First of all this has nothing to do with global arms talks of the late 60’s.
This is me blogging about salt in food. Not the naturally occurring salt, but yeah, maybe that, too. I mean to talk about the evils of table salt. I have been speaking to friends about eating out at restaurants, one of my fav subjects as you may well know. What I have uncovered is an unwillingness to go out as much as people age. When I push the issue, I find out that people are concerned about their salt intake. Many of them, and me, swell up after eating salty foods. Mostly around the waistline, but in other places, too, like the face, hands, feet, ankles. Need I say more. No, I need not.
I do not own a salt shaker. I use salt to gargle once in awhile. My palate, taste buds, and brain are all attuned to a salt free, natural flavor of foods. Even bland potatoes are delicious to me, just as they are. I am not a super taster, I have fairly normal buds for a person my age. I love spicy foods, too. But once the salt is sprinkled or tossed or dumped in, mostly all I taste is salt. Then, I get thirsty, then my cells swell, and I say, I cannot order that soup, or sauce, or sandwich again, while it’s bathing in salt.
Like many of you, I have watched PBS chefs do their tv thing for years and almost always they put a pinch or a dash or a teaspoon of salt in every dish. Even ice cream has a ton of salt. The only thing I really have ever liked salt on once in awhile for fun is cantalope. That’s it. Yet, they insist it makes the flavor of the food come out. Not. It covers the flavor. (It acts as a preservative, too.)
If you are a chef, a cook, or a household person who creates exquisite food dishes for your family, friends and self, please heed these words. Please offer a salt free alternative for every salty dish you serve. People can put their own salt in dishes at the table. Please don’t salt us up anymore!
Funny story. Me and dh went into the old Monte’s and I ordered French fries without salt. So the waiter brought over my fries, I tasted them, I felt them and they had salt on them. So,naturally I sent them back. Please, no salt this time! Okay, another batch comes to me and I say, hey these STILL have salt on them, taste them yourself. He did and agreed, yep, salt. So the third one came. Still salty I said. The waiter said, no, I watched the cook. NO salt. OMG! Potatoes are naturally that salty, at least certain varieties from certain unknown grounds! OMG.
Some food is naturally salty. Most processed food has salt in it. So, we should get enough salt without addition. There was an old time deal where people didn’t get enough iodine for their thyroids, and so salt was a way to get that because it was added commercially. But nowadays, well, my thyroid is fine, so more should be researched about that, but maybe ask your doctor if you can do without salt because the theory behind all this is that salt swells cells (say that three times real fast) and swollen cells are more susceptible to invasion by stuff you don’t want in your cells.
Also, chefs want to know if they are doing something wrong. It doesn’t help business if people complain about a restaurant, so I will tell the waitstaff or the chef directly if something is wrong. It’s my money and my body. I take control in a kind way, and make things better for everyone. I invite you all to join me in this activity whenever necessary. And your bonus for reading to the end, is that honey is an anit-inflammatory agent. How far that goes, well I seem to notice the difference after drinking a cup of tea or my homemade lemonade with a tablespoon of honey in it if I’ve gotten an extrra unwanted dose of salt previously.