time mix it in, then after that pour it off. If other words, alternate this action.)
Back To Bread Section Top
As a result, I have noticed that your bread recipes (in the cookbook), are missing the fat and
have replaced it with applesauce. I would like to increase the calorie/fat
content of the bread by substituting butter (or oil) for the applesauce. I
know this sounds backwards, but I am so skinny! How should I adjust the
recipes to reflect this change? I am particularly interested in the regular
white bread (for the bread machine) and the sandwich roll recipes. -- Sarah K.
Still more
are available in our No Salt, Lowest Sodium Baking Book.
The meal planning guide in your cookbook was designed for a healthy diet, but
without much sodium. We all need some fat, what should be cut is the
saturated fats and hydrogenated fats (trans fats or trans fatty acides) like those found in commercial cookies,
crackers, margarine and other fat based products.
After the dough has worked for about 5 to 10 minutes, open the machine to make sure it is balling up correctly. If it's dry, add one teaspoon more water, wait another 5 minutes check again
As you have learned, nothing replaces salt in baking. For baking powder you can obtain Featherweight
Baking Powder (13.9 mg sodium per tablespoon) and Ener-G Baking Soda at Healthy Heart Market
or by calling them toll free at: 1-888-685-5988.
If you find a bread recipe you truly might enjoy, then if not using salt add the following to make it airier, fresher
and longer lasting in a zip lock bag:
You won't have to change the volume of yeast as long as a formula established centuries ago is followed. Remember your
yeast has to be fresh or not spoiled, can't touch liquids if using a bread machine (and I highly recommend you do use
a bread machine even when making a single loaf or buns or cinnamon rolls or French baguettes, etc. Use the
machine to knead the dough and let it do its first rise. Then take out of machine and form what you want, let it
rise again, bake at the prescribed temperature.
We have tested every single recipe we created in the bread book and listed all nutrients from calories
to folate. Most of my bread recipes have no more than 2 to 5 mg sodium per serving.
I recommend any of the bread machines shown in our Kitchen Cabinet page.
If you need further assistance with this, please don't hesitate to write.
Gluten: Also called "gluten flour," "instant gluten flour," "pure gluten flour," and "vital wheat gluten," depending on vendor and manufacturer is flour with the starch and bran removed. Gluten is the natural protein in the wheat endosperm which, when combined with water, forms a taffy-like dough. This retains the gas and steam from baking.
Gluten is recommended in our no salt breads to help the bread rise, expand and create a better "bread" texture. Also flour marked "Best for Bread Machines"
has a higher level of gluten
than all-purpose flour.
Keep an eye on it while it's kneading to make sure the water is correct, since whole wheat flours vary in water adsorption. If you need to add more do so 1-tablespoon
at a time but let it knead for a few minutes before adding more. By the way, the
"whole wheat" bread you buy in the store
usually has "wheat flour" listed instead of "whole wheat flour." Some have a combination of white and whole wheat flours.
Vital Wheat Gluten is the same thing but is 75 to 80% protein. The normal formula for white flour not "designed" for bread making is one
tablespoon per cup of flour. This will improve texture and elasticity and help your bread rise. It is especially helpful in
heavy breads made with coarse ground flours and whole grain cereals.
We use 1 tablespoon per 3 cups of flour in flour made for bread or designated for bread machines.
As to availability in Australia I am not familiar enough with your products to answer those questions. You should however, be able to obtain some gluten.
Gluten comes either as "gluten" or "vital wheat gluten."
There is a web site based in the U.S. that sells online, but shipping to Australia may prove a bit high. Bob's Red Mill
Once opened, you will want to refrigerate or freeze your gluten.
I'm making a cake and the American Heart Association Low-Salt Cookbook is
calling for two teaspoons baking powder. I was just going to use the
Featherweight. Or... should I stick to the regular kind that has 120 mg of
sodium per 1/4 teaspoon?
When using low sodium baking powder, your cake won't rise as high, but will rise enough. If your cake is known
to be "heavy" anyway, then I will add up to 1/4 teaspoon Calumet double acting baking powder. It helps
enough and since the cake is cut into about 15 pieces the sodium is low
enough. I still use the Featherweight even with that. If making a cake with Softassilk flour, just use the Featherweight or Ener-G baking powder.
Remember to triple it if converting one of your recipes. Read on.
You may use Featherweight with the following formula that has worked for me.
In cakes double or triple the Featherweight. Yours calls for 2 teaspoons. I'd make my first try using
1 1/2 tablespoons.
Mix your Featherweight in just before placing into oven. Low s
Don: Can you tell me if a low sodium diet really does help? I have read so many articles and it seems that it is not clear that a
low sodium diet really helps in lowering blood pressure. My husband had a heart attack two years ago, and he doesn't feel
that cutting out all the salt in his diet really is working in lowering his blood pressure. Anna L. Much research has been done in this area. Recently,
research has proved conclusively that lowering sodium intake will lower blood pressure. UPDATE: As of 2005 researchers are convinced that lowering
sodium will reduce risk to heart disease and help reduce hypertension. Although there is a "salt war" going on among media types, the rest of us
must work with what we have. See my article for a national mag by clicking here to get a feel
for what is going on nationally and I view it. Personally however, I can tell you reducing sodium helps. Whether everyone should drop to 500 mg or not is
yet another question. For me it worked. For many with renal disease it's a must. I would say, based on my research of research, that for many a low of
1,000 to 1,300 mg would also work to reduce hypertension.
Back to the top.
Back to the top.
I read in a book that there is a good sodium and a bad sodium. They said the good sodium was sea salt and that all other salt was bad. Is this true? —
Sarah D. Thanks for your note. You sent the book title along and we took at look
at it. The self-publish-author of that book is wrong but obviously biased toward sea salt. The sea salt marketing program has been very effective in getting many people
to believe sea salt was healthier than regular table salt. Of course that's not true. NaCL is the chemical compound for both sea salt and table salt. Our bodies
recognize only that. Each has about 2,350 mg of sodium per teaspoon. Sodium is sodium. There is in other words, no good sodium and no "good" salt. P.S. I wouldn't touch a recipe in that book were I you.
Back to the top.
Why do I crave salt? I'm having trouble adjusting. Essentially salt has damaged your palate. Everyone who eats salt has a damaged palate. But nature has been kind to us. If we stop for at least 30 days
and eat anything with salt in it, and if we don't add salt at our table or whiile cooking, our palate returns to normal (gradually at first and then fully).
We actually begin to taste the real flavors of
fresh foods. What has happened to us? We have been so inundated by salt that if we don't put salt on "every" thing we eat, it tastes bland. The more salt we eat, the more
we want it — a vicious cycle to be sure. We don't need salt, but we do need the sodium in natural foods. So, try cutting all salt out for about 30 days and
see how you do. That of course includes processed foods, restaurant food, marketed-snacks, etc. I'll bet you begin to like the flavors of real food. The day you "sneak" a salty snack though during that 30 days will be the day you have to start all over again.
And by the way, no salt — sea, Kosher, or table salt is good for us. Salt does not cure ills, it creates them.
Back to the top.
Why do we need salt? Humans don't need salt, but we do need some sodium. With a balanced diet
we can get all the sodium we need from natural foods. And the flavors will be much better than the biting, sour taste of salt. The sodium in sodium chloride is needed to transmit electrical impulses through nerves. It also helps with muscle
contraction and the distribution of water in the body. These functions need small amounts of dietary sodium and other essential elements never mentioned in the news
or at many "salt" sites. We can however, function a lot better without added salt. Salt with its high dose of sodium has been linked to many diseases from stomach
cancer and osteoporosis, to heart disease, Meniere's Syndrome, hypertension, and kidney and liver diseases.
Back to the top.
I read about a product from Con Agra called Amplify. It's supposed to be a salt substitute. Where can I get it? Is it good?
I wrote to Con Agra and a gentleman called and explained that Amplify
is indeed a salt substitute. I asked how much potassium it had in it and it's minimal. However, you can't purchase Amplify as a substitute. It's strictly a product
for manufacturers to use as a sodium lowering ingredient. As a matter of fact, at this writing, he explained that McDonald's and other similar chains are becoming
very interested in the product in order to cut the salt way down in their food products, which of course would lower sodium impressively.
Back to the top.
Can potassium chloride be dangerous for us?
Since I'm neither a scientist nor doctor I can only refer you to
the experts. Here's a short response from C. J. Doorenbos, internist-nephrologist, & C. G. Vermeij, internist-nephrologist from their research web site..
Salt substitutes may cause severe hyperkalaemia in patients with impaired renal potassium handling
Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Deventer Hospital, PO Box 5001, 7400 GC Deventer, Netherlands
Correspondence to: C J Doorenbos
In extolling the benefits of potassium an editorial in the BMJ recently advocated that people should increase their intake of potassium. ¹ Its benefits include lowering blood pressure in both hypertensive and normotensive people. A high potassium intake reduces the risk of stroke, and in rats it prevents renal vascular, glomerular, and tubular damage. Increasing potassium concentrations also reduces the risk of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with heart disease, heart failure, and left ventricular hypertrophy.1 Using a salt substitute that contains potassium combines the advantages of reducing sodium intake and increasing potassium intake.
However, in the high risk population that may benefit most from an increased consumption of potassium, several medical conditions predispose to the development of hyperkalaemia through impairing renal excretion of potassium. These conditions include renal failure, diabetes mellitus with hyporeninaemic hypoaldosteronism, and obstructive uropathy. The risk of hyperkalaemia is further increased by the frequent prescription in these patients of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, and potassium sparing diuretics. Elderly patients with osteoarthritis may also use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which also may contribute to increased plasma potassium values.²
Salt substitutes that contain potassium may cause hyperkalaemia with life threatening consequences in susceptible patients, as the following case report illustrates.
1. He FJ, MacGregor GA. Beneficial effects of potassium. BMJ 2001; 323: 497-501[Free Full Text].
2. Perazella MA. Drug-induced hyperkalemia: old culprits and new offenders. Am J Med 2000; 109: 307-314[ISI][Medline].
UPDATED MATERIAL — potassium chloride can be unhealthy for many users. Check with your doctor first, especially if you are in renal failure, taking ACE inhibitors, potassium-sparing diuretics, or angiotensin blockers (Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are used to treat conditions such as high blood pressure and heart failure.)
Back to the top.
Don, have a look at www.alsosalt.com. This is a new product, and may have real value. What's your opinion? — W. Armstrong Hi,
AlsoSalt and others have been around now for a few years. When we first
started Megaheart.com and the cookbooks these products weren't yet out.
What they are though is 99% potassium chloride. If you have a heart problem
you don't want to use this on a regular basis, if at all. Too much potassium can directly
affect your electrolytic balance and your heart. So can too little. If you are taking potassium tablets, then you are getting just the right amount
because your doctor more than likely has checked the level of potassium with a blood test. Your heart does need potassium; our fear is that with
these high potassium level salt substitutes you just might get too much of it.
Featherweight Baking Powder is exactly the same thing as AlsoSalt — potassium chloride. We use
Featherweight, but only in some baked goods. By dividing the number of
servings against what we use, the potassium level becomes acceptable with the
occasional use of baked goods (like cakes, pastries, etc.)
We therefore don't recommend AlsoSalt. Our recipes generally call for a balance of spices and herbs that
bring about excellent flavors in each meal.
I hope this doesn't discourage you from preparing good meals. I think if
you play around with spices you might begin to recognize the true flavors of
food and the wonderful variety spices offer.
Back to the top.
Hello Jeanette. I've listed responses to your questions below:
Back to the top.
I recently was discharged from the hospital (and told to go)
on a no salt diet.
I am concerned
I am a man 65 years old with heart failure.—Thanks, Bob & Bernice Feist Most of our visitors and book users are sticking to 500 mg and below a
day for sodium levels. (Research has shown that from about 200 mg to 500 mg a day are all we need. Beyond that we are overdoing it.) With our book in hand this is an easy task. Your doctor may recommend 2 grams (2,000 mg)
a day, but if you tell him you can get lower he may suggest that's better. Show him the book and he'll probably
go along with the 500 mg a day. Read our testiimonial section to see how many people have improved and
actually gotten off the transplant list thanks to the book, exercise and sticking to their medication program.
www.megaheart.com/testimonialsbook.html
My husband was put on a no salt low
sodium diet because he has CHF. If salt is in the ingredient label but shows very low sodium, is that ok? —
Shirley Delorenzo Salt is not the culprit, sodium is.
Salt just has a lot of sodium in it. If an ingredient lists salt, but the sodium is low, and if it fits into your plan,
it's okay. Some may say we are salt-sensitive. What that means is we react poorly to sodium. You are
on the right track, reading the sodium levels.
Back to the top.
I know that many salt substitutes contain potassium and are not recommended. What about "Mrs. Dash". My potassium is too high and I want to be sure that Mrs. Dash is okay to use. —
Rosamond B. We don't usually recommend any "salt substitute."
The Best way to know if a substitute has potassium is to read the FDA label. Also, check the ingredients. If the ingredients list potassium then it's probably going
to exceed your daily needs.
We have another substitute recipe in the No Salt, Lowest Sodium Light Meals book as well.
It's titled: Flavor Kicker, and it's on page 178.
Back to the top.
Hi, I was just diagnosed with CHF. My ejection fraction was 15%. I was told to cut
my salt down but the doctor didn't tell me how much. No one there will talk to me about it, either. I read your testimonial pages and they sure give me some hope.
I read also that your EF was low once. Can you tell me what to do regarding this salt thing?— Barbara Hi Barbara. First, it's good you are here and that you realize you need some
help with this. For many, cutting salt out is not an easy adventure. I have adapted to a 500 mg of sodium a day or fewer and been at it for 7 years now. My EF has
climbed back up to 50% (from under 20%), my heart has remodeled to normal size and I work a good 10 hour day now. In the beginning however, I was told a much different story.
You may want to pick up a copy of The No Salt, Lowest Sodium Cookbook. It's the best-selling book on the market today for what you need to do. The back of the book
has a 28-day meal-planning guide you can use to build your own guide. The book also has 350 recipes to help you. Our baking book also has 135 good baking recipes.
Once you accept this lower level of sodium as your new lifestyle, and keep up a good exercise program along with your medications, I see no reason why you can't get
better. You may want to read through this page of questions and answers also to pick up more information about products, results, where to go for more help.
Back to the top.
Your recipes are great. They have really saved my life and that's no joke. I admit it took me a while to get out of denial and finally
dump the salt shaker. It's like AA I think. Do you really not use any salt at all? I had a terrible time getting off the habit. Things just didn't taste good
for a long time. But now they do. They actually taste better. When I do touch salt now, it's awful tasting. Thank you. — A. Stein You admitted to denial, which was good. We all go through that stage when first
diagnosed with whatever drives us to a no salt lifestyle. Mine was heart disease. You didn't say what yours was. Apparently, it was bad enough to get you to
go all the way, shake the shaker so to speak. Some can't. We receive many E-mails where some refuse to give up their "McDonald's" lifestyle. One gentleman
refuses to go a day without a "Big Mac." I think such addictions are sad since we are in control of everything we do. Some even get mad and write rather nasty
notes to me about "I can't live without salt and neither can you. So get off it. We have to have some salt." Of course, this is not true. Others may write
that no salt recipes are tasteless, eeek, awful, and even critique the books because they believe the recipes are flavorless. (You know now they aren't.)
What this tells me is that they have had a heavy
salt diet all their life and are in serious trouble. Their taste buds have been salt-trained. I believe they are frustrated because they have been told to shake
the salt (sort of like stop smoking cold) and therefore
they seem to have to punish someone else for this new and seemingly unconquerable challenge. I don't mind that they come at me . . . I do my best to talk them
through it. To help. That's what we are here at Megaheart.com for. Since we have proof that it saves lives, even gets patients off the transplant list or at least
turned away from it we (and I) are confident our message can eventually get through to those who really want to fight for their own survival. So, when you see
these messages and critiques and writings, or hear them, do your best to help the originator of them. (I have even called people who have "blasted" me or
the books and tried to
counsel them. Some have done well and made great strides, others are in such denial there seems to be no way of helping them.) It's very good to hear that you have succeeded. That's what
this site is all about and I thank you deeply for your note.
Is there a list of the amount of sodium in vegs and natural foods? I recently found your cookbook in the bookstore. It has been such a big help in
changing my diet. You have helped me realize there is life after they take the salt away. Thanks—Kathy Marshall We have put an extensive list on the Web site for you.
You can find it at All About Sodium On the left side you'll be able to find "word buttons"
that will take you to veggies, beef, fish, etc.
Back to the top.
My name is John and I just want to ask
you this question because I cannot
have anything that contains salt in any form. Do all meats and
vegetables and fruit have salt already in it. Please reply. Thank you so
much. Thanks—John You mentioned you cannot have anything with salt in it.
Salt and sodium are not the same thing.
No food naturally has "salt" in it. But processed, canned, packaged, fast foods, frozen foods,
restaurants, bread all use a lot of salt.
Fresh foods, raw meats not processed (some chicken is soaked in brine before coming to the market -- read the FDA label on the chicken package first) are not laden with salt. Fresh vegetables are clear of all salt.
Back to the top.
Greetings, Don!
My question is about my Mom: She has had heart problems and is now on a reduced salt diet. But it seems her doctor has told her to avoid -any- salt
substitutes. Are you aware of any reasons why she must do so, and since she must, how would this affect so many recipes (or over-the counter products)
where manufacturers -are- using such (alternative) ingredients to keep the ~real~ salt content low? In other words, HOW would the average consumer
have any way of knowing what chemical combinations to avoid? Thank you, so very much, for the courtesy of your reply. I really appreciate
it. — - 4-H Mom Some salt substitutes are nothing more
than pure potassium chloride. To use these could imbalance your mother's medications. Potassium levels in the body
are generally kept in balance by a healthy diet. If she's taking a diuretic however, she's probably also taking a potassium tablet.
The term "Salt Substitute" generally means "I'm going to use it everyday." Not a good idea.
Back to the top.
Back to the top.
Dear chef Don,
My late wife of 25 1/2 years developed type II diabetes in the early 80's. It wasn't until she developed renel failure and subsequently died from the excessive salt intake, that I have become convinced of the poisonous nature of too much salt. I have since remarried and my current wife loves her salt shaker also. Is there a way to graciously throw away the salt shaker or is the body's inherent need for sodium so strong that it overrides any better sense even in the face on contradictory evidence? Could you please send to me some convincing arguments which may help me to convince her to give up her salt habit ! GCW
Hi Graham.
There are many myths about salt and sodium. One of them is that our "body" cries out for salt. That's wrong. Our bodies do not need salt. Not at all. There is enough sodium naturally in a balanced diet to take care of our sodium needs. As a matter of fact, if we eat too much of some natural foods, we'll get too much sodium.
Salt therefore, adds sodium in excess in any levels of it. One-teaspoon of salt has 2,350 mg of sodium. (Same for sea salt although some sea salt manufacturers
say theirs has fewer. Indeed their product per teaspoon may have fewer milligrams of sodium, but the level of sea salt in their serving size is also proportionatly lower -- mixed with other elements.)
The AMA, ADA, and NIH and other science related groups have settled in on about 1300 milligrams total a day for healthy people who are elderly, sedate or not too active. Very active people can eat as much as a total of 2300 mg a day. All this is sodium. Not salt.
A glass of milk (cup), two pieces of toast, one or two eggs or a bowl of cereal can pretty much offer up about 1/4 of a day's total supply. And those without added
salt. Lunch, snacks, dinner, desserts can total over the daily recommended level. Without adding salt.
Salt is introduced to our bodies from the first baby food fed us to most all commercially processed foods. If salt is not introduced in childhood, we have no
craving for it. Ever. It's a foul taste for those who have never eaten it and have lived without it. I have not eaten salt for nearly two decades
and when it appears in or on anything, my tastebuds reject it before I even begin to eat it. Yet, before heart failure, I ate it in processed
foods as much as anyone else.
For some of us it's easy to get off salt. For others, it's hard because salt can be addictive. Therefore, flavor kickers made from spices and herbs are needed.
Chicken backed with a spice mix can be as tasty as chicken served with salt. Soups can be tasty as well with a chicken broth made like the one in our
No Salt,
Lowest Sodium Light Meals book.
Lemon or lime squeezes can replace the kick in salads, soups and even on fowl.
Our Light Meals book has about 10 special spice mixes you can put together in your kitchen and work with when serving meals. Not only are they tasty, they are much healthier than salt.
You might also like to know that if you are taking medications or vitamins that all have some level of sodium in them. Some are very high. Once a day vitamins can have from 60 mg to 120 mg per pill. Glucosomine/Chondroitin can have upwards of 1200 mg (in other words, whole day's supply of sodium in one pill).
It is important to cut salt out. Very important. It works against kidneys, liver, lungs and blood vessels. So see if you can get your wife to try it. Slowly with the spice and herb mixes until she adapts wholly. I admit my wife had the same challenge but we no longer have salt in the house, not even for guests. She has gotten very good at creating spice mixes as well. And she feels much, much better without all the fluid retention.
You can find the Light Meals book at a discount price at Megaheart.com Light Meals book.
Please let us know if there's more we can do to help.
Back to the top.
SEA SALT
Help, is sea salt good for us?
I have a dear friend, age 76 male who is
truly into vitamins and good eating. Recently he is into Sea Salt, which is fine, but his research has told him he can have all he wants,
unlike regular table salt. I feel that may not be true....sodium is sodium is sodium. But I have no information to put in his hands to read.
I even checked the Mayo Clinic for info and found nothing. He loves the Mayo Clinic so I thought that may be an excellent resource. Help! Thank you —
Mary Dehon Sea Salt and table Salt are identical in levels of sodium chloride. One is mined from the sea the
other from the ground. Your friend might want to
read the package labels of his sea salt if they have them. Sea salt has 2,350 mg sodium per teaspoon. table salt has 2,350 mg sodium per teaspoon.
Whether sea salt is "healthier" or not has not been established, since both salts have the exact same levels of sodium chloride.
I might also caution you against using salt substitutes unless they are made from herbs and spices. Many contain salt while others
contain very high levels of potassium chloride, which can also be "dangerous" to those with chronic illnesses. See This Article for more specific information concerning potassium.
SODIUM
Can you tell me if a low sodium diet really does help?
How much sodium in coffee?
How do I convert sodium measurements?
Is it healthy for me to keep my sodium under 500 mg a day?
Can you tell me how much of the salt in the brining liquid would be absorbed by the turkey?
Where can I get information on the natural sodium in food?
How many mg of sodium do teenage girls need per day?
Is there any kind of substitutes he can take to raise blood sodium levels?
I have been put on a 200 mg low sodium diet. Can you help me?
Please send me a list of foods with no sodium.
What does "trace" mean when used in your recipes for sodium levels?
Please send me a list of foods with no sodium for my Dad who recently had a very bad heart attack. I also need to know what low saturated fats he can eat.
-- Thank you -- Nancy You can find an extensive list of foods and ingredients
at Sodium Information
Back To Top
Don: Can you tell me if a low sodium diet really does help? I have read so many articles and it seems that it is not clear that a
low sodium diet really helps in lowering blood pressure. My husband had a heart attack two years ago, and he doesn't feel
that cutting out all the salt in his diet really is working in lowering his blood pressure. Anna L. Much research has been done in this area. UPDATE: Recently,
research has proved conclusively that lowering sodium intake will lower blood pressure. As of 2005 researchers are convinced that lowering
sodium will reduce risk to heart disease and help reduce hypertension. Although there is a "salt war" going on among media types, the rest of us
must work with what we have. See my article for a national mag by clicking here to get a feel
for what is going on nationally and I view it. Personally however, I can tell you reducing sodium helps. Whether everyone should drop to 500 mg or not is
yet another question. For me it worked. For many with renal disease it's a must. I would say, based on my research of research, that for many a low of
1,000 to 1,300 mg would also work to reduce hypertension.
Back To Top
On your recipes several ingredience have (trace). What does that mean? — Pauline Young Trace generally means an immeasurable amount or amounts totaling less than .0099 mg per serving measurement based on USDA standards. We base everything on USDA data. FDA labels on food packaging can be misleading by the way. 0 on an FDA label can mean anything up to 5 mg of sodium per serving. 130 mg can mean anything from 125 to 135 mg.
Back To Top
I have been put on a 200 mg low sodium diet. Can you help me?— Michele That's very low but can be done.
Get a copy of the book "The No Salt, Lowest Sodium Cookbook." You can visit Megaheart Bookstore and click on the book to get it from Amazon within 3 days. Or you can call your local bookstore and order it.
Back To Top
My father in-law has a low blood sodium count of 114. He has a disease called
pulmonary hypertension. Is there any kind of substitutes he can take to increase his sodium count quickly? Please respond ASAP.
Thank you in advance for your time.—R. Dwelly You'll have to speak with your doctor about that since
the count you gave us is a blood count. Blood sodium is not the same as ingested sodium. Other factors may also play in his
low sodium count (normal range is 135 to 145) such as diuretics, medications and whether he is in fact ingesting too little sodium.
See our web page at All About Sodium. You can learn more about blood sodium in
the last paragraph of the first section.
Can you tell me how many milligrams of sodium
do teenage girls need per day?—K.W. The answer to your question depends on many factors including overall health status. I suggest consulting with
a registered dietitian (R.D.) for specific information. You may locate a R.D. in your area by going to the American
Dietetic Association web site at ADA and clicking on the icon "Find a dietitian". By typing in your
zip code you will receive contact information for dietitians practicing in your area.
Back To Top
I noticed that none of your recipes call for
salt substitute. Is there a reason for that? Also, do you know where I could get information on the natural sodium
in food? Thanks—Lewanna
Salt substitutes, unless made of spices like my formula, either have way too much sodium in them (because many of them
contain salt) or they are flavorless and a weak attempt to provide a substitute for salt flavor. No salt substitute that I've
seen will work in cooking breads and other recipes calling for salt as a leavening or preservative agent.
Back To Top
My husband is on a sodium restricted diet. He has been watching the Food
Network on TV, where everyone seems to be brining their Thanksgiving turkey. He says that brining will not increase the amount of sodium in the meat. I
don't see how that is possible. Can you tell me how much of the salt in the brining liquid would be absorbed by the turkey? Thank you, — Cheri McWilliams
I hope this doesn't upset your husband but chefs and now processors brine turkeys to add more
sodium/salt flavor and to extend the shelf life. Yes, enough "sticks" to the bird to warrant great
caution. The USDA says a brined 12 pound turkey increases in sodium levels
exponentially. 4 ounces of raw, fresh baked turkey has about 72 mg of sodium
per ounce. A brined turkey for the same serving can have upwards of 980 to 1200 mg of sodium..
Update 2006. More and more processors are brining turkeys, chicken meat and pork. Be careful. Read all labels. And look out for "Natural Flavorings." Natural flavorings usually mean an unlisted combination of chemicals that produce MSG have been added. Since MSG must be listed and these combining chemicals don't have to be listed, the term "Natural Flavorings" has been used.
Also some chicken meat (such as Trader Joe's and others) will state that the meat is natural, with minimal processing and no additives. Not quite true. The minimal processsing often turns out to be either the "Natural Flavorings" combination or short brining, which doubles the natural sodium level to about 40 mg per ounce.
Back To Top
How much sodium in coffee?— Mary Rios Great question.
There are nearly a hundred listings at the USDA.
Basically coffee by itself varies from half a milligram per ounce to 1 milligram per ounce.
Now comes the rub.
Water.
If you use bottled - distilled water the sodium doesn't change.
If you use tap water from a municipal source then your cup of coffee will change to the level of that water. Water ranges from 1 mg per quart to 400 mg per quart in some parts of the country.
Ground water, if you have a well, must be tested to see what your sodium level might be.
The USDA averages water at 7.11 mg per cup or nearly 1 mg per ounce.
Add cream, you add sodium. The amount of sugar you may add is negligible.
Back To Top of Sodium Section
I have a friend who can have 2000 mg. of sodium per day. What does this
convert to in dry measurement. Is it a teaspoon, or what part of a teaspoon or tablespoon? Thanks — Thresa D. Hi Theresa, 2,000 mg a day of sodium is a lot of sodium, higher than the recommended 1,300 mg to 1,800 mg a day for healthy people.
There is no measurement per teaspoon for this. A teaspoon of salt has 2,350 mg of sodium. But when eating, we find sodium in everything and that's the trick.
Our cookbook, The No Salt, Lowest Sodium Cookbook was designed for heart and Meniere's patients as well as kidney and hypertension patients.
Doctors are gradually coming around to realizing we can get below 2,000 mg a day and still enjoy our meals and get plenty to eat. Because we have proved
it's easy to get down to as low as 500 mg a day (and in some cases lower), many cardiologists and registered dietitians are today recommending our books to
their patients. You may want to point your friend to Our Cookbooks and invest the $11.97 in our No Salt cookbook that walks them
through all the sodium levels, provides over 350 recipes with sodium levels per every ingredient and a 28 day meal planning guide your friend can use to
build her/his own daily eating plan.
Back To Top of Sodium Section
Back To Top
Is it healthy for me to keep my sodium intake to under 500 mg. a day? I have high blood pressure that seems to be fine since the end of May when I started limiting the sodium and losing weight. Our doctor thinks 500 mg is too low and we should aim for 1500. Is there any valid problem with taking in under 500 mg? Thank you
— Bonnie Taylor
Hi Bonnie,
You didn't say if you were diagnosed with anything more serious than weight and high blood pressure. At least for heart patients
my cardiologist at Stanford Heart Transplant Clinic says that 500 is fine, especially for patients who need it. If hypertension is your sole diagnosis,
then current research pins the sodium at between 1,000 and 1,300 mg a day. You must discuss this with your doctor however.
I have been on a 500 mg a day intake for 8 years without ever having gone over that level. I also do not have to take diuretics, potassium or other meds
usually given for patients who need to lower blood pressure or help with serious heart failure by quickly expelling body fluids through these chemical means.
The logic that strikes me, a non medical person, is that if diuretics are taken, and potassium then given to replace the potassium the diuretics excrete, why would
a 500 mg a day dietary plan that negates the need for chemistry alterations be not a good thing?
Historically Doctors haven't believed we can get below 1500 mg a day, so they usually say 1500 or 2,000 mg hoping we might get close.
Back To Top of Sodium Section
Back To Top
BREAD
How long will my bread remain fresh?
Can I adjust your bread recipes?
Can I just remove the salt from bread recipes I used to use?
Where can I find rye bread?
In your testing and improving have you learned
anymore about no salt bread making that might help me?
Where can I find Montana Wheat flour?
Where can I find Thanksgiving stuffing?
Can I reduce the quantities in your bread recipes?
Why does a bread recipe that uses a sourdough starter need any additional yeast?
What is vital wheat gluten?
How can I make a pure whole wheat bread?
Is white whole wheat really whole wheat?
Can you tell me where I can find a Breadman machine?
Can I make bread without salt?
Can you give me a source of recipes for making bread?
Can I use the NU Salt instead or just cut back on the salt?
Can I cut the sandwich bun recipe in half?
How should I adjust the bread recipes to reflect oil instead of applesauce?
What am I doing wrong with my sourdough mix?
Where can I find your banana bread recipe?
Can I make your bread machine recipes with my Kithcen Aid?
Where can I get vital wheat gluten?
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
How long will my bread remain fresh?
You can add shelf life to all our recipes with a few changes we've listed on this site. Each of our recipes will
stay fresh in zipper lock bags or in the freezer for up to 5 days with a few simple techniques. But first let's review the care of bread, whether you make it or buy it. There are some myths about "shelf life" when it
comes to bread. Here are a few key things to remember. We hope they answer a few of the better known myths.
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Can I just remove
the salt from bread recipes I have?
Removing salt alone will
still give you a bread that rises but not very well. Whole Wheat bread won't work at all without something adjusted or added. White bread if you use
a bread machine flour or "best for bread" flour and Fleischmann's Bread Machine yeast will rise but the bread won't stay fresh very long. And it won't rise to the
commercial level you're accustomed too. The reason Fleichmann's Bread Machine yeast works with the "best for bread flour" is that the product has
ascorbic acid added to it. The "best for bread" flour has more gluten in it than let's say all-purpose flour. These combinations are important for producing the
rise and the gas needed to help bread get those nice air pockets. We add vinegar for the acid needed for freshness and ascorbic acid (either with orange
zest/peel or Sure Jell Ever Fresh or pure ascorbic acid) to make a combination with the gluten, the acid and the sugar in the recipe. This
combination is referred to as a bread enhancer. Other additions you can make are granular soy lecithin and potato flour, which will help add
longer shelf-life and a softer freshness. Salt in bread is not the sole leavening agent but instead was initially put into bread to help keep the
bread fresh. We recommend even with our ingredients that you store the bread in a zipper lock type bag. Most of our recipes will stay fresh on the counter
for up to about 5 or 6 days with the above ingredient combinations. Also, you may freeze our bread and it will thaw or microwave thaw as though fresh.
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Can I adjust your bread recipes, like adding stuff like flaxseed meal or other things? Can I take anything out if I don't like it?
Yes, and no. I encourage you to play with bread recipes. Making bread is fun and making varieties of bread from a single recipe is also enjoyable. I suggest you write down what changes you make. If you have a great
success, then you know exactly what to do next time. If you don't have a success, then you already know
where to start over. Changing recipes often requires altering other ingredients. For instance, recipes using buttermilk will require a different level of liquid or flour.
Recipes using whole wheat will change the liquid levels. Sugar and yeast levels often change as well, but
you will learn quickly when to adapt and what to adapt. You didn't say specifically what you wanted to change but I assume here you aren't going to remove the important
ingredients like yeast, flour (flour types can change of course), etc. I recommend Fleischmann's Bread Machine yeast for all bread recipes whether in a machine or by hand. Fleischmann's Bread Machine yeast has added
ascorbic acid, which works well when not using salt. However, we add more ascorbic acid since we've found that no salt bread recipes need it
in a combination of other ingredients. I would also recommend that each of your bread recipes contain the three added ingredients
ascorbic acid, vineger, gluten. The combination of these three will help develop the gas and rise. Also, Sugar or Splenda help yeast along.
Other ingredients we now recommend
for freshness and flavor are potato flour (about 2-tablespoons for every 3 cups of flour, exchanged for like measurements of flour), and granular soy lecithin.
UPDATE: I now recommend adding at least one heaping tablespoon of soy lecithin (granulated) per each 2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour.
This will greatly enchance shelf life and help keep the bread fresh and airy for up to 5 days in a zipper locked bag. As to vinegar, we now add 2 tablespoons per each 3 cups of flour. Reduce current liquid measurement by one tablespoon when you do this.
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Can I make your bread machine
recipes using my Kitchen Aid? (I just want to say your trio of books are very helpful to me in the battle against salt!!
The recipe for soy sauce was amazing.) Thank you for your note, we are always please to hear good words about our work.
Yes, you can make bread in your Kitchen Aid. But not the same way we make the dough in a bread machine.
Although active dry yeast would work, we suggest using Fleischmann's Bread Machine yeast since it has some ascorbic acid in it. Before making
bread with a Kitchen Aid you'll have to make what is called a "sponge." The yeast called for in the recipe has to be mixed with some of the liquid and
let stand until it "sponges" up. The liquid should be warmed to about 80 degrees F and not much higher. Too much heat kills yeast. Filtered water should be used since tap water varies with chlorine content and chlorine also kills yeast.
There are two ways to make the sponge. One is the quick way: Put the yeast in a large bowl (the one you'll be making your dough in),
pour in about a quarter of a cup of the warm liquid, stir gently with a 1/4 teaspoon of the sugar or Splenda called for and let sit about
5 minutes or until it is completely dissolved and appears creamy.
The second way, one that seems to bring out the bread flavor more. It also produces more of a "sandwich bread" than the first way.
Either way works well however. Pour half of the total amount of primary liquid in the recipe into a large bowl (the one you'll make the dough in) and then stir in two cups of the white flour. Beat about 80 to 100 strokes or around thirty seconds with the Kitchen Aid. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in the room for an hour to about eight hours. In other words, you can use it at any time after an hour but not much later than 8 hours. When ready, add the rest of the ingredients and then make the bread as called for in the recipe.
If the recipe is a bread machine only recipe and not a bread machine knead then oven bake, you'll want to let rise twice. The first rise you press down gently, then shape into buns, bread pans, or whatever you're making and let rise again for about and hour to an hour and a half. Bake most bread like this at 375 degrees F or higher. If are in a cold climate you can heat your oven to about 100 degrees F and let bread do its rising in there during the last rise. You won't have to cover it in the oven. When bread has risen, turn oven on to 375 degrees F and when bread browns, test for doneness and remove. Usually bread takes from 15 to 25 minutes to bake if you start the bread in the oven. Buns take less time.
A secret for browning is to baste the tops of dough just before the second rise with a mixture of 1-egg white and 1-teaspoon of water, whisked. You also asked about where to locate vital wheat gluten.
You can find vital wheat gluten at Bob's Red Mill.
And you can find links to it and other products we recommend at Where To Buy.
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Our Store went out of business that carries your Rye Bread and I can't get anyone to order it for me. Is there somewhere in the Midland,
Saginaw Michigan area that I can buy it. We miss having it on our table. Please let us know. — The McCann's
We don't carry any products for sale, but do recommend many. You may try Healthy Heart Market.
Otherwise, I'm sure we could come up with a rye bread recipe if you like.
Our Baking book has a rye bread on page 62 titled raisin rye. It's very good but does need to be store in a zip lock bag since we use absolutely no salt in it.
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Is white whole wheat really whole wheat?
You may want to try our
White Whole Wheat bread recipe. The recipe answers your question with, "This flour from Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur's Flour Company is made from a wheat known as "white whole wheat." The whole kernel is used (thereby making it
whole wheat), but the wheat is different than what you are accustomed to. There are two kinds of white whole wheat. Hard white and soft white. Neither is a
"white" flour. They are in fact: whole wheat. This wheat is used for making pasta, pastries and other bakery goods. It can make you a terrific tasting whole
wheat bread as well.
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Any new advice about no salt bread making?
Yes. Now that real ascorbic acid is available nationally from King Arthur's Catalog (online) we use it in our recipes in
place of listed citrus peel or Sure Jell Ever Fresh. (But you don't have to make the switch. Recipes work very well with either.
Ascorbic acid (citrus acid) is found in the orange peel and in Sure Jell Ever Fresh, which also has sugar in it.
Basically, use 1/4 teaspoon of ascorbic acid per recipe in place of the Sure Jell or orange peel recommended.
We also like to add a dash of onion powder to give a bit of that old "salt" taste.
We've learned much in the past 10 years about no salt bread making.
Vinegar is there to help with the freshness and shelf life of the bread (salt's real purpose in bread).
We use 1 tablespoon of vinegar per two to three cups of flour.
We create a rise enhancer now by adding:
vital wheat gluten
ascorbic acid
sugar or Splenda.
The combination gives us a nice "airy" rise with holes in the bread and a longer shelf life if stored in zipper lock bags.
In the baking book we use orange juice for liquid in some of the recipes (which works very well), and that takes care of the ascorbic acid.
The Splenda or sugar are needed by the yeast and work with the added gluten and acids (ascorbic and vinegar). We recommend "best for bread flour"
since it has more gluten than all-purpose. We recommend Fleischmann's Bread Machine yeast even if making by hand because it has ascorbic acid added to it.
(We have found a bit more is needed however and if using an active dry yeast even more than we recommend.)
We now also include Potato flour and some granular lecithin (optional but recommended). These add even more freshness and shelf life when
stored properly as well as flavor. And we suggest adding a tablespoon of flaxseed meal to each 3 cups as well. This offers more fiber and a nutty flavor that's very good.
As a "salt" bite, we now add in about a 1/4 teaspoon of granulated onion powder per each 3 cups of flour. These are optional of course, but worth experimenting with since they really help kick up the flavor of most unsalted bread recipes.
Page 101 of our No Salt, Lowest Sodium Light Meals Book has a more extensive explanation of making no salt bread than I've provided here. Your letter spurs me on to add more info at the Web site. http://www.megaheart.com/askdon.html has questions and answers as well.
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Where can I find your banana bread recipe?
The
No Salt Lowest Sodium Baking Book
has two recipes in it. You can also find a good one at our Recipes page.
Back To Top
My sourdough starter makes my bread dough really watery. What am I doing wrong? Dale B.
Sourdough itself is tough to make successfully. Let's start from the
beginning and see how you did from the start. The following is a sourdough starter recipe I use all the time:
Back To Top
One of the reasons why I love your cookbook so much is that it is low
sodium, but not necessarily low calorie. So many low-sodium cookbooks (the
AHA one, for example) are heavily geared mainly towards reducing fat in the
diet. Since I am 5'4" and only weigh about 98 pounds, your cookbook helps me
maintain my weight.Your question is a good one.
You may exchange the applesauce for equal amounts of olive oil or
unsalted butter. I prefer olive oil for a little flavor and more moisture. (Oils are in bread recipes for the moisture.)
If not already in a bread recipe, you might want to add 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten and 1 tablespoon of grated
orange peel or 1/4 teaspoon of ascorbic acid (the combination makes a good bread dough enhancer). Other great bread recipes are listed at
Bread Recipes
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Hi,
I need help on a recipe - is there anyway to cut the sandwich bun
recipe (p. 258) in half? Or can the dough be frozen?
I don't have the room to freeze the extra rolls - and I always end
up with a huge batch!
Thanks! —
Susan (Since the first edition of the book, I have
added three ingredients that help guarantee a good rise with aeration.) You can find updates and fixes at
Recipe Updates.
Just put this page into your bookmark for future reference.
Here's what you might want to try.
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Hi Don
My husband had a massive heart attack 2 years ago and had CHF. I just bought a bread machine and noticed the recipes use
1 tsp and a half salt. Can I use the NU Salt instead or just cut back on the salt?
I read the yeast needs the salt.....My husband is not taking potassium anymore.......thanks — Sue I don't know what kind of bread machine you purchased but you can bake bread without salt.
You can find some great recipes at our web site by visiting www.megaheart.com and clicking on the loaf of bread. That will take you to our recipe page. Scroll down to the bread section.
Most bread machine manufacturers tell you www. megaheart.com need salt to help the yeast but they are wrong. It's a mistaken myth. Yeast works well without salt. However, you do need to help the flour along with other ingredients to make it "airier." Also, you will have to add a tablespoon of vinegar to help preserve the bread (which is the real reason bread has salt). If you like an existing recipe, exchange the salt for 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten per every three cups of white flour and for every one cup of whole wheat flour. Add in 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar, at least one teaspoon of white sugar or Splenda substitute and a tablespoon of orange or lemon zest. The lemon can be strong so I always use orange zest. The combination of the sugar, gluten and zest will cause your bread to rise better than if you used salt.
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Can you give me a source of recipes for making
bread in a bread making machine? We are doing this so we know what is in the bread. We would,
however, like more variety than the book offers. Or do you just improvise with regular recipes and experiment?
Thank you!—John N.
You can find additional bread recipes at:
Recipes Index
Our No Salt, Lowest Sodium Baking Book has bout 135 great break, cookie and muffin
recipes.
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
My husband has recently become a CHF patient (at the age of 26) and he has
to watch how much Sodium he consumes a day. I was wondering if you knew of any substitutes for salt that would have the same baking results.
For example, when making homemade bread, salt works with the yeast which makes it light and bubbly. However, using a salt substitute or no salt at all
makes the bread very heavy and dense, therefore tasting awful! Same as in cookies and many other recipes that call for salt.
Please help!!!!—Amy-Lynn H.
To answer your question about bread making right up front, it's easy to make it without salt. With a combination of gluten, sugar and ascorbic acid
you can convert any recipe you have by leaving out the salt and adding the above.
As a matter fact, our baking book with about 135 bread, cookie and muffin recipes is has been a great success.
You can order one right now at Amazon.Com for a very small investment.
If you haven't found a few bread recipes at our web site yet then visit:
Recipes
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Hi, Don—I just got your book and was trying to locate the bread
machine you recommend, the Breadman TR810. Can you tell me where I can find it? Thanks—Lee I am sorry to report that Salton, manufacturer of the Breadman TR810, this year
discontinued the TR810. (Updated 2006. We recommend any of the bread machines one our Kitchen Cabinet page.)
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Hello, we work with kids with ADD/aDHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder
and have read some interesting info on the effects of gluten. In your software is gluten the same as glutanic acid? We have a hard time helping families
reduce gluten when it is often not listed as gluten on labels. What do you suggest?—J. Rice You might be better off discussing this with a nutritionist (R.D.) than with me.
What I can tell you is:
Glutanic Acid is a naturally occurring amino-acid, a constituent of many proteins. It is offered in many "health food" stores, vitamin pills and other forms from
"health food" suppliers or stores.
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
How can I make a pure whole wheat bread?—Unknown Sender
Bread made exclusively with whole wheat is difficult at best. We suggest 3 cups of whole wheat flour or wheat pastry flour, 3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten,
1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid, 1 cup of water,
1 tablespoon Grandma's Molasses (unsalted), 1 teaspoon white sugar, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast using the rapid
rise button on your bread machine.
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Please tell me what vital wheat gluten is.—Regards, Robyn in Australia Hi Robyn,
Gluten is the natural protein in the wheat endosperm that when combined with water, forms a taffy-like dough. This retains the gas and steam from baking,
which gives bread its bulk or volume.
Back To Bread Section Top
Back To Top
Why does a bread recipe that uses a sourdough
starter need any other yeast? Thank you. —jmanix When yeast first works with the
sourdough starter, it's used up right away. Once yeast is used up, it's no longer useable in a "second effort." Also, yeast usageis based on
the amount of flour used. A standard formula for instance would be 2 1/4
tsp for 3 cups of flour. In a sourdough loaf of 3 cups of flour, you'd use
about 1/2 cup of sourdough starter, which would contain no more than about
1/8 teaspoon of used up yeast.
Back To Top Of Bread Section
Back To Top
Hi Don:
I read your no salt baking book and learned a lot from it and the web site.
My spouse shouldn't eat bread but is NOT on a low salt diet whereas I am on a low salt
diet but allowed bread. I would like to reduce the number of loaves per recipe as I find
that one loaf lasts about a week with only two seniors living in the house. Can I just
reduce the quantitiesproportionally and still get a good bread? — John & Chris Buchanan
I usually freeze whatever I'm not going to use right away.
But to cut a recipe let's try this:
If flour is 5 to 6 cups, cut 3.
Cut water (liquid) to one cup possible one more tablespoon but wait for the kneading to find out. Cut yeast to 2 1/4 teaspoons.
Use 1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid available via mail from King Arthur Baking Catalog (online)
instead of orange peel or Sure Jell and use 1 level tablespoon of vital wheaat gluten.
Cut all other ingredients in half except for the vinegar. Use 1-tablespoon.
If using bread machine bake or make dough the same way.
You will want to keep an eye on the machine when first trying this since flour can be different from one brand to the next. If the water is not enough add
only 1 tablespoon at a time and let it work a few minutes. If it's too much, then add 1 tablespoon flour and let it work.
Next time you'll have your own recipe for that particular effort. For more softness and longer shelf-life, you can add 1 teaspoon of granular soy lecithin and
2 tablespoons of potato flour. (Removed 2 tablespoons of bread flour if you use the potato flour.)
Back To Top Of Bread Section
Back To Top
I do need a bread machine because I am really not strong enough to work the bread up as it should be done without a machine. The bread machines I have used to not meet my expectations. I have been looking for the machine you recommend: The Breadman Model TR810. We have shopped all over Minnesota. The internet said it was out of stock and they do not expect to receive more. Can you tell me where to go next?
I have not been able to find any machine like your describe that will make a 2 1/2 loaf, up to 6 cups of flour, with the double paddle.
Hi Laurie,
Click here to find two Breadman machines. The 850 replaces the 810. The Tr2200C is one I use now for making both dough and bread. The bread in the TR2200 however is a vertical loaf.
To help that favorite bread of your husband's, add 1 tablespoon of Ever Fresh fruit freshener, and make sure to puot in a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten. You'll notce a great improvement in texture.
Each loaf should have 1 tablespoon of Ever Fresh, 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten and either 1 teaspoon of sugar or 1 packet of Splenda sugar substitute. By the way, these bread machines are tough and don't need the second paddle.
Back To Top Of Bread Section
Back To Top
Where is Montana White Bread Flour, used in your recipes, available? Have checked Healthy Heart Market and Bob's Red Mill as your book "No-Salt Lowest Sodium" seems to suggest on page 19 under Flour and Grain topic.
Thanks, Karl
Hi,
I'm going to guess you're living in the midwest or south from your email address.
Out west we have a flour called Stone Buhr. It's one of the very best breadmaking flours available. But
King Arthur flour
also uses Montana Wheat and is a very good flour for breadmaking, equal to Stone Bhur.
While shopping at King Arthur, also pick up some ascorbic acid. (Type Ascorbic acid into their search engine) Use this with any bread recipe that uses sugar and if you want, add a teaspoon of vital wheat gluten for each 3 cups of flour to increase the rise and the texture. Use 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid. We now use this instead of the Sure Jell Ever Fresh we recommend on the web site and in some places in the baking book and cookbook.
Back To Top Of Bread Section
Back To Top
Do you know where I can find no salt bread for Thanksgiving stuffing?
— name on File Here's a short list of what we have learned up to date as far
as commercially available low sodium bread.
In the west, Safeway has a "Mrs. Wright's Very Low Sodium Bread" with just 5 mg per slice. It's good, too.
The only place Pete Eiden has found in Minneapolis that makes low sodium
bread is an up scale grocery store called Byerly's. They make a few varieties.
The Baker
A Salt Free Honey Whole Wheat Bread is available via shipment by calling 1-800-995-3989, or check out their web site
at Baker.com.
Toufayan Bakeries
An especially good no salt added pita bread. They are located
in North Bergen N.J. Telephone number 201-861-4131.
Food For Life Baking Company
Ezekiel 4:9 Low Sodium Sprouted Grain Bread; This bread is available
throughout the country including at Whole Foods.
Alvarado St. Bakery
Also under the Trader Joe's label. No salt bread from Alvarado St. Bakery is whole grain and 100%
delicious when fresh. Store in zip locked bags. Breaks up easily, better when toasted. Their phone number is (707)585-3293,their website is
Alvarado Street Bakery.
Fry's
FRY'S in California and Arizona carry a sodium free white bread (5 mg)
Store in zip lock bags or freeze.
The Giant Store
Hunt Valley, Baltimore and Washington D. C. area. A store brand No Salt Added bread (10 mg)
Garden of Good Eatin'
Low sodium pita bread (30 mg). Can be frozen.
SNACKS
Is there a good substitute for Chex Party Mix?
I was
wondering if there would be a good substitute for the Chex party mix recipe
that I make every Christmas. I thought I could substitute garlic
powder for the garlic salt, but what about the season salt, Worcestershire
sauce and other ingredients. Thanks, again.
Chex is too high in sodium for our use. We substitute
Nabisco bite size shredded wheat (0 mg), stir fry it lightly in a nonstick pan with a tablespoon of olive oil,
unsalted peanuts and unsalted pine nuts. After that, we mix in golden raisins (purely a matter of taste). It works well. We use
Oregon Spice Rack "Garlic Lover's Garlic."
BAKING
Can I substitute low-sodium buttermilk, or low-fat milk for the orange juice in some of your bread recipes?
Your recipes say Featherweight has some sodium in it. Why does the Featherweight bottle state 0?
How do I adjust Homemade biscuit recipes?
Can one make your bread recipes without a bread machine?
How many milligrams of sodium does my bread recipe have?
How do I make pizza dough by hand?
How do I use Featherweight Baking Powder with my cakes?
I have your baking book and see that a lot of the recipes rely on orange
juice for all or most of the liquid.
I'm not crazy about the taste of orange juice. Can I substitute
low-salt buttermilk, or low-fat milk? Is there a general rule for
how to change the recipe in a yeast-raised product if I don't
want to use orange juice? Can I use a little
Fruit Fresh for the ascorbic acid/citric acid that would be in the juice? — Thanks. Liz G.
Hi Liz,
Yes you may. However, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of
ascorbic acid if you don't use the orange juice or the same amount of Fruit Fresh. The orange juice
was used for our books before we had wide access to pure ascorbic acid. See: Where To Buy Ascorbic Acid
(If you use buttermilk you might want to add the same quantity plus two
tablespoons of buttermilk. Watch the beginning stages of the kneading
process and see if it needs more buttermilk. Add
ingredients at just one tablespoon at a time.)
Greetings Don!
How you doing? :)
I know this is probably on your site somewhere but my state of mind isn't
allowing me to find it /chuckle. What is the difference, when baking
something, between "regular" baking powder and Featherweight's baking
powder?
Unfortunately the well-intended AHA book is not designed for people who have heart disease or hypertension, but
instead for healthy people. It helps them keep their sodium to sane levels. Two teaspoons of regular baking
powder has 975.2 mg sodium. That's not good for us.