How can we reduce or replace salt in our diet? A few tips to stay in shape during spring break.
Dear reader,
We are here again this year: the first spring holidays have arrived and we are worried that all the hard work of the past months, the deprivations, and the attention to following diets, wellness programs and various treatments, will vanish in these days of family meetings and food excesses.
It suffices, however, a little extra attention to be able to enjoy the spring holidays without too many fears and without shattering our winter work. For example, pay attention to salt. When we go to a restaurant or cook at home, let’s ask to stay “back” of salt. It is not often necessary to add salt, because this important nutrient is already contained in many foods. More than satisfying the taste buds, I advise you to favor body well-being.
As far as possible, favor fresh and unpackaged foods, limit cured meats and aged cheeses, and try to use iodized salt. Above all, it is good practice to always check the labels, even out of simple curiosity, and know what we are going to ingest.
What I advise you, my dear friends, is to replace salt with spices and aromatic herbs, because feeling fit and being beautiful doesn’t necessarily mean renounce to taste.
For sure, foods without salt are often less pleasant but with just a few precautions you can still obtain really good dishes, trust me.
For example, a good substitute for salt is GOMASIO. Gomasio is used a lot in Asian cuisine and it contains all the sodium necessary to flavor our dishes. The combination of the two ingredients composing Gomasio, i.e. sesame seeds and whole sea salt, constitutes an excellent supply of beneficial substances for our body.
Sesame seeds are very rich in calcium, but also in other minerals such as iron, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and magnesium; they are also a source of B vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids, Omega 3 and Omega 6.
Integral sea salt, on the other hand, in addition to containing several important minerals, is a considerable source of iodine. In refined salt it is not possible to find the same quantity of iodine that is present in whole salt (unless this is added artificially after the refinement), since all the refining processes cause the elimination of many substances.
You can prepare Gomasio at home: just place 6 tablespoons of sesame seeds and 1 tablespoon of whole sea salt in a pan and, when they are well toasted, chop them together. Gomasio is excellent in salads and season boiled or grilled vegetables, but you can also use it on grilled meat and fish, on soups, with legumes and on pasta.
I suggest you also try the following spices to flavor dishes without resorting to salt.
In sauces and condiments try mixing ground chili pepper, pepper, cinnamon, basil, cloves, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, onion, garlic, shallots. In salads, basil, cinnamon, ground red pepper, cloves, dill, ginger, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, onion, garlic, leeks, shallots, lemon, vinegar.
When dressing vegetables, use a mix of basil, cinnamon, pepper, ground chilli, cloves, dill, ginger, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, onion, garlic, shallots, leeks, lemon, vinegar.
When you cook fish, flood it with a mix composed of ground chilli, pepper, dill, chives, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, leeks, shallots, wine, lemon.
Instead, when you prepare red meat, try mixing ground chilli, pepper, ginger, marjoram, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, garlic, shallots, wine.
With white meat I recommend ground chili pepper, ginger, marjoram, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, rosemary, garlic, shallots, sage, thyme, wine, lemon.
If you make bread at home, add cinnamon, nutmeg, oregano, rosemary, garlic, onion, leeks, shallots to the dough.
And remember what Jamie Oliver says: “Food is one of the greatest joys in life. We’ve reached a really sad point where we’re turning food into an enemy as well as something to be afraid of”.
To the next reading!
Celine Science
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