• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Oily Fish - How do I avoid Salt?

B

Bluenosesol

Well-Known Member
Messages
446
Location
Solihull, West Midlands
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Dark mornings, intolerance any one with a superiority complex...
Hi,

I have been on low carb and eating lots of oily fish. Need also to keep salt down to maintain a healthy blood pressure. Now I find out that most oily fish especially smoked salmon and kippers is loaded with sodium. Any ideas or advice would be gratefully received.

Thx Steve.
 
Yep they tend to be unfortunately

Are you sure that salt is the cause of your high blood pressure? I know it's the first thing you think of when you you think high BP, but a reduction in salt intake has been shown to have a relatively small effect on blood pressure, unless you are one of the unlucky people who are particularly sensitive!

I had high blood pressure for years, and followed the low sodium advice to no benefit. Within a month of going low carb it normalized and has been normal ever since (I'm eating lots of salt as and addition to recipes but I don't eat processed foods)!

To answer your question though, I've been eating mackerel in tomato sauce which has 0.75gs of salt per 100g which is about 1g per can. Otherwise why not eat fresh mackerel fillets from fishmongers, fresh salmon or trout?

As a general recommendation, try to eliminate processed foods from your diet, they are usually loaded too! Start think quality when it comes to food, the better the quality to begin with the less you have to do to it. I always use unsalted butter in cooking too!
 
(WRITTEN BEFORE PREVIOUS POSTING)
Steer away from the processed, buy and cook from fresh or frozen. Eat a variety of types because of possible pollutants (not always easy if buying from some UK supermarkets)
oily fish:
Anchovies
Carp
Eel
Herring
Mackerel
Salmon
Sardines
Swordfish
Trout
panga
Tuna (fresh not canned)
I didn't realise (because I hate it so hadn't checked) that tinned tuna counts as a white not an oily fish because the canning process destroys the oils.
Because of pollutants the FSA says that, girls and women who may become pregnant should limit oily fish to 2, 140gm portions a week, men and post menopausal women to 4, 140gm portions.

Apparently, Swordfish (if you can find it) should be limited to 1 portion a week because of dioxins. Herring also contains high quantities, trout contains the lowest, with salmon and mackerel containing intermediate amounts.
(By the way this thread is relevent to many people, no matter how many carbs they eat )
 
Fresh or frozen fish takes only moments to cook.
 
Thx folks,
great advice as usual I will certainly take it on board...

Steve.
 

I concur, only a relatively small proportion of the population are sodium sensitive in terms of BP. It appears that more people have success by increasing potassium HOWEVER if you try this beware of the likely BG effects of eating fruit, and always read the small print on your meds, particularly BP meds and diuretics, as potassium is contraindicated with some. I use Lo-Salt in place of normal salt.

Cutting the carbs had a major effect in improving my BP too, which cuting the salt never did.
 
Totally concur with Trinks and Doczoc, my BP was monitored by GP yearly as I had a high normal BP, I had restricted my salt intake drastically, since going low carb it has gone to a low normal and I no longer bother with watching my salt intake, however I hardly eat any processed food but I do eat bacon, smoked salmon, tinned macarel now which all contain salt.
 
Depending who you believe, the population of sodium sensitive hypertensives is between 10 - 30% yet we are ALL told to eat less salt, apparently this is now causing goitres in the States since it means people are cutting their iodine consumption through not eating iodised salt. Probably less of a concern here where iodine levels are higher, but an interesting problem.
 
Salt itself is something we should be trying to minimise regardless of if it affects our blood pressure. Tinned in tomato sauce is also the lowest I've found, possibly spring water lower. Fresh is lowest but stinks cooking. Unless you can cook outside there is no way to fix the strong lingering smell whether frying grilling or baking in foil packets

 
Last edited:
Any particular reason you’ve joined a forum for a condition you don’t have to post a photo with no link to the study on a 13 year old thread?
 
Goonergal said:
Any particular reason you’ve joined a forum for a condition you don’t have to post a photo with no link to the study on a 13 year old thread?
Click to expand...
Forums generally require you to join to post. The topic/thread appears in my Google related searches and I had something to add. Maybe close threads if you don't want responses.
 
catinahat said:
I suppose we all have to make our mind up which Google search we believe.


Why is low blood sodium a health concern for older adults? How is it treated?​

Click to expand...
WebMd is hardly random Google chatter, but y'all enjoy your bacon if it's inconvenient. I'm hardly a food Saint myself
 
My mother in law is currently in hospital due to low Sodium levels, they are pumping her full of saline and stopped her blood pressure meds, as her levels improved so did her pressure.
Lots of the problems are down to my sister in law who is as thick as mince as far as i'm concerned, and has swallowed every bit of Health propaganda she has encountered, the vast majority though doesn't stick as her healthy diet addled brain cannot hold onto information. I swear she's early Alzheimer's.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…