Healthy herbs and spices for cooking

Dietitian, Retha Harmse, informs us on how to make low sodium meals by using healthy herbs and spices.

Wintertime calls for more comforting stews, soups and curries and suddenly cold salads seem much less appealing. But with that comes another risk that people living with diabetes need to steer clear of: falling in the high salt trap.

We run the risk of wanting quick and easy convenience during winter, using pre-packaged sauces or stock cubes to limit the time spent cooking in the cold kitchen and increase the time under a warm blanket or close to the heater.

These convenient alternatives unfortunately often have a very high sodium (salt) content, and with the risk of comorbidities already being increased in diabetes patients and needing to keep blood pressures in check, the convenient way is not the healthiest way.

Avoiding the high salt trap

Choose food and beverages that are lower in salt and prepare food with little or no added salt:

• Choose fresh, simply prepared food as often as possible.
• Limit packaged, processed, and ready-to-serve food, such as snack food, processed meats, regular canned and dried soups, frozen meals, cheese, gravies, dressings and sauces.
• Use no added salt or reduced-sodium ingredients whenever possible.
• Read labels – if the sodium content in the nutrition facts table is 5% or less of the DV (daily value), then the product is considered low in salt.

Practical tips to reduce salt in cooking

This may seem easier said than done, but remember breaking a habit does take time. Herewith a few step-by-step tips.

How to add less salt to food:

1. One small step at a time

• If you are used to adding salt at the table, try to break this habit first. Remove the saltshaker from the dinner table (often this already makes a huge difference – out of sight, out of mind).
• Start using less salt and sodium rich spices (like stock cubes other salts, etc.) when you are cooking.
• Reduce your salt intake gradually.

2. Tips to cook with less salt

• During the cooking process, taste your food as it may not need added salt.
• Remember: if you’ve already added salty spices or a stock cube, you do not need to add salt too.

Healthy herbs and spices

But now you might ask: what should I use to flavour my food if I don’t use salt? To make your food tasty try these herbs and unsalted spices instead of salt:

• Lemon juice or vinegar.
• Herbs like Italian herbs mix, parsley or rosemary.
• Spices like curry powder, paprika or pepper.
• Garlic, ginger, chilli and onions.

Which foods to eat more often, only sometimes or eat less often

Nutritional Information Table

Popular herbs and how to use them

Here is the exciting and creative part, experimenting in the kitchen to find combinations you love. Certain herbs and certain combinations can elevate your meals to the next level. In the next table find staple herbs and ingredients they work well with.

 Be salt aware

1. Use little or no salt in cooking – try using extra herbs and spices instead such as black pepper.
2. Leave the saltshaker off the table.
3. Cut down on salty processed foods and ready meals and try and make your own if you can.
4. Check out food labels for salt and go for lower salt choices. There can be a really big difference between different types and brands.
5. Compare salt levels among similar products and try to choose those lower in salt.
6. Ask in restaurants and take-aways for no added salt.
7. Be wary of fancy gourmet salts and salt substitutes claiming to be better for your health than table salt. These product ranges are still likely to add some form of salt to your diet.

References:

• How to match food with herbs and spices (ehow.com)
• A Beginner’s guide to herbs and spices (health.com)
• Spice and Herb Chart (weber.com)

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