If you are like most restaurant operators, you are starting to explore strategies to reduce sodium levels in all or some of your menu items. Have you been shaking the salt shaker less? Tried “lite” salt or kosher salt?
Those are the two easiest strategies you can use to start lowering sodium levels. And if you’re willing to put on your creative culinary hat and make some changes, there are many ways to cut sodium without sacrificing taste.
First, it’s important to assess the sodium culprits in your recipes. If your restaurant has nutrition information from a computerized database, you can ask your analyst for a report to show the amounts of sodium per ingredient. That kind of detailed report can then serve as your tool to help guide reformulations and enable you to identify how to best lower sodium levels.
Examine the report to determine where the sodium is coming from. Is it canned or bottled products? Processed meats? Sauces? Dressings? Other high-sodium ingredients? Once you know the sources of sodium in your recipes, the following strategies can help you to lower sodium levels.
10 strategies that you can use to throw out the salt and increase the flavor:
1. Talk to your manufacturers to let them know that you want lower-sodium products. Many manufacturers also are working to reduce sodium levels in the products they provide.
2. Use fresh instead of canned. Fresh tomatoes, for example, have just 10 milligrams of sodium per one-half cup compared to canned, which have 220 milligrams or more.
3. Add more intensely flavored ingredients like garlic, leeks, onions, tomatoes, or other vegetables while reducing added salt. Adding 1 teaspoon of garlic and decreasing salt by a quarter of a teaspoon will save 580 milligrams sodium.
4. Use oil or unsalted butter instead of salted butter. You will save 125 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon. Better yet, use a half tablespoon instead of one tablespoon of unsalted butter, and you’ll also decrease calories, fat, saturated fat and cholesterol.
5. Use unprocessed meats. Four ounces of freshly carved turkey breast contains just 60 milligrams of sodium versus 4 ounces of deli-style processed turkey, which contains about 1,250 milligrams of sodium.
6. Watch out for pickles and olives. One pickle contains 930 milligrams of sodium, while a quarter cup of green olives contains 880 milligrams of sodium.
7. Use less of high-sodium ingredients such as soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, barbecue sauce, salad dressing, etc. They can add from 200 milligrams to 800 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon. Soy sauce has 1,030 milligrams and “lite” soy has 600 milligrams.
8. Cook with wine, vinegars and fruit juices, which have little or no sodium. Seasoned rice vinegar contains sodium.
9. Use such preparation techniques as braising, roasting and steaming that bring out the natural flavors in your ingredients so that you won’t need to add as much salt.
10. Many high-flavor ingredients have little or no sodium. So focusing on adding these ingredients and decreasing or eliminating salt for flavor can yield great taste and lower sodium levels.
Many of the ingredients listed above also are packed with disease-fighting antioxidants.
All of the following have fewer than 5 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon: fresh garlic, garlic powder, granulated garlic, fresh onions, onion powder, black pepper, celery seed, cumin, turmeric, saffron, cayenne pepper, paprika, mustard powder, chili powder, fresh rosemary, dried rosemary, fresh dill, dried dill, fresh basil, salt-free seasonings, dried basil, fresh oregano, dried oregano, mint, curry, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and coriander seed.
Anita Jones-Mueller is the founder and president of Healthy Dining in San Diego, Calif. E-mail Anita at Anita@HealthyDiningFinder.com or visit
