I thought I had a grip on things. I really did. I've successfully avoided the chips and pretzel trigger, mostly by reading the labels and freaking over the amount of crap in them ... didja know there's MSG in most flavored chips???? However, it fell apart when the spouse brought the traditional Lays' chips in - 3 lousy ingredients. I've utterly lost it. I cannot stay out of these things.

Salty stuff has been my downfall. I've had some luck with tamari sauce and balsamic vinegars on stuff ... but I need more ideas. One can only eat so many pickles (which have been a first-line defense).

One thought I've toyed with is trying to add something "piquantly salty" to each meal and snack, to see if I can lessen the urge to utterly lose it at other times. Anybody have any luck with this end of things?

Oh, Lays chips are wonderful! I swell so badly when I eat salt. It makes me so mad! You'd figure if we have to cut out calories, carbs, and fat, that we could at least have salt. But no..........cant have that either. I feel your pain, really I do. I miss it!!!

I've heard of people using white pepper as a salt substitute, but I have no idea if that really works in terms of taste - never tried it myself.

I used to crave salty foods until I started using grey sea salt. It has a ton of minerals in it. It is also lower in sodium than regular salt. I think that I was craving the minerals from salt. Since processed salt lacks minerals, I wasn't getting it and wasn't satisfying my craving.

I sent off for a sample of this product called AlsoSalt. I havent tried it yet, but if you send a sase, they will send you some free samples. I copied a paragraph from their website below:

Send a self addressed stamped envelope to AlsoSalt, PO Box 953, Maple Valley, WA 98038 and we’ll mail you a few sample packets of the original variety.

I was just mentioning on another thread that I don't put salt on my food when cooking anymore, but have replaced it with Garlic POWDER, Onion POWDER, Paprika, and black or white pepper. White pepper is just milder than the black pepper. Also, I believe that SEASON-ALL has less salt than Seasoned-Salt as well. You can also use Celery Seeds instead of Celery Salt, but you just have to crush them a bit. You can make up your own seasoning by mixing all of the good subs I have just mentioned.

I also use other spices and herbs in things like tomato sauce and with meat; like Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Cinnamon; and Poultry Seasoning for chicken or turkey. Marjoram and Rosemary are also good for poultry too.

That's interesting and makes sense...we use a lot of salt in this family, and that would be way better for my dad in particular, I'll definitely have to pick that up and see how it goes over!

Is it the salt or the fat that's in the chips we crave?

Thank you for the suggestions everybody! Ring, I can assure you - my addiction is the salt. I do know that pther people have successfully beat the chip cravings with fat substitutions - but it doesn't work for me. I'm trying to boost the flavor on things even more - I had some pretty good luck with some habanero salsa earlier today - ate about a half cup with a couple stalks of celery and was (reasonably) satisfied. You chicks rock!!!

from one sound fiend to another: are you trying to cut back on salt or prevent yourself from binging on unhealthy things like chips and stuff. in other words, are you looking for other salty things that will fill that void but aren't as bad for you? or do you want salt substitutes?

here are some things that help fulfill my salt cravings, aside from the aforementioned pickle obsession:
1. roasted cauliflower. drizzle olive oil on it. salt and pepper. stick in the oven and roast for one to two hours. i like it so that they shrivel up and are black around the edges because then the are slightly crunchy. salt again to taste when you take them out of the oven.
2. sauteed asparagus with garlic and olive oil. also add salt and pepper to taste. then sometimes i will grate some fresh hard italian cheese (romano, parm, etc.) when they're still hot. it melts in a little and adds another subtle flavor in addition to more saltiness. seriously i can't get enough of these guys. hot or cold, they're like candy to me.
3. roasted or lightly fried kale. again you're gonna need to bring out the olive oil salt and pepper for this one. i noticed that when i put kale in frittatas and roast the frittata in the oven, the kale leaves that stick out exposed in the top of the frittata get this delicious crunchy potato chip-like quality to them. i read in the new york times that you can lightly fry them as well to get the same effect. last time i just cut up the kale a bit, threw into a roasting pan. salt pepper olive oil. keep an eye on it because it doesn't take very long to cook them to crispy. they don't really need to blacken the way the cauliflower does. also, a little salt goes a long way here so experiment until you figure out the right method. i think lightly frying them in a pan with olive oil would work better and probably not be so bad if you drain them on a paper towel afterwards.
4. salsa mustard or sriracha or habanero sauce or vinegar as my go-to condiments.

This has been my experience, too, only I use the pink kind from the Himalayas. Bought it on Ebay - a boatload for $6 incl. shipping.

It's thrilling to be able to use it in all my recipes and not be "puffy" the next day.

sws - thanks for the veggie ideas! I've been working towards more of those. My husband discovered that roasting radishes, garlic, and mushrooms together is yummy too - and doesn't need a lot of seasoning.

In answer to the question, my salt binge will run the spectrum of healthy to unhealthy. I would go between popcorn, pretzels, chips, pickles ... to one memorable adventure with bread soaked in soy sauce... thank god I'm not one of those people who are sensitive heart-wise to salt!

I have talked to my doctor about this, and he mentioned that there is a condition that can cause a salt compulsion - much like pica makes women crave ice. Of course, to catch it, I need to get in and get a blood test in the middle of a binge ... which is exactly the least likely time for me to be willing to leave the house. Has something to do with electrolyte imbalance.

I'm still having good results with the hot sauce. Seems that if I can sear my tongue and get a little sweat on, the salt craving gets buried. It's a puzzle, but I'm sure there's a solution. Thanks, everyone!