Unsalted Food is Tasteless

Please pardon the expression, but “Unsalted food tastes like crap” should have been the real headline for this essay. On the bright side, of course, it is much easier to exercise portion control when meals and snacks are essentially pleasure-free. The two-plus weeks since I went cold turkey and adopted a low/no sodium diet regimen for health reasons seem like two of the longest weeks of my life—I have not touched a saltshaker except to pass it on to others. Nor have I had a potato chip or fried snack product ending in the letter “o”, like Dorito, Frito or Cheeto, over the entire time. Although no one responded to my last essay with cherished family recipes for no and low salt meals, several responses did identify herbs and spices that add zest to otherwise bland food: “Ground pepper, limes, cumin,turmeric and cayenne bring dishes to life and can make any veggies taste sublime.” Other suggestions: lemon, vinegar, garlic, pepper and herbs all add flavor, and try Spike salt free seasoning. My personal favorite so far is pico de gallo (aka salsa fresca), available with low sodium and/or made from fresh vegetables at home. I was a bit surprised by how many friends and family described themselves as saltaholics, salt-addicts or suffering from salt fatigue, either in written responses to my last essay or in the course of everyday communication.  Along the same lines, one friend said “I view food as a delivery system for salt.” Another quoted a chef with whom he had become acquainted, saying “To a chef, salting is cooking.” Many of these responders indicated the essay had led them to begin re-thinking their reliance upon salt to flavor foods.  One person phrased her dance with salt interestingly: “Your last essay…made me think about food in a different way: ‘It is not what you eat, but why you eat’” that should concern you. An alum of USD’s graduate real estate degree program related the serious health issues he suffered as a result of excessive consumption of salt: Meniere’s Disease, tinnitus, loss of balance and rooms spinning, followed by violent illness. I got off lightly compared with his experience. He also asserted that over time, low salt dishes started to taste good, an assertion I took with a grain of salt (Oops!) Several other friends responded with entertaining and/or encouraging comments. “Salt versus sweet, can I choose both?” Or “I hope you can shake the salt out of your system.” Or, a bit off topic, “I remember my mom saying ‘I would rather die fat and happy than skinny and sad.’”  One of my most faithful responders, a delightful woman either in or approaching her nineties (gentlemen don’t ask, right?) wrote this: “You say you will tackle the urge to be a ‘salt’ by going cold turkey again. My strategy is to leave the dinner table and immediately go to the bathroom and—brush my teeth. Fooled you, didn’t I?”  A dear friend I first met in 1965 remarked:“I’m just a little sad we can’t enjoy popcorn together any more."   The USD alumnus with Meniere’s Disease and other salt-induced health issues offered perspectives I found thoughtful: “From my experience, after some time I started to discern between flavors better and things I used to eat regularly are just too overwhelming now. The chefs helped me to learn to eat with more than my taste buds; to appreciate colors and presentations,textures and composition, smells. Even a more thorough understanding of the food journey (where it comes from, how it’s made) leads to higher value being placed on what you consume, and therefore more satisfaction.  I do believe we can live to eat, albeit maybe in a slightly different way than what we were previously used to.” To be continued: My cardiologist cut in half one of my prescriptions for high blood pressure after my having been just ten days on the low/no salt regimen.