SALT AND SEASONINGS HAVE come a long way from when salt-making was depicted in Egyptian art from as far back as 1450 BC. North America produces over a fourth of the world's salt. With growing health concerns and initiatives such as “Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005” and “Healthy People 2010” that help to create public awareness, more consumers want lower-sodium choices. Many products are now available, from basic salt, to salt substitutes, to herbal seasoning. This article will focus on salt and seasonings, and will provide a summary of appropriate alternatives for chronic kidney disease patients. Please refer to Table 1 for a nutritional listing of salt, salt substitutes, and herbal blends in products mentioned in this article.
Table 1.
Nutrient Contents of Salt, Salt Substitutes, and Herbal Seasonings
Benson's is working with a new spice blender, and updated nutrition facts are not yet available. Table Tasty is their herbal salt-substitute blend. This company is focusing primarily on dialysis centers.
In looking at sodium-based seasonings (without potassium), we have table salt, seasoned salt, sea salt, Salt Sense, and Papa Dash. The most notable of these are Salt Sense and Papa Dash. Salt Sense has 33% less sodium because of a patented manufacturing process that makes the salt crystal less dense than that of common salt. Papa Dash tastes like salt, but contains less than half of the sodium content.
Unfortunately, Papa Dash is not available from the grocer, but must be ordered by the case from Alberto-Culver. The cost is $24.00 for 12 (2.5-oz) bottles, and can only be paid for by check or money order. Online ordering is not offered by this company. Payment must be mailed to: Attention Consumer Relations/Papa Dash, Alberto-Culver Co., 2525 Armitage Ave., Melrose Park, IL 60160. When this product was readily available years ago and I had it in my kitchen, my son would reach for it, preferring it over regular salt.
For the sodium and potassium blended salt substitutes, there are Sterling Lo-Salt Mixture, Morton Salt Balance, and Morton Lite Salt. Sterling Lo-Salt Mixture has much less sodium and potassium than the other two, with 115 mg and 150 mg, respectively.
Review of the no-sodium salt substitutes showed a broad range in the amount of potassium content. AlsoSalt is a newer product with a great website. It has 43% less potassium than other popular brands, such as Morton Salt Substitute, No-Salt, and NuSalt. NuSalt is the greatest potassium offender, with a whopping 795 mg per quarter teaspoon.
Herbal blends have come a long way, with many new and tasty varieties to meet growing consumer demands. None of the brands reviewed had significant sodium or potassium. Mrs. Dash now has 12 salt-free herbal blends. Dietitians can register at www.dietitiancenter.com to receive samples. Samples can be requested monthly. McCormick has 10 salt-free blends. Durkee has 9 herbal varieties. The newest company to enter the salt-free, herbal-blend arena is Benson's. They have 9 different blends, but Table Tasty is their no-potassium, salt-substitute blend. According to the manufacturer, Table Tasty is in the process of being updated, and a new blending company will be used. The primary target audience for this product is the dialysis patient, so this seems promising. For additional information and noteworthy websites related to the products listed here, please refer to Table 2.
Mrs. Dash dietitian center. Nutrition facts. Can apply for free Mrs. Dash samples monthly. Order Papa Dash directly from Alberto-Culver Co. See address and directions in article for ordering Papa Dash.
Presiding Director, Alberto-Culver Co., 2525 Armitage Ave., Melrose Park, IL 60160
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