Do you usually cook your spaghetti with a bouillon cube? Do you always add a pinch of dehydrated chicken broth when cooking a sauce? Your stews can’t do without a plate of vegetable broth? Warning: this kitchen reflex could well harm your health…
“The main problem with dehydrated broths (whether beef, poultry or vegetable) is their salt content“explains Nathalie Négro, dietitian-nutritionist.
Thus, as noted by ANSES (in his painting Ciqual), a “pot-au-feu” type bouillon cube contains approximately 48 g of salt per 100 g. Since a cube weighs about 10 g, adding broth to its simmered dish means adding about 5 g of salt. As a reminder, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends not to exceed 5 g of salt… per day!
What about “reduced-salt” or “reduced-salt” bouillon cubes that can sometimes be found in supermarkets? “It’s marketingsays the dietitian-nutritionist. When these products claim “- 25% salt”, it is in relation to other products in the same category. Clearly, even (a little) less salty, these stock cubes remain catastrophic for health!“
Expert advice? “Always halve the amount of broth recommended on the package, it will be more than enough!“So instead of putting 1 whole stock cube in your pasta cooking water, stick with 1/2 a cube… and your blood pressure will thank you for it.
What can I substitute for bouillon cubes?
If you suffer from high blood pressure or if you have cardiovascular risk factors (overweight, obesity, cholesterol, diabetes…), it is better to avoid bouillon cubes! Instead, make tasty, long-lasting broths yourself. Nathalie Négro’s recipes:
- Homemade vegetable broth
“Cook your vegetables in a large volume of lightly salted water with herbs (thyme, parsley, basil, rosemary, cloves, nutmeg…). Once the vegetables are cooked, do not throw away the cooking water: let it cool to room temperature then filter it and transfer it to an ice cube tray. Very rich in minerals (especially potassium), this naturally tasty broth can simply be thawed when you need it.“
- Homemade chicken broth
“When you prepare a roast chicken, do not throw away the carcass: cook it in a large volume of lightly salted water with herbs (a bouquet garni, for example). Boil for 20 to 30 minutes then strain through a strainer and transfer the liquid to an ice cube tray. Same principle as for homemade vegetable broth: defrost a cube of broth whenever necessary…“
Thanks to Nathalie Négro, dietitian-nutritionist and head of the Nutrition Center for Baths of Brides-les-Bains.
