‘Lemon is the new salt!’
Have you heard this expression before?
This is one of the cornerstones of Heleen Meyer’s food philosophy, with the aim to teach and encourage everyone to eat as healthy as possible.
She says: ‘I don’t use a lot of salt when cooking and would much rather use lemon juice and rind to add flavour. This may seem like a strange concept, but IT WORKS!’
Reducing the amount of salt in our meals and even the snacks we eat, is a great start to avoid and manage many lifestyle-related diseases. High blood pressure is a good example of one of the conditions which you could manage very effectively, by reducing the salt in your food.
How much salt are you eating?
Salt is typically added to our food in three ways: when cooking, at the table and the foods and ingredients that you buy. There is often much more salt in processed, ready-made and prepared foods like marinades and sauce, than one may realise.
Do you know how much salt is really part of what you eat every day? From boxed cereals or the salt added to your oats in the morning, any sweet or savoury snacks and treats to the meals you enjoy – all the salt adds up. The recommended amount of salt for a day, is only 5 g salt (or 2 000 mg sodium), which is equal to 5 ml or 1 teaspoon, so things add up to that and even more, very quickly.
Healthy benefits
Using lemon as the ‘new salt’, has many advantages. Firstly, it adds lots of natural, fresh flavour to food and in many cases, you will not even miss the salt. Lemon complements both savoury and sweet dishes – trust Heleen and give it a try.
Lemon is also known as a fantastic source of vitamin C, rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties, so you are not only avoiding salt when using lemon but adding lots of other goodness to your meals.
Making it practical: 12 tips with lemon
Heleen loves to use lemon rind as well as lemon juice as a natural seasoning. She guarantees that using less salt does not mean that food will be bland or boring.
Small changes, can make a big difference, so just start somewhere today. Gradual changes are also more sustainable than trying to do it all in one go. Teach your tastebuds to enjoy other flavours in food, like lemon, herbs and spices and not just salt. More often than not, adding salt is a habit, not a necessity.
- Remove the saltshaker from the table and rather have a few lemon wedges in a bowl to add a squeeze or two to your food.
- Taste your food before just adding salt out of habit and rather add a few drops of lemon juice first.
- Add a strip or two of lemon rind (made with a veggie peeler) to a pot of rice and only use half the salt. The lemony flavour is so good, that you will not even miss the salt.
- Use half the salt in a pot of soup or a stew and rather add a 2 or 3 strips of lemon rind while cooking. The soft rind can become part of the stew or it can be removed.
- Add finely grated lemon rind to a marinade or salad dressing, instead of just more salt.
- Add slices of lemon or thin wedges when roasting chicken portions or a whole chicken and enjoy the soft lemon rind and pulp with the cooked meat – it’s so delicious.
- Add a good drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil to a tray of veggies and roast until cooked – then you don’t even need any salt.
- Use a little less salt in the water when cooking pasta and add the juice and rind of a lemon to the warm pasta. Serve it with the sauce of your preference – the subtle lemon flavour goes with any sauce.
- Season plain yoghurt with finely grated lemon rind and serve with desserts instead of custard or ice cream.
- Start to read food labels, so that you know how much salt (and sodium) is in your food. A salt content of less than 120 mg per 100 g of food, is considered low. More than 600 mg per 100 g of food, is too high and should be avoided. If salt is one of the first three ingredients listed on a label, it’s a good indication that there is too much in the food.
- Make better choices every time you go shopping, so that you can avoid overly salty foods.
- Combine lemon with other natural seasonings like fresh herbs, ginger, garlic and chilli or salt-free spices as these all complement one another so well.
Take the first step TODAY! Make good choices and season your food the natural way – with lemon!
Enjoy good food that is good for you and your heart! For more recipes and inspiration, visit Heleen’s website: www.heleenmeyer.co.za
Photo: @adelferreiraphotography