111013- The low sodium seasoned salt

If your doctor says limit the salt, or you just think a low sodium diet is a good idea, you might try this seasoned salt that I make.

Restricted sodium diet salt

In a hospital, if you are were put on a restricted sodium diet, they offered you Mrs Dash(tm) or a similar product. I know a lot of people that like it, and use it. I know a lot more people that tell me they only use it when they are in the hospital. At home, they get tempted back to the salt shaker. Plus, the no-salt alternatives are usually costs far more than a salt based product.

In some stores, you can buy no-salt added products. I have found that by buying "no salt added" groceries, the sodium content in the foods went down dramatically. You can then add a modest amount of salt, and still be ahead of the salted version. So you figure that if you purchase no-salt added, and just salt a little, it won't be too bad.

The problem is that it is easy to overdo it. A shake is more than you think. Since I love seasoned salt, it is as much as 30% less sodium than table salt, and it had the sizzle, I started using seasoned salt more and more. But it was still too much sodium and too easy to overdo it.

I looked at the seasoned salt products and found that the sodium content varied from 300 mg to 490 mg per serving. Since they all seemed close to the same level of taste, I decided that seasoned salt could be further sodium reduced beyond the packaged option, so I searched the Internet for solutions and received a list of possible spices. However, I never found a salt recipe that I thought worked. Thus I made up my own. Here is the one I came up with, and how to make it.

Ingredients for the low sodium seasoned salt

mg	qty	unit	ingredient	pct vol
6,960	3	tsp	sea salt	9%
0	1	tbsp	paprika	12%
0	1	tbsp	garlic powder	12%
0	2	tsp	onion powder	6%
0	1	tsp	thyme	12%
0	1	tbsp	ginger	12%
0	1	tbsp	sweet basil	12%
0	2	tbsp	sugar	24%
Label compare ingredients: sugar, basil, ginger, garlic powder, salt, onion

Mixing the ingredients

In a small bowl, using a teaspoon and table spoon, put the ingredients into the bowl from your spice containers. Use one of the spoons to crush or remove any lumps, and stir the mixture.

Once mixed, using a food funnel, pour the mixture into an old seasoned salt shaker. Close the shaker container, roll the container lightly to further mix, and you are ready for use. I like to use a paper bowl as the mixing bowl so I can fold it and better funnel the mixture into the shaker. I suggest you mark the shaker so that you will not get confused about what is in the container.

Mixing the ingredients

In a small bowl, using a teaspoon and table spoon, put the ingredients into the bowl from your spice containers. Use one of the spoons to crush or remove any lumps, and stir the mixture.
Once mixed, using a food funnel, pour the mixture into an old seasoned salt shaker. Close the shaker container, roll the container lightly to further mix, and you are ready for use. I like to use a paper bowl as the mixing bowl so I can fold it and better funnel the mixture into the shaker. I suggest you mark the shaker so that you will not get confused about what is in the container.

Sodium content comparison

I find this replacement as satisfying as the store purchased seasoned salt, and the ingredients are things that I know, as compared to one store brand I looked at, which had almost nothing I recognized, or could pronounce. I have also found that I now think package brands taste too salty.

The nice thing here is that if you get carried away, while you are "being bad," the effect is not as big a problem than getting carried away with the manufactured versions. Plus, if you insist on having a little salt, this alternative will usually satisfy the desire enough that you can keep your daily sodium intake in check.

Comparisions and options table
1/4 tsp	mg	Calories	mg reduced	Kcal reduced
table salt	590	0	0	0
sea salt	580	0	2%	0
"store" seasoned	400*	0	32%	0%
this recipe	53	0	91%	0%
I have tried the recipe with only 2 tsp sea salt and like it enough to continue doing it for most cases.
reduced opt	36	0	88%	0%
If the base recipe is not salty enough for you, you can go the other direction, and use 4 tsp sea salt.
increased opt	73	0	94%	0%
*Depends on brand, ranges observed are 350 to 490

If you pick up a salt container product, you will see the serving is measured by the 1/4 tsp (quarter teaspoon). A purchased seasoned salt sometimes has ingredients that are difficult to discern. In one product, I could not even pronounce most of the ingredients.

How to get a shaker bottle

When I first started making this recipe, I had several partially used packaged store brand seasoned salts in various locations. I poured the partly filled bottles of products into a few containers. This released a shaker container for the product I was making. I then used the seasoned salt as the salt ingredient in the recipe. This way I used up the packaged products, and as I did, obtained shakers for other locations to use.

Disclaimer

Sodium and Calorie values are computed using a spreadsheet and the information provided by the ingredient manufacturer, USDA website, or other trusted source. While I endeavor to avoid errors, they may occur and we are not responsible for errors and omissions.

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Sam Martin
Website: http://www.purepotential.com
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