Reducing Sodium in Food: Does Soaking Help?

Question
Hi Tanya,

I have a question about lowering salt content in food. My question is: If I would soak a higher salt food, for example, lunch meat, in water, Would that lower the salt content? If so, is it a significant reduction or minimal? And, what about the other bad things? Does the amount of time that it soaks make a big difference?

Thanks,
Ricki Jones


Answer
Hi Ricki,

Some foods can be treated this way and are traditionally soaked in water to reduce salt content, for example, feta cheese or herrings. However, to remove significant amounts of salt from salt-preserved meats, you need to boil them. It might be a good idea to reduce consumption of processed meats or to choose healthier brands like The Prepackaged Reduced Sodium Lunchmeat from the  Harvest Farms, for example.

Hope it helps,

Tanya Zilberter, PhD