This week, Jill answers a question from a listener about how to make ready-to-eat foods and chicken less salty.
Hello, and welcome back to the Kidney Stone Diet podcast. This is the show about lowering your risk of getting kidney stones and living your best life. I’m your host and fellow student, Jeff Sarris.
Jeff Sarris: How’s it going? So you got the little Kidney Stone Diet logo on that one?
Jill Harris: Yeah, you know, people who listen to us on Spotify and Audible, or whatever, they must be like, “We don’t really give a damn. We don’t give a damn. We can’t see it. Why do you have to talk about it?” I don’t know. We just love them. We just love them. People like this one. Just a simple little kidney stone on them.
Jeff Sarris: Yeah, that’s definitely my vibe is always the simplicity. If it’s not clear because I’m always wearing one color and it’s black.
Jill Harris: Well, you look good in it. So I like that we have the opposites now, now that I don’t wear black every day.
Jeff Sarris: Yeah, you have all the colors going on there, especially with the whole line of stuff. There’s so many options.
It doesn’t matter what day it is; I always look like a bag of Skittles. I mean, I really do now that Easter is here. I look like an Easter basket and if we dyed my hair grass green, because I have that kind of hair, Easter grass. I would look like an Easter basket these days. Why not? It’s happy. What was it gonna say? Oh, I have to ask the viewers. I’m on a mission, Jeff’s on a mission. We are on a mission to reach 10,000 subscribers and I know you’re all like, “Here that old lady goes again!” Well, I’ve done some research 64-65% of the people that watch our YouTube channel, we’re so grateful for you, but you didn’t click the red button.
Just click it, boop, click it, just click it. That’s all you have to do. And it doesn’t mean anything to you, but it means everything to us because people find us faster when they’re searching for kidney stone stuff in the YouTube channel search. So then people can get, you know, clinically correct information. Instead of, you know, if you smoke this cigarette and hit your head three times, you’re going to prevent or dissolve the stone, which we all know isn’t true. So, please press the subscribe button because I want to get 10,000 subscribers. Jeff said he wants to get 50,000, so y’all better be clicking that button right now. Thank you. And if you do click it, can you please tell us that you clicked it? So I can thank you in the comments because I don’t like asking for things and I don’t get to say “thank you” personally, so please do that. Okay, thank you.
Jeff Sarris: Yeah, that costs nothing. So that’s just helps with the algorithm and all the algorithm stuff is all a big mystery, always. But all these little markers always help, little likes on the videos, too. If you like it, it always helps. But yeah, so what do you say? Should we dive into this?
Consuming too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. Chicken is a common source of sodium in many people’s diets. In this comprehensive guide, I will provide tips and strategies to help you reduce sodium in chicken without sacrificing flavor.
Why Reducing Sodium in Chicken is Important
The average American consumes over 3,400 mg of sodium per day, exceeding the recommended limit of 2,300 mg. High sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Chicken can be a significant source of sodium. Deli meats, frozen dinners, canned soups with chicken, and restaurant chicken dishes often contain high amounts of sodium. Reducing sodium in chicken is important for maintaining good health and preventing chronic diseases.
Ways to Reduce Sodium in Chicken
Here are some effective ways to reduce sodium in chicken
Use Fresh or Frozen Chicken
Fresh or frozen raw chicken contains less sodium than processed and pre-seasoned chicken products Opt for plain chicken breasts, thighs, legs, wings, etc rather than seasoned frozen chicken, canned chicken, chicken lunch meats, or pre-marinated chicken.
Avoid Adding Salt When Cooking
Avoid directly seasoning chicken with salt or high-sodium seasonings. Instead use herbs spices, pepper, garlic, citrus juice, vinegar, wine, mustard, etc. to add flavor.
Use Low-Sodium Broths and Stocks
Use chicken broth that is low in salt or no salt at all when making soups, stews, braises, or gravies. This can significantly cut down on sodium.
Rinse Canned Chicken
Rinsing canned chicken under running water can help remove some of the sodium it absorbs during canning.
Use Low-Sodium Marinades
Marinate chicken in lemon juice, vinegar, wine, pureed fruits, garlic, mustard, olive oil that has been infused with herbs, and so on. instead of salty marinades.
Cook Without Adding Liquid
Cooking chicken using dry heat methods like baking, grilling, roasting allows you to control sodium rather than relying on canned or packaged stocks and broths.
Use Spices and Herbs
Flavor chicken with spices like garlic, paprika, cumin, thyme, rosemary, oregano instead of salt. Fresh herbs like parsley, basil, cilantro also add flavor.
Read Labels
Compare sodium content on labels and choose low-sodium versions of condiments, dressings, sauces, etc. Watch for hidden sodium in ingredients.
Soak in Buttermilk
Soaking raw chicken in buttermilk before cooking can help draw out excess salt from brined chicken.
Tips for Meals with Chicken
Here are some tips to reduce sodium in common chicken dishes and meals:
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For chicken soup, use low-sodium broth and lots of onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, herbs for flavor instead of salt.
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For chicken salad, don’t use soy sauce, canned chicken, or lemon juice or mustard. Instead, use fresh herbs, mustard, lemon juice, and pepper.
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Do not use oyster sauce or salt in chicken stir fries. Instead, use fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili peppers.
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For casseroles or pasta bakes with chicken, layer on flavor with tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, skip salty cream soups or cans of soup.
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For grilled or baked chicken, rub with a mix of paprika, garlic powder, pepper, cumin instead of salt. Add fresh lime before serving.
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For curries or stews with chicken, use garlic, onions, spices like turmeric, curry powder, cumin instead of salt for flavor.
Reducing sodium in chicken is an important step to improve overall health. With some simple substitutions and cooking adjustments, you can decrease sodium substantially without sacrificing taste. Focus on using more herbs, spices, citrus, vinegar, mustard and low-sodium condiments and broths. With a bit of creativity in the kitchen, you can create delicious low-sodium chicken recipes. Your taste buds and your health will thank you!
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Can I rinse my food to remove sodium?
Listener Voicemail: Hi, Jill. My name is Jean. I’m from Crumpman, Indiana and I was diagnosed with kidney stones. I have a question for you. If you buy grilled chicken breast strips that have a lot of sodium in them, what happens if you rinse them to get rid of some of the sodium? Does that actually lower the amount of sodium in the food? Appreciate the feedback! Thanks. Love you, bye.
Jill Harris: Jean, I love you, too, first of all, because we all need more love in the world. There are a lot of people who say that to me, and I always say it back. The world needs more love. I love it, myself. So, Jean, thank you for that. I appreciate you. I also appreciate everybody that calls in. You don’t have to do this. Because you’re taking time out of your day to call us and ask us this question, it’s pretty amazing that you did it. So, Jean in Indiana, yeah, sure. If you boil some food, the salt’s going to come out in the water. Anyone who has ever eaten tuna in a can has rinsed it out. If you bought store-bought chicken, you might be able to get the salt off the top of it.
If you boiled it for a while, yes, you are going to reduce the sodium in it. You will. I don’t know how much. It would depend on how long you were rinsing it. Would it be worth you doing at that point? Is it going to take away some of the flavor? Obviously, yes. Is it going to ruin the feel of that already made chicken breast? It may. Here’s some things. Instead of going through all that, you certainly can because it will reduce, you’re just not going to know exactly how much it’s going to reduce it by. Here’s other things I would say. Instead of putting yourself through that, something that’s already cooked, I would say–and Jean’s probably going to be like, “Well, I get it, girl, but I don’t want to have to cook the chicken. That’s why I’m getting a premade.”
Four Ways to Make Food Less Salty
FAQ
How to remove sodium from chicken?
To reduce sodium in chicken, you can try soaking it in water or buttermilk, using potatoes or bread to absorb excess salt in soups, or rinsing canned chicken.
How to make chicken less salty?
To make chicken less salty that is already too salty, rinse it under cold water or soak it in cold water. It’s also possible to balance the taste by adding a little sweetness with honey or sugar or acidity with lemon juice or vinegar.
Can I eat chicken on a low sodium diet?
Lean protein sources: Lean protein sources such as skinless chicken, turkey, fish, tofu, and legumes are good options for low sodium meals. When preparing these foods, use herbs and spices for flavor instead of salt.
Why is chicken breast so high in sodium?
Sodium keeps it juicy and makes it taste good for chicken breast.