The Assault on Salt

Do you ever stop and think about something before you put it in your mouth to eat it? I never used to, but since I started keeping track of everything I eat and drink on My Fitness Pal, I think about it all the time.  I especially think about sodium.

I've never been much of a salt eater...so I thought.  (I grew up in a house with a diabetic, heart patient and salt was the enemy.) After I developed some health issues that are highly affected by sodium...I started eating even less sodium...so I thought.  If you aren't a label reader you should try it sometime when you are shopping.  It is amazing at all the hidden sodium and even sugar in products.  I am not going to be preachy or even shame anyone for indulging in sodium. I, myself, love a bag of Doritos or a stick of beef jerky: BACON.   I've just developed an interest in salt and thought I would share it with you guys.

Speaking of delicious, delicious BACON...many companies now make a low sodium version.  It's very good and its real bacon...not the turkey stuff. 

Source:Journal of the American College
of Nutrition*

Remember, everything in moderation! Salt has many health benefits, but you when used excessively, it can also have many health dangers. I personally stopped using traditional table salt, and switched to Himalayan, sea, or kosher varieties.  Moving away from salt has encouraged me to experiment flavoring and seasoning my food with herbs, garlic, ginger, natural spices, and cold pressed oils. Much tastier than salt and better for you!  The vast majority of  salt is consumed from processed and restaurant foods; only a small portion is used in cooking or added at the table.

We all need a small amount (e.g., between about 180 mg and 500 mg per day) of sodium to keep our bodies working properly. The Institute of Medicine recommends 1500 mg of sodium per day as the Adequate Intake level for most Americans and advises everyone to limit sodium intake to less than 2300 mg per day, the Tolerable Upper Limit. Current dietary guidelines for Americans recommend that adults in general should consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. At the same time, consume potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables. However, if you are in the following population groups, you should consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day and meet the potassium recommendation (4,700 mg/day) with food:

• You are 51 years of age or older.
• You are African American.
• You have high blood pressure.
• You have diabetes.
• You have chronic kidney disease.*

 These are my own thoughts and opinions on salt.   Do your own research or talk to your medical professional. I am not qualified or trained to give medical facts.  

A Basic and Quick Salt Index

• Table salt: This is the common salt normally found on every table. It is a fine-ground, refined rock salt with some additives to keep it free-flowing. Smaller particles mean more particles per measure and more surface area than coarser grinds. As such, use about half the amount if you are substituting for coarse salt. Most packaged and processed foods contain astronomical amounts of the stuff.
•  Iodized salt: Salt which has iodine (sodium iodide) added. Iodine is a mineral necessary to the body to prevent hypothyroidism and some countries actually require iodine added by law. For those who live in areas away from oceans, iodized salt is an easy way to get this necessary nutrient into the diet. Surprisingly, iodized salt contains a small amount of sugar (usually indicated as dextrose in the ingredients listing), without which the salt would turn yellow due to oxidation of the iodine. 
• Coarse salt: Coarse refers to the grind. The jagged edges and large crystals make this a good choice for sprinkling on pretzels or corn on the cob because the edges tend to cling and the salt does not readily melt.
•  Kosher salt: This is a coarser grind of salt with large, irregular crystals. It contains no additives. Kosher dietary laws strictly require as much blood as possible be removed from meat before cooking. This coarse grind performs the job admirably. It is a favorite with not only Jewish cooks, but also professional/gourmet cooks who prefer its texture and brighter flavor. When substituting for table salt, you may need more to taste since it seems less salty. The size and shape of the crystals cannot permeate the food as easily as fine grades. Coarse pickling salt can be substituted.
• Pink salt: (Himalayan)- Pink salt is prized for it's unique color and flavor. The pink color is due to iron oxide. Pink salts are mined, rather than evaporated, at inland locations in Peru and all along the Himalayas. Pink salt is highly flavored and is usually kept in large grains that provide as much texture as flavor to food. 
• Sea salt: Distilled from sea waters, this form can be fine or coarsely ground. Some consider sea salt nutritionally better than rock salt because it naturally contains trace minerals, but the difference is too minute to note. It does, however, have a stronger and more interesting flavor. Grey or gray salt is a sea salt. 
• Seasoned salt: Single or multiple herbs and spices are added to salt to make garlic salt, onion salt, and other mixes. If you are watching your salt intake, you are better off using the unsalted powdered or dried herbs and spices and controlling the salt as a separate ingredient. The main ingredient in seasoned salt is, after all, salt.
  
•  Popcorn salt: This super-fine grind (think of the texture of confectioners' sugar) of salt is generally colored yellowish-orange and is used on popcorn for both color and flavoring.
• Pickling salt: This fine-grained salt has no additives and is generally used in brines to pickle foods. Unlike table salt, the lack of additives will help keep the pickling liquid from clouding.  It is also used to pull moisture from cheeses to cure them. 

*References
Gourmet Salt Guide
CDC
Table Salt vs Kosher

Ladies and Gentleman, light your grills!

Here it is almost the end of May and I haven't written...shame on J.J. I have had multiple things going on and not to mention injuries. It may have not been mentioned before, but J.J. is a klutz.

 

Here in the U.S., this weekend is Memorial Day. It is supposed to be a weekend to reflect on those soldiers who gave everything so us Americans can enjoy the freedoms that the majority of us take for granted. It is now mostly known as the official kick off season to the summer and grilling season...I will get to the grilling and cooking part here in a second kids, but I wan to give you a little history on Memorial Day and say: Thank You to all those soldiers living and no longer with us, who fight for the freedom of this great country. They enable me the freedom to produce this blog and you to read it. So as you are spending time with friends and family this holiday weekend...take a moment to remember why you are able to celebrate and break bread.

 

Memorial Day*, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War.

 

Memorial Day* was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee. Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

J.J.'s Grilling Tips

• While you're waiting for the coals to ash, scrub the grill grate. That caked-on gunk from last Labor Day doesn't "add flavor" like some folks say. It's just gross, and it adds funky flavor. You're better than that.
• Scrub the grate with a wire brush or even some balled-up heavy duty aluminum foil and once the goo is gone, slather it with some cooking oil so food won't stick.
• If you feel like getting a bit fancy, throw in a few sprigs of water-soaked rosemary or a handful of mesquite or hickory chips that have been soaking in beer. This adds an irresistible smoky scent and bang-up flavor to just about any food - even tofu. 
• The grate should be screaming hot when the meat hits it.  A closed lid will also aid in cooking your burgers and steaks quickly and more thoroughly once they're in. To gauge the heat of a fire, hold your hand about four inches above the grill grate and start counting: "One Mississippi, two Mississippi." Over a hot fire, you'll get to two or three Mississippi before you're forced to move your hand; over a medium-high fire, four to five Mississippi; over a medium-low fire, eight to ten Mississippi.

 

Burgers

• Don't skimp on fat. yes, you're trying to eat healthily, and we applaud that, but we've never met a 90 percent lean burger that's not painfully dry. Opt for 80 percent or even 70 percent and just skip the extra slice of cheese.
• Don't handle the meat too much. Form it into loosely packed patties that are slightly lower in the middle than on the sides. The dimple will even out as the meat cooks.
• For the love of all that is holy, don't mash down with a spatula while the patties are cooking. Yes, it's big, manly fun to hear the tsssssssss sound as the juice hits the coals, but that's flavor you're wasting.
• Don't fuss with the patties while they're cooking. Cook on one side, flip once and cook the other. That's it!

 

 

Steaks

 

• Most of the burger tips apply to steak as well - grill screaming hot, don't move it around too much, just the one flip, don't skimp on fat.
• I will, however, make an exception for grill marks. Halfway through cooking a side, lift the steak and rotate it 45 degrees for a killer, professional-looking crosshatch.
• Blot the meat with a paper towel before you season and cook it. Wet spots just steam the meat and you're cheating yourself out of delicious char.
• Speaking of seasoning, kosher salt, fresh-ground pepper and olive oil all are you really need. It's great to get fancy with marinades, but it's STEAK. Just enhance the glorious flavor of it, and you'll be good to go. 
• Once you take the steak from the grill, let it rest on a board for about 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute. It'll be uniformly delicious and cut like butter.

 

 

Hot Dog Styles

 

• New York - Nothing fancy here. A hot dog sold from the typical sidewalk cart is adorned with little more than brown mustard and onions stewed in tomato paste.
• Kansas City - At Kauffman Stadium (home of the Kansas City Royals), this hot dog, an ode to the Reuben sandwich, comes topped with melted Swiss cheese and sauerkraut and is tucked into a sesame-seed bun.
• Atlanta - At the Varsity’s famous drive-through, Atlantans order their hot dogs “dragged through the garden”―in other words, slipped into a top-sliced bun and blanketed with coleslaw.  
• Chicago - Residents of the Windy City like their hot dogs dressed to thrill: Yellow mustard, relish, chopped onion, tomato slices, sport peppers (spicy pickled green peppers), a pickle spear, and a dash of celery salt sit atop a frank nestled in a poppy-seed bun.
• Detroit - Called a Coney Island, after the place where hot dogs were first popular-ized, this Michigan frank is served smothered in all-beef chili, raw white onion, yellow mustard, and shredded Cheddar.

 

 

Happy Grilling!

 

 

*Taken from www.usmemorialday.org