Everything has too much salt

OP - All fast food is loaded with salt. I never add salt to any food I buy/cook. I use fresh herbs to add flavour. You can't get away from salt and additives if you are eating out or take out. So I cook from scratch and at least I now what is in the food. Sugar is another big ingredient that is in processed food. To be safe, just buy food from grocery store and cook it yourself, that way you can season it to your taste, better overall nutrition.

[quote] and now when I relent and have fast food or a microwave meal or two, it seems like it's just loaded with salt. Like, almost inedible.

Awww, you poor, poor, poor baby. Almost inedible ! Whatever will you will be able to eat to survive ?

Be a fucking man and stop complaining about stupid shit.

That's why when people eat in restaurants they always need something to drink with their meal because the food is VERY high in sodium which makes one thirsty.

OP, I went no salt for 7 years, and it was FANTASTIC.

No salt and no sugar, a gallon of water per day, are as healthy as possible and did 1/2 hour of HIT on the tread mill, plus weights (arms/back/shoulders & legs/butt) every other day, with abs daily.

I was in the best shape of my life and I was pulling 22 year old tail (BIG mistake), however, not the diet and exercise.

I just got my spin bike yesterday, along with my set of weights, & plan on undertaking the entire routine again, replacing the treadmill with the spin bike.

It takes lots of discipline, but is really worth it. Everything changes, and I mean EVERYTHING. Your hair (everywhere-LOL) becomes really soft. Your vision improves, your gums heal, and your nails get super healthy, as does your toilet time. Your urine will be colorless, and when you wipe after #2, your paper will be SPOTLESS.

If you want zero salt (and zero sugar is also highly recommend) you will have to make all of your meals at home, including your snacks, and drink nothing but raw juices that you prepare daily, along with lots of water.

It’s worth it, and it will save you TONS of money.

*ate as healthful as possible 👆🏽

R4 makes me tired just thinkng of getting healthy like that

Salt should be relabelled 'White Death'.

I've never been a big fan of salt -- never even had a salt shaker in my house -- but about 10 years ago I decided to eat really healthy and cut out virtually all salt. Mostly fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds, and I stopped my six daily cans of Diet Pepsi. It didn't take long for everything I tasted at a restaurant and peoples' homes to taste super-salty. Like, make-me-gag salty.

I don't know that I experienced all the health benefits R4 describes, but I've got no complaints.

R2 = fat whore

[quote] Like, make-me-gag salty.

Like, totally R8

What is salt?

Too much sugar? Yes. Absolutely. Especially HFCS. It's so cheap the fucking corporations have laced everything with sugar.

A little bit of salt is fine. Don't go crazy with it.

[quote] OP, I went no salt for 7 years

You mean no ADDED salt, R4. All the things you mentioned have salt in then, naturally (and sugar as well).

R6, no. It just means putting aside 2-3 hours on Sunday mornings to grocery shop and prepare all of your meals, juices and snacks for the week.

I ate breakfast every morning, before I left to the gym, did my daily treadmill, took my snacks and lunch to work, got home, ate dinner, hit an AA meeting, and then hit the gym and did my arms, chest shoulders, and back, or my bit and legs. Always did abs in the morning and at night, and had my final snack for the evening, before showering and going to bed.

I blew it because I was lonely, and started hanging out with a hot loser I had met on a meeting, and eventually moved him in, which was the beginning of making some very BAD decisions, which later allowed me to make even worse decisions, that had taken me 10 years of sobriety to exclude from my life and not repeat. Unfortunately, my self esteem was in tatters after that relationship, and I was too proud to admit to people that I had been profoundly hurt by that asshole, and eventually relapsed, based on more pride and sheer bullshit.

Anyhow, the moral of the story here is that I did something I had always wanted to do during those 10 years of sobriety, and patently, all of my adult life: I got my financial life in perfect order, I quit smoking, I stayed sober, I got really healthy, and I felt amazing and learned to trust again. I trusted the wrong people for a while there, and I did so because due to fear of being alone for the rest of my life.

Sad, yes, but that doesn’t mean that I lost those other lessons, and even learned a new one: Don’t let ego get in the way of saying “I need help”, or “I’m lonely and want to meet someone who’s a decent guy” rather than insisting that the decent guy be a 10. My mistake.

However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t walk away with some valuable insights: I’m capable of doing things correctly and I have the discipline to persevere, & I can do so again, as can anyone-including anyone who wants to get healthy. But you don’t get this huge reward at the end, like a new partner, or even a totally fulfilled life. You just get healthy physically. And that’s 100% a great thing, all on it’s own.

Getting healthy physically requires a lot more than monitoring one’s salt intake, however, it is a step in the right direction.

Sorry for the long rant. It’s just that lots of times, we do things like get our shit together because we want to live longer and healthier lives, however, sometimes we want something else, hidden away in the back of our minds, that we’re unaware of. Getting healthy will only be experienced by the person doing it, and that’s it. Nothing else, and that, in, and of itself, is what should always be the only motivation to do so.

Once you get there, remember all the work it took to get there and don’t blow it by selling yourself short and having a huge pizza, or something, just because you’re lonely and wanna hang out with people who don’t give a shit about themselves.

R14 Tell it to your blog, you boring cunt.

R14 Don't mind R15, her bloody tampon is overflowing.

R4, R14, What a fucking stud you are! Tell us more about the 22-year-old studs you pulled!

And you never ate anything sweet? And you really were clean after two wipes? How is that even possible?!

Why would you ever order fast food or buy a microwave meal? Are you a suburban family? No wonder your health is in lousy shape.

R17 GermanGuy has his priorities straight!

OP. I understand.

When my blood pressure hit 220/105, my primary doctor decided I was salt sensitive. I have to cook everything myself. All prepared food is off limits.

Now when I sneak fast food, it tastes way too salty now.

R18 I'm guessing you aren't American

R21, I'm an American and I never order fast food. Never. It's garbage, laden with carbs, fat, salt, and sugar. Garbage.

Ditto frozen meals. More garbage. And this garbage doesn't even taste good. I admit that a greasy cheeseburger from Wendy's (with a virtual salt mine in each bite) can be delicious. But microwavable meals? No. Not unless you are disabled. Never. A plate of shit. Rubbery and warmed-over. Gah!

Yes, most Americans consume far too much salt -- but you have to keep in mind that table salt is also where we get our iodine, and some sodium is necessary for the human body to function, so make sure you eat at least a little salt now and then. You should never go completely saltless.

What about sea salt or how it is called in America - kosher salt? It cannot be that bad. And you need to add salt afterall for taste. Why is it called kosher salt anyway?

I’m very much an American, R21, just capable of reading nutrition labels and realizing that 800mg of sodium per serving is not a good idea.

R24, kosher salt is coarse grained and without added iodine. It is the salt you need for cooking and for drawing water out of meats.

It is not sea salt. Sea salt is much more expensive and is used for finishing a dish.

Samin Nasrat's Salt Fat Acid Heat completely changed my relationship with salt. Before reading that book, I was one of those people who never added salt to anything. I figured I got enough salt from eating out or eating processed foods. Now I rarely eat out or processed foods and I salt as appropriate without worrying about it. Learning how to season correctly -- using salt to enhance the existing flavors and stopping short of "salty" -- has been liberating for me and my cooking. I've become one of those people who can identify the type of salt of by touch.

R26 But in Germany, we call 'kosher salt' 'Meersalz', i. e. 'sea sealt'. We don't have and equivalent for kosher salt.

Well, r28, maybe if you'd hadn't killed all your Jews....

Good for you R4. I don’t know if I have that kind of dedication. But I want to know more about the drama wi the 22 year old tail you pulled

People eat way too much salt. I stopped putting salt in my food years ago, instead I use spices and herbs when necessary. Eating foods in their natural state without salt actually trained my taste buds to be more discerning, if that’s the word to put it. I eat plant-based diet with small amount of seafood and eggs, and I don’t do low carb so have no problem getting potassium. Potassium and sodium have an inverse relationship, so if you eat a lot of sodium then that affects potassium in your body. More research coming out now about how high sodium in our diet affects a myriad of disease processes.

I haven’t had french fries from any fast food place in 22 years because I really dislike the taste of salt. It tastes as if it’s not for human consumption.

It tastes like a chemical.

R32 you can actually order them from mcdonalds without salt now

R2 can I have your stuff?

Great stuff r4. I've been doing it since I was a teenager. There's no need for salt. Just use herbs...much more flavour and healthier. Not rocket science.

i substitute gold medal flour for salt

For years, I’ve been running several miles every morning (sweating like a son of a bitch the whole time) and eating a nearly-salt free diet every day. At the same time, I developed this thing where my arms got all cramp-y at night and I couldn’t sleep. My doctor labeled it a form of Restless Leg and put me on a boatload of Gabapentin which drugged me out.

After COVID hit and I couldn’t go to the market every day, I started stocking up on pre-made and processed food, including canned soup. Long story short, it turns out that all that sweating was leaching the salt out of my body and causing the cramps. I’m off the Gabapentin (amen!), I have one can of Progresso soup every day and I’m sleeping like a baby.

I’m sure there’s a healthier way to get the sodium I guess my body requires. Eventually I’ll figure it out, cuz I’d rather not be eating a can of that soup every day.

I've found that I have more issues with salt as I am getting older. I've changed my diet during COVID and actually lost 7 pounds. I eat more veggies with a protein and instead of chips, I have popcorn. Also, on the treadmill 4 to 5 days a week for an hour.

Hey r14. I just wanted to say great post. So true what you said about taking responsibility for yourself, your health. Congrats and don't stop!!

I'm all for reducing salt in the average America diet, since there's so much salt in prepared foods. But, if you're already avoiding prepared foods, it's possible for your sodium levels to become too low. I know because my own sodium levels were so low that I was having trouble standing, and was hospitalized and hooked up with a saline IV.

R14, good to see you are back on the right path. Congrats...you are becoming your biggest fan!!

Americans have such weird eating habits. You need to add salt in moderate amounts to complement the taste of your ingredients. I even use salt for baking - a pinch of salt. It is not dangerous at all when consumed in moderate amounts.

When I consume too much salt, I get chest pressure and sometimes a pounding headache.

Annual physicals always show 'low normal' blood pressure (ie, 92/58), so assumed extra salt was increasing my BP. Bought a digital blood pressure device (arm cuff, not wrist) and checked whenever I had symptoms. BP remained 'low normal' (96/60) and heartrate only went up a few points (ie, 70 bpm to 73 bpm).

Told my doc. He said nothing in BP/heartrate results would point to a need to restrict salt intake, but probably wise to do so simply to reduce/avoid annoying symptoms.

The gurrls at Data Lounge are getting old if they're talking about high blood pressure and salt free cooking.

The end is near!

Oh look it's r44 with a fresh take on calling posters on DL "old". It's so original and witty!

I went into Trader Joe’s for the first time, looked at the salt content on their frozen foods and never went back

I am trying to find anything premade that doesn't have high salt content and it's nearly impossible. The closest are Amy's frozen pizzas, but they aren't great.

R47 You ought to make Flammkuchen! I make it at home. It's German and better than homemade pizza. Use low-fat creme fraiche and fresh thyme and rosemary in your cream! Google it and bake it! No sugar added!

And when you do find prepared food with low sodium they taste like shit.

"The secret ingredient is salt" --Marge S.

A dear friend is boring absolutely everyone in his path to death with his list of "can't eat"s, and salt has recently risen to #1, topping his usually most detested food, ice cream.

[quote]no. It just means putting aside 2-3 hours on Sunday mornings to grocery shop and prepare all of your meals, juices and snacks for the week.

R14 How could you possible grocery shop and prepare all your meals for the week in two hours?

*possibly

R48 that actually looks really good. I also like the idea that they made it originally to test the temperature of their ovens.

Proper food contains salt. Proper cooking uses salt. Unless you have some sort of medically diagnosed condition, there is no health reason to cut salt out of your diet.

As for fast food, I rarely want it but every once in a while it's exactly what I want and then it's perfect.

[quote] You need to add salt in moderate amounts to complement the taste of your ingredients

You have to have a bitter, salty, sweet or sour element so that one or a combination of them can "carry" the flavour. You can't detect flavours without them. I don't care what the anti-salt fanatics say.

[quote]low-fat creme fraiche

A contradiction in terms.

Yeah, I’m calling bullshit on spending 2-3 hours per week to shop for & prepare all your food for one week. I prepare about 60% of the food I eat & sometimes it feels like a part-time job.

No one is saying not to have any salt in cooking, although we realize you watched that show on Netflix and now are considered an expert chef.

Almost everything has some salt in it already.