Tips for Eating Out and Home

Many of us enjoy eating out in a restaurant, café, work canteen, or from a takeaway regularly. While we can check labels in the supermarket, there is usually no information available on the menu to let us know how much salt there is in the food we are eating. Some larger chains have websites which give nutritional information for their meals. However, while checking these websites in advance before you eat out may help you identify low-salt options, it is time-consuming and often not very practical.

You may be surprised how much salt there is in some of your favourite meals that you eat in a restaurant or from a takeaway. Here is a quick guide to eating less salt out of the home:

1. What to choose from the menu? – Choose items from the menu that tend to be lower in salt such as plain meat or fish and steamed vegetables, rather than obviously salty food such as ham, bacon, salami, smoked fish, or anything with the words ‘salt’ or ‘soy’ in the name.
2. Make it your choice – Don’t be afraid to ask the chef for little or no salt to be added to your meal. Most chefs will be willing to add less salt to food if you ask, after all they wouldn’t dream of adding sugar to your tea or coffee without asking you, so why should they add salt?
3. Keep it simple –Asking for less salt to be added to food is easier with some dishes like steaks, grilled fish or chicken which can be prepared and cooked with less salt. Ask for no salt to be added by the chef and then give it a squeeze of lemon and a grinding of black pepper at the table and you will have a perfectly tasty dish.
4. Beware of hidden salt in  ‘healthy options’ – Salads often have many salty additions, such as: croutons, olives, cheese, dressing, marinated meat/vegetables, cured meat, smoked salmon etc
5. Know your marinades and sauces – Ask for any sauces served with your meal to be ‘on the side’ so that you can taste them and choose how much you want with your food.
6. NEVER add salt to your food without tasting it first - Salt is often added by the chef as well as the food manufacturers, therefore adding it at the table is unnecessary and rarely required.

Simple Steps to Reduce your Salt Intake at Home

Many of us have developed a preference for the taste of salt in our diet following years of eating manufactured foods with a high salt content and the use of salty seasonings. When salt is removed, our food can taste bland. However you can reprogram your taste buds in two to three weeks to a diet lower in salt and there are many alternative ways of adding flavour to your food. Once adjusted, foods will no longer taste bland and you will begin to enjoy the natural flavours.

Tips:

1. Do not add any salt during cooking or preparing food
2. Do not add salt to your food at the table. You may need to reduce the amount of salt you add gradually over a couple of weeks
3. Reduce your intake of salty processed foods (e.g. ham, bacon, salami, sausages, pate, smoked fish), convenience foods (e.g. pizza, pasties, ready meals, canned/packet soups) and fast foods and snacks (e.g. crisps, salted nuts, burgers, chips, salted popcorn and takeaways)
4. Check food labels and choose products with a lower salt content
5. Look for lower salt versions of your usual foods in the supermarket (e.g. canned vegetables with no added salt, tinned fish in spring water, low-salt baked beans)
6. Cut out or reduce the amount of sauces such as soy sauce, ketchup, brown sauce and salad dressings as these can be high in salt and will increase the salt content of your meal
7. The salt content of stocks can vary quite a lot. Remember to check the labels and try to buy low salt versions
8. Use ½ a stock cube when cooking instead of whole one, alternatively make your own low-salt stock
9. Have any sauces or dressings on the side of your plate rather than over your food and only eat the minimum required to give flavour
10. Make more meals from scratch using fresh ingredients
11. Low sodium alternatives to salt are available but they don't get you out of the habit of adding salt to your food
12. Sea salt and rock salt have the same effect on the body as normal table and cooking salt

Tips for adding flavour in place of salt

1. Add a splash of malt vinegar to vegetables instead of salt
2. Use balsamic, cider or rice vinegars on salads as an alternative dressing.
3. Add fresh ginger, garlic, chilli and spring onions to your cooking to add more flavour
4. Marinade fish or meat prior to cooking (ideas below)
5. Add red wine when cooking stews or casseroles to enhance the flavour
6. Roast carrots and parsnips with cinnamon or mixed spice and a drizzle of honey
7. Steam vegetables lightly to retain the colour and taste and add a dash of lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper
8. Make your own gravy or use red wine sauce instead
9. Use an infused olive oil, e.g. garlic, basil, chilli or rosemary to sauté vegetables or as part of a salad dressing
10. Use lemon grass, fresh coriander and a small amount of sesame oil to flavour stir fries instead of soy sauce

Use more herbs and spices...

1. Frozen, dried or chopped fresh herbs will add flavour and enhance the taste of your meal e.g. basil, oregano, tarragon, parsley, coriander, mint
2. Freshly ground black pepper, curry powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, chilli powder, ground ginger and ground coriander are just some of the spices you can use to add flavour in place of salt when cooking
3. By using a mix of herbs and spices you'll add to the complexity of flavour of your foods
4. Watch out for the ready mixed herbs and spices in the supermarket e.g. Cajun mix, as these can be high in salt

Some ideas for marinades...

• Honey, ginger, garlic and olive oil - great for chicken or pork
• Ginger, coriander, lime rind and juice - great for lamb or fish
• Black pepper, chilli and vegetable oil - great for beef
• Paprika, garlic, lemon juice and vegetable oil - great for chicken kebabs
• Chopped fresh dill, olive oil and lemon juice - great for fish

Add a squeeze of citrus...

• Squeeze a dash of lemon or lime juice over your food instead of your usual salt
• Drizzle olive oil, lemon juice and black pepper over salads or boiled new potatoes
• Add a dash of lemon juice and some chopped fresh mint on peas or green beans
• Squeeze lime juice over stir fries, curries, roast lamb or other lamb dishes
• Add pieces of grapefruit or orange to salads
• When roasting a chicken, add lemon juice instead of salt to crisp the skin
• Add grated zest of lemon or lime to curries
• Add lemon or orange slices to casseroles

Sweeten with spices and fruit...

• Try the sweeter flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg, or mixed spice, and sultanas, raisins, chopped dried apricots or prunes
• Add cinnamon to savoury pork dishes, sweet apple crumble or porridge
• Sultanas and cinnamon work well in hot pilaf or cold rice salad
• Chopped dried apricots, mixed spice and toasted almonds work well added to couscous
• Apricots or prunes added to meat casseroles will naturally sweeten and enhance the flavour

Healthy tips for barbecues:

1. Venison burgers appear to be higher in salt compared to other burgers, try to limit these
2. ‘Flavoured’ coleslaws with prawn or cheese tend to be higher in salt, stick to basic coleslaw, or better still make your own!
3. Make your own marinades, dips and salads rather than using shop-bought products
4. Sauces such as ketchup and mustard are often high in salt, some are even saltier than seawater, limit the amount you have
5. Cheese singles can be very salty, try using cheddar cheese slices instead as these are often lower in salt
6. Burgers are often saltier than sausages, so try making your own burgers
7. Try Kettles No Added Salt or Tyrells Naked - No Salt crisps,  you won’t even notice a difference if you’re using a dip

Have a Nice day, I Hope This Tips Can Help we live to Healthy..