Does lemon help reduce salt intake levels? Use lemons in your recipes to trim salt with these top 5 healthy lemon cooking tips for your kitchen, plus my best lemon recipes.
Most good cooks understand the secret of lemons: These citrus fruits are indispensable ingredients in your kitchen, offering a bold array of aromas and flavors—sour, fresh, and zesty. With every squeeze of juice and pinch of zest, lemons can brighten savory dishes, soups, pastas, salads, baked goods, and desserts—all with zero fat and sodium. And the trademark flavor of lemons may have an added nutritional bonus; research has found that using lemon juice and lemon zest in cooking can help decrease the amount of sodium you add to recipes, without sacrificing flavor.
Lemon Juice + Lemon Zest = Less Salt
Using lemons instead of salt to flavor dishes can cut sodium as much as 75 percent without compromising taste, according to research by chefs at Johnson & Wales University, which was commissioned by Sunkist. This is good news, since the Dietary Guidelines recommends adults keep sodium levels to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes. Unfortunately, most Americans consume too much sodium—about 3,400 mg per day. While most of the sodium (about 75 percent) in our diets comes from processed and restaurant foods, it’s still a good idea to cut back on salt during cooking.
Lemon Cooking Formula for Success
| Dish | If original recipe calls for | Replace it with | It will reduce salt by |
| Vegetables | 1 tsp salt | ¼ tsp salt + ½ tsp lemon zest + 2 ½ tsp lemon juice |
75% |
| Dressings | 1 tsp salt | ½ tsp salt + 1 tsp lemon zest + 5 tsp lemon juice |
50% |
| Grains
Soups |
1 tsp salt | 2/3 tsp salt +
1 ½ tsp lemon zest +
|
30% |
Source: Sunkist S’alternative
Top 5 Healthy Lemon Cooking Tips
It’s easy to use lemon to flavor your favorite dishes; just try these top five healthy cooking tips:
1. Don’t Automatically Add Salt
Instead of pouring salt into your recipes as directed, give lemon a thought. Instead of salt in savory dishes, like pasta, casseroles, salads, vegetables, dressings, and soups, season them with spices, herbs, and lemon juice and/or zest. Taste the finished product; if it really needs salt, then add a pinch or two.
2. Brighten Dishes with Lemons
Lemon juice can add a pop of brightness to numerous recipes. In fact, the vitamin C naturally found in lemon juice can delay the browning of many fruits and vegetables, such as avocados, apples, bananas, and pears. Try squeezing lemon juice into dressings, marinades, salads, fruit recipes, and dips.
3. Make Quick and Easy Lemon Juice
To make lemon juice, roll a lemon on a flat surface, slice in half, and squeeze juice (a handheld lemon juicer makes this job easier) into a container or directly over foods. One medium lemon yields about 2-3 tablespoons of juice. Use lemon juice in a variety of recipes, including dressings, marinades, baked goods, salads, pastas, vegetables, and soups.
4. Create Lemon Zest
To make lemon zest, wash the outer surface of a lemon and use a small grater or zester on the outer, colored surface. One lemon yields about 1 tablespoon of zest. Use the zest in baked goods, salads, pasta, dressings, dips, and fruit dishes. And don’t through out the “naked” lemon—use it up for juice after you’ve zested it. Remember to zest it first, then juice it last for easier results.
5. Try Lemons in Unusual Ways
It’s easy to pull out lemons for salad dressings, marinades, and guacamole, but you can go way beyond that! Squeeze lemon juice into veggie burgers, lentil patties, smoothies, cashew cream and falafels.
10 Healthy Lemon Recipes
Try some of my favorite plant-based recipes featuring lemons.
Lemony Garden Peas with Pasta
This Lemony Garden Peas with Pasta dish can be prepared in under 20 minutes with only 6 ingredients, and it’s the perfect recipe to showcase the beauty of fresh (or frozen) peas.
Curry Lemon Vinaigrette
This vibrant vegan, gluten-free Curry Lemon Vinaigrette, bursting with the flavors of curry, cumin, coriander, garlic, and lemon, is the perfect way to make your recipes sing with flavor!
Lemon Herb Grilled Artichoke
This easy, delicious recipe for Lemon Herb Grilled Artichokes is a healthy, delicious start for any meal. The best part is those tender, flavorful grilled artichoke hearts, of course!
Lemon Scones with Currants
These tender golden vegan Lemon Scones with Currants are yummy and as easy as can be, yet they are a bit lighter and healthier than your average scone.
Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies with Basil
This recipe for aromatic, lovely, delicious vegan lemon shortbread cookies with a touch of basil is simply divine! Lighter in sugar and fat, with a touch of whole wheat flour, these vegan shortbread cookies shine with flavor!
Spring Salad with Pea Tendrils, Snap Peas, and Lemon Vinaigrette
Use the whole pea plant when you make a spring salad, such as pea tendrils—the vines, stems and flowers from green pea plants—as well as the snap peas in this delicious, gorgeous recipe for Spring Salad with Pea Tendrils, Snap Peas, and Lemon Vinaigrette.
Mint Winter with Lime and Lemon
Make your own homemade infused waters with this budget-friendly, easy, healthy recipe for Mint Water with Lime and Lemon. You’ll save money and reduce your carbon footprint by making your own fresh lemon water recipe at home.
Grilled Shishito Peppers with Lemon and Cilantro
Learn all about grilling shishito peppers with this super easy, healthy recipe for Grilled Shishito Peppers with Lemon and Cilantro.
Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
This light and fluffy Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Bread can be whipped up in under 10 minutes, featuring only 6 ingredients, in addition to pantry staples. This super delicious bread is a bit healthier, as it’s lower in added sugars and fat, with part whole grain flour and an addition of crunchy walnuts.
Matcha Tea Lemon Muffins
These healthy, plant-based, whole grain Matcha Tea Lemon Muffins are filled with the clean crisp flavors of lemon, coconut, and matcha green tea.
For more cooking guides, check out the following:
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information about affiliate links, click here.
