In Roman times, a soldier’s monthly allowance was known as “salarium,” which often included the mineral salt. The Latin word “sal” meaning salt was a valuable commodity not only in flavoring and preservation of food, but also used by the Romans as an antiseptic. While salt may no be longer considered as part of a soldier’s salary in today’s present, the mineral is still a staple in food flavor and preservation as well as an increasing factor of hypertension.
My name is Joyce Dyer and I am currently completing my clinical rotation at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, California. While at Hoag, I have had to opportunity to visit and work in many of Hoag’s specialty departments, one of which was Hoag’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Center. At the center, patients are provided with individually designed exercise programs, educational classes including Heart Healthy Eating, and a personal appointment with a registered dietitian. I was able to sit in on the personal appointments and become more aware of the types of questions, concerns, and needs each patient may have had in regards to their diet after a cardiac event. As part of a Heart Healthy Eating diet, salt was often a topic of interest and patients would often ask what types of alternatives were available. I decided to compile a short list of blended herbs and alternatives for patients that would be easy to use and have personally tried on specific types of food:
My name is Joyce Dyer and I am currently completing my clinical rotation at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, California. While at Hoag, I have had to opportunity to visit and work in many of Hoag’s specialty departments, one of which was Hoag’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Center. At the center, patients are provided with individually designed exercise programs, educational classes including Heart Healthy Eating, and a personal appointment with a registered dietitian. I was able to sit in on the personal appointments and become more aware of the types of questions, concerns, and needs each patient may have had in regards to their diet after a cardiac event. As part of a Heart Healthy Eating diet, salt was often a topic of interest and patients would often ask what types of alternatives were available. I decided to compile a short list of blended herbs and alternatives for patients that would be easy to use and have personally tried on specific types of food:
- Nutritional Yeast – cheesy taste, sprinkle on potatoes (Ingredients: deactivated yeast)
- Herbes de Provence – use on chicken, turkey (Ingredients: lavender, thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil)
- Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute – use on vegetables, fish, soups (Ingredients: onion, black pepper, celery seed, cayenne pepper, parsley, basil, marjoram, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, savory, rosemary, cumin, mustard, coriander, garlic, carrot, orange peel, tomato, lemon juice and lemon oil)
- Lawry’s Salt-free 17 Seasoning – use on chicken, turkey, fish (Ingredients: black pepper, basil, oregano, celery seed, dill weed, sage, bay leaves, turmeric, garlic, carrots, ground onion, minced onion, citric acid, toasted sesame seeds, red bell peppers, orange peel, corn starch, parsley flakes, lemon peel)
- Mrs. Dash – offers a variety of salt-free seasoning themed blends (Original blend Ingredients: onion, spices (black pepper, parsley, celery seed, basil, bay marjoram, oregano, savory, thyme, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, mustard, rosemary), garlic, carrot, orange peel, tomato, lemon juice powder, citric acid, oil of lemon)
Hopefully the next time your patient asks for salt-free suggestions you’ll be able to find something that they will enjoy using!
