Strike one

Tried to wing it creating a low sodium version of Fettuccine Alfredo and I’m alfreado it didn’t come out to terribly well. I will have to do some research, but substituting olive oil for unsalted butter on the sauce recipe was definitely a mistake. I tried to up the ante with garlic and spices, the flavor still came out pretty bland.

One obstacle to overcome is our addiction to salt. According to what I have read so far, there is absolutely no reason to salt one’s food, there is more than enough sodium in food to meet the body’s needs already. It is more of a learned taste where salt has become one of the primary seasonings. Food without it just doesn’t seem as vibrant. The trick is to make the food pleasant without adding any salt.

There are salt substitutes, most of them Potassium based, but I understand these can be fairly bitter. One doesn’t want to fall down the salt substitute rabbit hole pursuing a salt substitute, as has happened with finding a sugar wannabe that doesn’t put the extra junk in the trunk. Therefore it will be important to find the best flavor combination and levels to negate the need for any additional seasoning. This means getting back into the books and a few more (hopefully better tasting) experiments.

Meanwhile, there are salads and dressings that have no added salt and come out quite nicely. The dressing I generally make is simply mustard, olive oil, and either lemon juice, lime juice, or red wine vinegar. Mix till emulsified and it is good to go. I’ll get it right sooner or later…