Salt Substitutes

[CasperImproved]

I have lately been a bit on a path to start eating a bit more healthy such as more veggies and fruits, less red meats, and lower sodium. If some of you were interested in a new product that has 0% sodium, you might want to try a product call "Nu Salt". It's in a small blue salt shaker container. It is pretty much substituting potassium for sodium. I have not seen any studies on the harm potassium may cause, since sodium is something we can all usually do with less, it seems to be a worthy product. I still use sea salt in cooking some things, and use kosher salt when brining, but I like this product for many other things. And because it is remove many mg of sodium from my diet, I thought I would bring it up in this forum. Casper

 

[college_cook]

I had to do a little bit of researching to confirm this, but the main ingredient in Nu Salt is potassium chloride. For those who don't know, this is the agent that kills someone in a lethal injection -style execution. It stops the heart when taken in excess. This is the same stuff used to euthanize animals. An overdose basically just induces cardiac arrest.

If you have a weak heart, or other cardiac or blood-pressure problems, or your family has a history of these problems, I'd check with your doc before using it. Even on the Nu-Salt website, they say you should consult your doctor when using their product.

Be careful when using this product.

 

[TATTRAT]

I will have to find the name, but we have used a salt that has been "exploded" and cut. It has a very low sodium content, but is made with salt...like splenda is made with sugar.

 

[middie]

Hmm since I have an enlarged heart due to hbp sounds like I should stay away from this stuff. I'll just stick with my regular salt WHEN I do use it. I cut waaaaay back on my sodium intake.

 

[Katie H]

I'd say go really, really easy on salt and rely on other herbs and spices to season your food. Or enjoy your foods without any seasoning "help."

Sometimes food needs no "auxiliary" help to taste better. There's nothing more tasty to me than a freshly picked tomato, at room temperature, sliced and ready to eat. I "get" the flavor so much better without any help from any seasoning.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Potassium Chloride (KCl) isn't without it's problems - and while it is used as a food preservative (as well as a part of the lethal injection) and a substitute for common table salt (NaCl) in some instances - it isn't always a healthy substitute for sodium chloride (NaCl) - or common table salt, Kosher salt, sea salt, etc.

IMHO - nobody should just cut NaCl from their diet, or do a wholesale sub of KCl for NaCl, without talking to their physician first. Doing so can be lethal in some instances! Low sodium levels can screw up cell functions, cardiac functions, and brain functions.

There are many ways to reduce your salt intake ... you can reduce the amount you use, you can use wine in some instances (it mimics the taste of salt without using it) and you can use herbs to replace it as a seasoning.

While I will agree that we could all benefit by reducing our sodium intake ... I'm not an advocate of eliminating it unless there is a medical reason.