About low sodium substitutes

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Here's some information for the no salt part of his diet.

You should ask his doctor whether it's safe for him to use potassium chloride as a salt substitute. People with certain types of heart or kidney problems conditions should not use it. If he should also avoid potassium chloride, then ask if calcium chloride is safe. People who get kidney stones sometimes need to avoid that.

If potassium chloride is safe, then the next step is a taste test to select a brand to use. Buy one bottle each (unseasoned) of a type with tri-calcium phosphate on the ingredients list, and a type without it. Types with it tend to be less bitter, but also tend to cost more. If his diet allows, use no salt added cream of mushroom soup for the taste test. Prepare the soup, and divide it into two bowls. For each bowl, add one of the types of salt substitute until it tastes salty enough. If one doesn't taste enough like you used salt, pick the other type as the one to buy in the future. Brands to look for with tri-calcium phosphate are McCormick (possibly labelled Schilling in some parts of the US), Kroger, and Morton's. If one type fails the taste test, reserve the rest of it to use in strongly flavored foods, such as chili.

For the seasoned variety, I prefer Lawry's Seasoned Salt-Free for most purposes, but also use McCormick Seasoned Saltless at times.

If you can fit popcorn into his diet, you may want to find a way to powder the salt substitute so it will stick to the popcorn better. I use a mortar and pestle, and add an assortment of herbs and spices as I powder it. A lecithin spray, such as Pam, will help the powder stick to the popcorn, without adding much fat. I have thought of, but never tried, spraying with water instead.

If you bake bread and he needs to avoid even the small amount of salt used in bread, note that you shouldn't just leave out the salt in bread recipes using yeast. The salt slows down the yeast enough that it won't stop working too early and let the dough collapse. However, a potassium chloride salt substitute works almost as well as salt for this purpose; use the same amount.

If he shouldn't use potassium chloride, write to the following company for more information about their products Ener-G Low-Electrolyte Calcium Chloride and Ener-G Low-Electrolyte Baking Powder, including where you can buy them. Both products are low in both sodium and potassium. You can also ask them to send recipes.

Ener-G Foods, Inc. P.O. Box 24723 Seattle, WA 98124 From: Robert Miles

Submitted By JIM WELLER On 10-09-95

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