Get the Salt Out (17 page)

108
Cooking wine or cooking sherry:
table wine or drinking wine or sherry. Most people don’t realize it, but cooking wine has added salt, an addition that is totally unnecessary because wine that is cooked into foods is tremendously flavorful all by itself. It’s interesting to note that the term “cooking wine” goes back in history to a time when wine set aside for use in food was salted to prevent the cook from drinking it.

109
Butter or margarine:
unsalted butter.

BONUS TIP:
Always choose butter in place of margarine, no matter what you may have heard to the contrary. Yes, butter does contain saturated fat, but our bodies can handle saturated fats in small amounts. Far more damaging to the human body than saturated fats are
trans-fats—
hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils found in products like margarine. Our bodies were not designed to handle these unnatural fats, which are now known to lower “good” HDL cholesterol levels, raise “bad” LDL levels, and increase the risk of heart disease. The French seem to prove this point: they eat butter and other forms of saturated fats but no trans-fats (and also less sugar). Consequently, they have a much lower rate of heart disease than Americans do. Excessive use of butter isn’t good either, but using a little bit of butter is far better than using any margarine.

110
Cheese and cottage cheese:
reduced-sodium cheese and low-sodium, dry-curd cottage cheese. (If cheese is eaten moderately, this substitution is not necessary for most individuals. It is helpful, however, for individuals who need to greatly reduce their overall sodium intake or for those who want to reduce the salt content in a particular meal that contains these ingredients.)

111
Do not restrict yourself so much that you end up bingeing on salt.
Human nature is such that we always seem to yearn for things we aren’t supposed to have. My philosophy is to go ahead and satisfy your taste for salt, but do so intelligently and moderately. In the long run, this strategy is more effective and
better for you
than total abstinence, which can cause health problems.

112
Substitute healthy salty snacks for salty junk food.
(This book will show you how.) Then eat these treats slowly, so your taste buds can savor every salty morsel.

113
Split salty foods with others
and replace the food you’re missing with more fresh foods. In other words, instead of devouring half of a high-salt pizza, have a slice or two along with a big, fresh, low-sodium salad.

114
Allow yourself indulgences during special occasions and vacations
as long as you resume a healthier, lower-sodium diet once your regular routine begins again.

115
Do the best you can to avoid foods that contain unnecessary sodium,
but don’t berate yourself if you aren’t always perfect. If you ate more salt today than you would have liked, accept it and just vow to eat better tomorrow.