How I Reduced My Salt Intake Using Soy Sauce and MSG
I recently had lunch with a couple of friends and their seven year old and we ordered a giant soft pretzel with beer cheese. As we mindlessly broke off pieces of pretzel during our chat, I noticed the little man silently eating his piece of pretzel—salt first—and saw a little bit of himself in it. I vividly remember being in high school at a friend’s house and eating seasoned salt right off the plate. Such greedy eating of salt is not in itself something wrong, but, unfortunately, a love affair cannot last forever.
Although my love for sodium chloride crystals is largely undiminished, I am at the age where I need to limit my salt intake as I am interested in longevity. Am I perfect? Hardly. I still love deli meats and the occasional fast food, but I’m getting better . This work is still ongoing. To reduce my salt intake, I use MSG and soy sauce to help me travel.
Salt isn’t everything
For other salt lovers, this is blasphemy, but in fact there are four other tastes that we should give equal attention to: bitter, sour, umami and sweet. If you find yourself constantly reaching for the salt shaker while cooking because “something” is missing, it might be one of those other flavors.
After you’ve added your first dose of salt, try to find a balance with the other flavors. Squeeze some fresh lemon or lime juice; even a spoonful of tomato sauce can add much-needed acidity. Add chopped nuts or leave the skins on the vegetables to add bitterness. A teaspoon of sugar, maple syrup or a handful of raisins can add a surprisingly pleasant sweetness.
But salt’s sister seasonings certainly contain umami. Seasonings like MSG and soy sauce may be just what you’ve been looking for.
How MSG and Soy Sauce Can Help You Reduce Salt Intake
By comparison, when measured equally, salt contains significantly more sodium than soy sauce and MSG. A teaspoon of table salt contains about 2300 mg of sodium. There are about 300 of them in a teaspoon of soy sauce, and about 500 in a teaspoon of monosodium glutamate.
Aside from the amount of sodium, it’s important to remember that each flavor has different potency. A quarter teaspoon of MSG can sufficiently flavor two cups of soup stock, while ¾ teaspoon of salt can be used for the same volume of liquid. I rarely use more than an eighth of a teaspoon of MSG, such as when I’m cooking myself a serving of vegetables. Read about some other ways to use MSG in cooking and baking here .
How I cook to reduce the amount of salt
You can see how by adding a pinch of MSG and a teaspoon of soy sauce (which also contains the building blocks of MSG), you still get the same salty flavor, but with a lot more extra benefits. With these two spices, you activate glutamate receptors, which stimulate your appetite and also create a well-balanced, savory flavor.
Even though I’m a huge salt person, I find that umami and a little salt are often enough. And before, I added another pinch of salt, and then another, without ever achieving the perfect note.
To reduce the amount of salt, I changed my cooking style a bit, using seasoning last when possible. I stew, stew, or make soup as usual, but add a dash of MSG or soy sauce first. Then I’ll try the finished dish. If it needs a little salt, I add a little and taste again. So I can use MSG and soy sauce in combination with salt or as a complete replacement for salt when it works.
Of course, sometimes I prefer to add salt earlier in the cooking process, for example if I’m roasting vegetables or brining chicken. For the stir-fried vegetables, I simply cut the regular salt in half and added a little soy sauce after cooking. For the dry brine, I cut the salt in half again and replace it with MSG. God, what a chicken. Don’t fall asleep when adding MSG to your brine, whether dry or wet.
Luckily, soy sauce and MSG go well with just about everything, so you won’t have to spend much of your brain wondering if they go well with whatever you’re cooking. If you need some inspiration, here are some unexpected ways to use MSG and the excellent Salt, Sugar, MSG cookbook for flavorful recipes featuring these seasoning heroes. Please note that these are my strategies for reducing salt intake simply because I feel like it, but if you have a medical reason to reduce your salt intake, be sure to consult with your doctor when making changes to your diet.