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Original poster

Are stock cubes all too salty?

40 replies

sparkle · 02/12/2002 20:46

I wondered if anyone had found a brand of vegetable stock cubes that didn't contain much salt and were suitable for a 16 month old? Call me lazy, but I really don't have time to make vegetable stock and then the meal that i'm using the stock in. I have tried making a large batch and freezing it, but this still took ages.

OP posts:

janh · 02/12/2002 20:59

sparkle, I don't know how much is a lot - I have some Kallo organic ones and ordinary Sainsburys and they both have 0.4g per 100ml. 1 cube makes 500mls of stock normally so that would be 2.0g altogether. I'm sure there are some brands labelled low sodium?

elliott · 02/12/2002 21:03

Yes, Kallo do a low salt stock cube and I've seen other brands too - but only in health food shops. I use these for ds (1 yr) - often a bit more dilute than recommended.

Philippat · 02/12/2002 21:03

kallo make a low sodium one - I get them at the health food shop. They seem to take longer to disolve but good flavour.

Enid · 02/12/2002 21:04

sparkle, I always use Marigold veg stock, its delicious and at 16 months I shouldnt worry too much about a bit of salt. But I think you can buy a low-salt version in health food shops. My pack of Marigold says 17.7 of sodium per 100ml - that sounds like a huge amount compared to yours but I think I must be being a bit stupid...

Enid · 02/12/2002 21:05

you can buy it here:

www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/detail/579345.html

elliott · 02/12/2002 21:05

SNAP!

megg · 03/12/2002 10:37

One thing I've noticed about the Marigold stock is that it has peanut in it which is why I ended up not buying it. I get the Kallo Just Bouillon cubes which seem to be really low in salt.

megg · 03/12/2002 10:37

One thing I've noticed about the Marigold stock is that it has peanut in it which is why I ended up not buying it. I get the Kallo Just Bouillon cubes which seem to be really low in salt.

SoupDragon · 03/12/2002 12:01

One problem with the labelling is that some give the salt content per cube and some give it per made up quantity. I've struggled and failed to try and work out which is genuinely the lowest!

OuiOui · 03/12/2002 12:15

ok I give up, what's the general advice on salt? I know we're told not to activtely add it but in real terms at what age is it no longer "dangerous"? is it a year? I don't add any foods to dd's food but she'll occasionally eat off our plates now and have some of our food at restaurants. and I'll sometimes just use a ready made pasta sauce from Sainsbury's for her meals (obviously it will have salt in it)

Scatterbrain · 03/12/2002 12:31

Sorry if you all think I'm irresponsible - but after they're about 8-9 months surely it's OK for them to have some salt ?

My dd is 2 and loves crisps and other nibbleys which are high in salt - and so long as she doesn't have them every day, and she still eats her proper food I don't worry !

Life's too short to sweat over a bit of salt !

janh · 03/12/2002 12:35

I thought a bit of salt was essential, or am I getting confused with iodine? (Sea salt has iodine in...???)

elliott · 03/12/2002 12:39

ouioui, I don't really know either! Small babies can be killed by lots of salt, but I think it does have to be really quite a lot (more than a sensible well informed parent would give).

I think apart from that, its really just a question of the less the better (and that goes for everyone really), within the limits of practicality. Processed food (for adults) tends to have quite a lot of salt added (e.g. stuff like ready meals, sauces for pasta and chicken, tinned beans etc) - certainly more than you'd add if you made it yourself. Stock cubes are particularly salty (too much for my taste!) and so I think its probably worth using a low salt one or none at all.
But I agree you can't avoid all foods with added salt, and if you want your child to eat 'family food' then I guess you have to compromise a bit.

So I give tinned fish, cream cheese, cheddar cheese - all of which have added salt - and increasingly give family food with the same amount of salt as we would eat - but tend not to give stuff with normal stock cubes, marmite, or adult ready prepared sauces etc. Who knows if that's the right balance?? (DS is 1 yr old).

elliott · 03/12/2002 12:41

janh, yes salt is essential, but in our western diets there is more than enough in the foods we eat for it not to be necessary to add any at all.

janh · 03/12/2002 12:47

I don't add salt to cooked food (except chips!) but find veg very bland cooked without it - I know this is an acquired taste but don't think I could unacquire it!

OuiOui · 03/12/2002 13:48

Scatterbrain - totally agree. I also give marmite to dd much to the horror of my dh (who is French and therefore cannot comprehend why anyone would eat anything so disgusting - ranking alogside peanut butter). I'm chill about the salt now - will also get some of the lo salt stock cubes. I do remember hearing once about parents killing their baby by giving it liquidized hamburgers - god help us - I hope it's an urban myth...

Philippat · 03/12/2002 14:05

scatterbrain just a quick tip if you are worried, my dd also loves crisps, but we give her the old fashioned salt and shake ones so they don't have any salt (obviuosly remove blue bag!).

Lindy · 03/12/2002 16:11

Well said Scatterbrain, no offence intended but I do find some attitudes towards children's food is completely OTT - a friend of mine is extrememly food conscious, everything has to be organic, meat free, salt free, sugar free etc etc - guess whose child is the fussiest eater out? They won't eat biscuits/cake etc when they come for tea; she is totally stressed out about it. To my mind the best thing is for the child to grow up eating a normal, well balanced diet that the rest of the family eat - with the occasional treat thrown in.

My son demands marmite nearly every day - I think it was one of his first words!

aloha · 03/12/2002 16:36

A friend of mine with a teenage daughter is despairing. She fed her only organic, homemade food, no sweets, no sugar, no salt etc etc, but now she's 19 and rebels by smoking, drinking, and being a complete junk food addict. My friend recently looked disapproving when I told her I sometimes gave my ds a bit of chocolate and let him share my cake in the cafe. I just thought that if nothing is 'forbidden' to him, he's less likely to fixate on that particular food.

Bozza · 03/12/2002 16:42

Aloha I say that when I allow DS to dip his finger in my wine glass...

aloha · 03/12/2002 16:59

Yes, that happens in our house too!

OuiOui · 03/12/2002 17:26

great - my dd had some red wine this weekend (fed by dh - I did mention that he's french!) I didn't let him give her any more and dd kept demanding it! didn't notice her sleep better, demand a kebab nor hold her head in despair in the morning. ;-)

OuiOui · 03/12/2002 17:27

Scatterbrain · 03/12/2002 19:44

Oh Good - glad I wasn't ostracised there for letting dd eat salt ! I do worry on this site !!

Amusingly Phillipat I tried those crisps a while back and she went berserk until allowed to open and sprinkle the salt herself ! So we reverted to Tesco's own cheap ones ! Was a good idea though !

I never add salt to cooking - I now hate the taste of salted veggies too - so you do definitely acquire tastes.

Alcohol wise - dd had her first taste at her christening - at 8 months where she swigged half a glass of champagne from FIL - MIL went mad and I just laughed - she loved the bubbley sensation and always has to have a big sip when we have some. She also is particularly partial to dh's fave tipple - Old Speckled Hen Ale. No signs of a hangover yet - but much tutting from older generation !!! Gotta be worth it then if it winds them up !!

Lindy · 03/12/2002 19:54

Oh yes - my DS is a great one for dipping his finger in the wine, or beer, or whatever - except now it's not just a finger, he's worked out that a fist is better!

We've also had to find a new place to keep the bottles for re-cycling after finding him swigging out of the 'empties'. He even shouted out loudly 'more wine' in church last week at communion!!!!

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