Heart Smart Smoking

[rcs5430]

We love our smoked meat but the heart doc is pushing us to eat wiser. We like chicken and fish but can't see giving up pork and beef altogether. So we know we have to pay more for lean meat but I'm wondering about things like brines. Can you make a brine without salt? Any other ideas for heart smart smoking?

 

[fwismoker]

I'm glad you brought this up because it's important to eat smart....man can't live on meat alone. (did i just say that??!)

Brines will all take salt but not many things need brined.  I do whole chickens all the time and smoke them over 300 and they're dripping wet.  Turkeys will taste better with a brine but its by no means necessary.  

You can offset so much sodium intake by increasing your potassium intake and the other thing that many folks forget about is how important fiber is in your diet and how fiber removes cholesterol from your blood.   I reduced my bp 30 points in a couple of short months simply by drinking a tasty smoothie each morning.  Almond milk, kale, a couple servings of  raw oatmeal, frozen banana ...raw cocao etc...  and tastes great.  I can easily eat 5 servings of veggies and load up on all my fiber in just my breakfast.   I also cut out most sugar which helps but by adding the  oatmeal each day and increasing potassium made the biggest difference. 

 

[redneck69]

you can use sea salt...that is all natural....no msg's added..but it will still have a sodium content about the same as table salt....you can also find organic spices in some store's..we have them at our local safeway...they are all natural with no added chemicals or msg's..my girlfriend is a health nut and she has been teaching me a lot about the different chemicals added to fruits, veggies and  meats...what's good and what isn't....we have been together for 5 months and im the healthiest ive ever been in 40 years...i still smoke any type of meat i can get a hold of..but she helps in picking out the healthier versions..plus using the all organic spices helps..