Many people use salt to add flavor to otherwise bland meals, but your physician may urge you to cut down or eliminate added sodium as a means of decreasing your risk of heart attacks and stroke. Salt substitutes may cut down on your sodium intake, but they may contain potassium that can interfere with medications or exacerbate kidney problems. There are a variety of substitutes you can use that do not contain potassium to flavor food.
Fresh or Dried Spices
Add spices to your meals instead of salt to add zest to food. Saffron, a spice that derives from a special type of crocus flower, has negligible amounts of potassium per tsp. while serving as a source of manganese and vitamin C. Anise seed is another tasty spice with only trace amounts of potassium while introducing small amounts of iron, manganese and vitamin B-6 into your diet. Check the nutrition labels on the spices you purchase. Big taste doesn't have to equal high potassium or sodium.
Fresh or Dried Herbs
Herbs may thrive in your home garden, or you can purchase them at your grocery store. Use them in place of salt as a savory flavor substitute. A five-leaf serving of basil comes with little potassium but serves as a good source of vitamin K. A one-eighth-cup portion of fresh cilantro does not supply much potassium either but also supplies vitamin K. Many herbs are potassium-free and add a flavor punch.
Citrus Zest
Scrape the top layer of peel from oranges, tangerines or lemons, and you get citrus zest. Special tools exist to make strips of zest, but you can also use a knife. Adding citrus zest to foods adds a bright flavor that may replace salt in meals and introduces a texture that many people enjoy. Citrus zest is nearly potassium-free, so it makes an excellent replacement for salt when you have been restricted from eating a diet high in potassium.
Vinegar
Use vinegar to add a saltlike flavor to foods without the sodium and potassium. A 1-tsp. serving of cider vinegar has virtually no potassium. It is not particularly nutritious, but you do get a small quantity of manganese. Balsamic vinegar, white vinegar and many flavored vinegars are also low in potassium, contain no potassium or just have trace amounts.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Salt: the Forgotten Killer; M.W. Murray
- Cleveland Clinic: Salt Substitutes
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Spices, Saffron
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Spices, Anise Seed
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Basil, Fresh
- Cookstr; Quick Citrus Zest Garnish; A. Medrich
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