Review - Kroger "Zesty Blend" a Better Alternative to Salt

Always eager to save a little money, I selected Kroger "Zesty Blend" All Natural Seasoning during a recent grocery store adventure. For just under two dollars (as opposed to $2-3.50 for the name brand), I purchased a blend of: onions, pepper, parsley, celery seed, basil, marjoram, oregano, savory, thyme, cayenne, coriander, cumin, rosemary, garlic, carrots, orange peel, tomato granules, oil of lemon, and, best of all, silicon dioxide (anticaking agent) ! That's over fifteen different flavors all measured and mixed in a 2.5 ounce container. I sprinkled some over my plain morning omelet as the first taste test. To be completely honest, the absence of salt is noticeable. When your taste buds have been trained to search for and happily acknowledge a salty flavor, they feel let down when salt is not part of the morning regime. Initial shock aside, the blend of seasonings in the Kroger "Zesty Blend" offered more complexity for my taste buds, and I have no doubt that those taste buds will make the adjustment. The garlic and onion tend to dominate the blend, but I could also detect the celery seed, oregano, and mild heat of the pepper. Speaking of garlic, if you use the "Zesty Blend" on your morning meal, be sure to have the mouthwash ready.

I have tried Mrs. Dash, the name brand equivalent, and been reasonably satisfied with that product, as well. The original Mrs. Dash contains fourteen different herbs and spices ground to a slightly finer consistency than that of the Kroger "Zesty Blend." I actually prefer the Kroger product for its robustness of flavor and larger pieces of dried onion, parsley, and celery seeds; the Kroger blend had the heft of a Montreal Steak Seasoning....minus the salt, of course. Both Kroger and Mrs. Dash also offer flavored options, such as Southwestern-infused spice blends, Caribbean seasonings, or spicier concoctions. Name brand or generic, you'll be better off bypassing the salt for some natural seasonings.

Salt. It complements butter so well. A buttery steak, glistening popcorn, baked potato. We love to lob a pad of butter on an ear of corn, grab the salt shaker, and encrust what could have been a healthy starch with will likely be a future health concern. Indeed, there are the low-sodium salt mixes. Morton makes a Lite Salt with half the sodium content of traditional salt, but as experience has shown, our tendency is to compensate for the diminished flavor by doubling up on the quantity. The poor girl in her yellow slicker would drown under the downpour of salt. Sometimes different, more drastic approaches to curbing your salt craving work better. Rather than weaning yourself off of sodium, why not remove the salt shaker altogether, and replace it with a "Zesty Blend."