Sodium or salt alternatives for flavor

Hi, @whenley1968. Welcome to Connect.

I need to limit my salt and try to keep it to 1500mg a day. What is the limit advised for you? The limit that was advised for me was around 2000 mg but I find when I have that much my fingers get like sausages. I started not adding salt to my foods long before it was a necessity and now salted food tastes too salty to me! I have heard people speak of Mrs. Dash as a substitute, and also Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up seasonings. I have not compared but I suspect their mixed up salt has less sodium that regular salt since there are other spices in it also, plus there are a number of other seasonings like Sweet Lime Pepper, Sweet Lemon Pepper, and others with garlic.

I know it seems impossible now but you will adjust to it and then salt will simply taste too salty! The only thing I really still want to salt is eggs but I often add cheese to them and cheese has quite a bit of salt in it so when I do I don't miss salting them. I try to limit my cheese due to the salt. I was really enjoying goat cheese, it has half the salt of regular cheeses, but then I developed lactose intolerance and although I can eat aged cheeses, goat cheese is not aged and I definitely have a problem with it.
JK

@whenley1968 Let me also add my welcome to Mayo Connect.

Too much sodium is a hard problem to have. Fixing your own food as much as you can, will help you control that sodium level. If you use canned vegetables, rinse them well in plain water to get rid of some of the preservatives. Lemon juice, garlic can add flavoring for you, and experimenting with salt-free herb blends may a way to come up with tasty results! I use Mrs. Dash often, and there are different blends; I like the one that is garlic and herbs, myself. Like @contentandwell said, I find everything too salty now!

What stage kidney disease are you experiencing, And what is the cause? I am Stage 4, due to a rare autoimmune disease.
Ginger

@gingerw I thought of you on balance We have a class on balance it will be on zoom starts 9-21 if interested I can p.m. you the information

@whenley1968, hi. Sure can relate to your sodium "loss." Have been there and done that. I eat no meat or dairy either, in fact no animal products at all other than free-range eggs. It took me a year to get used to having only the occasional 192-mg "pinch" of salt in something. While not the same as salt, I found that a spritz of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice helped me cope with the loss of table salt. So did herbs and spices like small amounts of black pepper, basil, oregano, rosemary, etc. Gradually I've grown used to going without salt and now enjoy the subtle flavors of fresh and freshly cooked veggies and pastas, etc., without it. BTW, celery now tastes a bit salty to me so if your care team approves of your having celery that can be a plus. Good luck. Hope and love live here!

@kamama94 Glad to hear I am not the only one who finds celery to taste salty, now!
Ginger

@gingere This is of topic but with the fires in Oregon asking how you are you in the fire area? Pray not

@lioness We have a lot of smoke right here. Our entire county is "level 1" which means "get set" with things packed and details worked out. A few areas of county have had to evacuate, so everyone is at the ready. Thanks for asking.
Ginger

Here are some of the things I use to help with my low sodium diet.

@kamama94 and @whenley, I had some withdraw symptoms too when I started really paring back on salt. However, like Kamama, I use cider vinegar and lemon juice along with herbs and spices to add some zest and flavor. Mashed potatoes and boiled eggs were the hardest for me. I eat and use a lot of celery because it is ok for my diet. A colleague I taught with years ago gave up smoking by keeping celery stix on hand for each time she felt the urge to smoke. I can still 'see her' munching a way on those celery sticks on breaks. Long after she'd stopped smoking, she continued the celery stix breaks and gave them credit for some needed weight loss.

@ralph13, Thanks for sharing these. I also use Mrs. Dash and created my own version by having each of the items on the label in my pantry. I also add chia seeds and ground flax seeds to almost anything.