CookSmart (4th Issue) Page11

Feature Article

Is low sodium soy sauce or chicken powder the solution to low salt dishes?

Salt is the chemical compound of sodium and chlorine. Potassium, or artificial salt, replaces sodium in "Low-salt soy sauce" and "low-sodium salt". Chicken powder is manufactured from a wide range of ingredients including salt, flavour enhancers and chicken flesh, among which over half of its ingredient is salt. These flavourants contain less sodium than that of salt (Table 2), but are generally more expensive. More importantly, we should not let high salt food or flavour enhancers numb our taste buds. Learn to appreciate the natural flavour of food and earn great health.

Here are some natural flavour enhancers we recommend (Table 1).

Table 2 Comparison of Sodium Content and Prices of Salt, Soy Sauce and other Low Sodium Products

1. USDA, Nutrient Data Laboratory
2. Package information of selected brands of low sodium salt
3. Prices of selected products in supermarkets