I am not picky at all but I use spice and herbs for flavor. I use lots of hot spices, fresh salsa, basil, dill, lemon, lime or zest. I loved salt too but after a few weeks you become salt sensitive and think everything has to much salt when you taste it. A example, I bought some chicken breast and baked it. I guess it was one of those pumped chickens. It was the store brand. It was so salty we could not eat it.

I'm not very picky, either. I second what Cinnamint said about using spice and herbs for flavor. In addition to what she named, I recommend flavoring foods with garlic, both cooked and raw; onions, both cooked and raw; and vinegar. There are a lot of different flavored vinegars that make food taste good.

Learning to cook some ethnic foods can open up worlds of flavor that don't involve salt. If you learn to make dishes like an Indian curry, an Asian stir fry, or Mexican enchiladas, you will find your way to plenty of flavor that does not include salt.

Healthy foods are things like lean protein, such as fish, turkey, or chicken; whole grains, like brown rice or whole wheat pasta; and fresh fruits and vegetables. You can find flavorful ways to prepare all of these that do not involve salt.

Like the others said, spices are the way to go. Also, you can add garlic and hot peppers and any sort of other food you like. You sure don't need the salt! Even lots of pepper would be better than all the salt.
What sort of foods do you like and maybe people can tell you what to add so that you can pass up the salt.

I also use herbs. Garlic, onions, peppers, sundried tomatoes are all good flavor additions.

One of my favorite ways to cook skinless chicken breast is the brown a chicken breast in a skillet sprayed with pam. After it is browned put it on you plate while you deglaze the pan on low with the juice of a lime, 1 tsp of olive oil, one clove of garlic minced and 1 tablespoon of fresh dill. When all the bits and peices are loose pour it over the chicken. It has lots of flavor.

Rosemary is another good herb to use on chicken if you grill it. Use the juice of a orange to marinade the chicken breast.

Gets your flavored vinegars or oils too. You can put garlic or herbs in your olive oil. White Truffle oil toasted sesame oil (only a dash) or fire oil adds lots of flavor. Have you cooked with balsamic vinegar? I love white balsamic vinegar.

This is how I make salsa. Blacken the skins of some chili peppers and lets them steam in a damp paper towel. Then you can remove the skin easy. Chop up them up small. Add diced sweet onions (some green ones to if you like), diced tomatoes, lots of fresh garlic, the juice of a lime and cilantro. I put this on everything. I love it on salads.

Have you tried sea salt? It is not just ok to use but actually that is recommended to use.

See my family is used to eating fried foods or fast food. So I'm pretty much afraid to try new stuff. What do I do about that though?

I can't have any added sodium, even sea salt. I am very sensitive.

I was also raised on fried food. Mostly Mexican food, fried tacos and I even refried my beans in lard. I am not sure how to make someone that is picky not be picky. My daughters both have boyfriends that are picky. I think it is in the genes because my grandson at 2 is also picky. He gags on any new food. They think I cook weird. I am a good cook. I won lots of awards but they are afraid to try stuff. I did get my daughter boyfriend to eat kale. He thought he didn't like anything green and found he likes kale. This is a funny one. My daughter boyfriend loves corn but hates niblets. He kept saying I won't eat niblets. He did not know corn and niblets the same thing. He is 37 years old. Now he loves niblets too.

If they are unwilling to try new things, try making the same stuff...just make it the right way. Hamburgers are not bad. It is the white bread, added salt, and MSG at Mcd's etc, that makes them bad. Buy hamburger that does not have "natural beef flavoring" in it, whole wheat buns (without HFCS, high fructose corn syrup), ketchup etc without HFCS, and sea salt (potassium) instead of table salt.
We don't fry much food, but when we do we use olive oil. I prefer grilling food, even corn on the cob.

Sea salt is Sodium. 40 percent sodium. Most of us get plenty of sodium without adding any. Just a tint bite of sea salt and my blood pressure is out of control and I gain 5 pounds in water weight.

Read http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA351563

The only think I wonder about is if picky eater would be getting enough iodine.

Here is another one on why you reduce salt/sodium. http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA35919

This is the Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sea-salt/AN01142

Question
Sea salt vs. table salt: Which is healthier?
Is sea salt better for your health than table salt?

Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Sea salt and table salt have the same basic nutritional value both mostly consist of two minerals sodium and chloride. However, sea salt is often marketed as a more natural and healthy alternative. The real differences between sea salt and table salt are in their taste, texture and processing, not their chemical makeup.

Sea salt is produced through evaporation of seawater, usually with little processing, which leaves behind some trace minerals and elements depending on its water source. These insignificant amounts of minerals add flavor and color to sea salt, which also comes in a variety of coarseness levels.

Table salt is mined from underground salt deposits. Table salt is more heavily processed to eliminate trace minerals and usually contains an additive to prevent clumping. Most table salt also has added iodine, an essential nutrient that appears naturally in minute amounts in sea salt.

By weight, sea salt and table salt contain about the same amount of sodium chloride. Your body needs only a couple hundred milligrams (mg) a day to stay healthy, but most people get far too much mostly from sodium in processed foods. So regardless of which type of salt you prefer, keep sodium consumption between 1,500 and 2,300 mg of sodium a day if you're a healthy adult. People with high blood pressure, African-Americans and anyone middle-aged or older should aim for the low end of that range.

Try making changes slowly and steadily. Don't try to change every single thing at once. Try making one or two healthy changes per week, and get a sense of what works for you and what doesn't work for you.

So let's say your family only eats fried fish. Try grilling or sauteeing the fish instead. Or let's say your family tends to eat lots of red meat and cheese, and doesn't eat so many fruits and vegetables. Try adding one piece of fruit or serving of vegetables per meal. Or let's say your family eats vegetables at every meal, but they tend to prepare them with lots of fat and salt. Work on finding a few vegetable dishes that don't involve fat and salt, and try that. See how that goes. Then the following week, work on another healthy diet change. And then another.

One tip is that I think a lot of people on this site have started with just cutting out soda and starting to drink more plain water.

Where fast food is concerned, we just had a very good discussion about the healthier choices at fast food restaurants. You can find it in the advice section, under the heading that mentions healthier foods at fast food places. It's pretty high up on that list right now, so the whole thread should be pretty easy to find.

Most fast food restaurants have some healthier menu choices - or, at least menu choices that are lower in fat and calories than other menu choices. You can learn about this by educating yourself by reading nutritional information on the company's website, or on other sources on line. Fast food tends to be very salty, so in the long run, you should shoot for getting rid of fast food in your diet as much as possible, since you are looking to reduce your salt intake. But I advocate making change slowly and steadily. So for right now, work on learning which fast food choices tend to be lower in salt and fat than others, and try eating those items.

Hi Spellman,

Cinnamint's right, try various spices. That's probably the best way to add flavor and aroma (which is actually a larger component of taste than one would think... try eating something when your nose is stuffed up, tastes bland...)

There is also something called "Salt Lite" by Morton's (the salt people). It is sold next to the normal salt, and is intended for "healthy" people (not people on a sodium restricted diet). It is a mix of normal table salt and a potassium salt. My wife and I use it all the time, and I would say it probably has about 80% of the saltiness of the real thing. It has about 1/2 of the sodium of the normal salt.

Also, I personally noticed that if I salt the dish while it is cooking, I will add more salt later. So, I now salt less during the cooking process and use the salt at the table.

Best,

Jason Chen,
Researcher/ Writer
www.20bmi.com

Thinking back I did use the fake salt for awhile. I didn't like the take to many of them but did like Tony Chachere's salt free seasoning. It is a little spicy to my taste. But if your on meds or have health issues you might not be able to use them. I can't with the meds I take.