Barb, I get them from a butcher at a local farmers' market who and sells all parts of the hogs so they have them every week. They just call them fresh pork hocks. They often have them in Mexican markets too.

No Salt is a potassium based salt replacement. It has a distinct after taste. If you are on a potassium sparing blood pressure pill this can cause an imbalance in your electrolytes. As to the pork hock question I am not sure what you mean by using it to flavor the meat in the pressure cooker. If you can't have salt I would try something like Mrs. Dash which has a variety of spices.

The recommended daily consumption of potassium is 2000 to 4700 mg/day depending on source (there isn't an "official" government RDA as far as I know). Foods with a lot of potassium include a potato with skin, a cup of cooked spinach, a cup of cooked lentils, etc - each about 800 mg - and a banana has about 400 mg. Many people don't get that much.

Potassium (in the form of either potassium chloride or potassium citrate) can lower blood pressure in hypertensives. http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0705c.shtml

Too much potassium can cause problems for people with poor renal (kidney) function, for diabetics, and in other cases. I believe, but am not sure, that this would require "way too much", not just 4701 mg.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt-substitutes/

So this all suggests to me that a moderate amount of potassium chloride salt substitute might be a good thing to use, especially if you are cutting sodium due to hypertension. The stuff tastes rather bitter-ick so I have a hard time imagining anyone willingly using way too much of it.

Mrs Dash and lemon or lime juice are also alternatives.

If you are reducing sodium, you can also get a seasoned salt like Spike or Season-All, or Goya Adobo Light all purpose seasoning mix. They have sodium, but MUCH less than salt, and the other ingredients are good additions to a recipe.

Or make your own

John if someone is cutting salt due to blood pressure they may be on a blood pressure pill some reduce your potassium levels some do not I am on one that I can not use a salt substitute due to the potassium.

Thanks for pointing that out.

I went looking for potassium supplements once and was surprised that the non-prescription one were only 100 mg. Later I read they are limited to that dose, to avoid potential misuse of higher dose supplements (those are prescription only). Perhaps one concern is the combination you mention.

Barb, as others have pointed out, most salt substitutes contain potassium chloride. For a healthy person, ingesting a bit of extra potassium is no problem. However, many people who are placed on low sodium diets have serious health problems and take several medications that must be balanced with their diet.

For example, my husband is on a salt-restricted diet and takes diuretics, including a potassium-sparing one, along with coumadin and other cardiac-related medications. So he has to monitor his intake of green-leafy vegetables and avoid salt substitutes. When he was first diagnosed with congestive heart failure, his cardiologist told him NOT to use any salt substitutes.

Sometimes people with CHF and other heart-related health issues also have reduced kidney function, so that precludes them from using potassium chloride based salt substitutes. The article below explains things well:

From the Harvard School of Public Health:

REDUCED OR NO-SODIUM SALTS

Potassium chloride tastes a lot like sodium chloride, and is the main ingredient in reduced- or no-salt substitutes. It has a bitter aftertaste, especially when heated, and so isnâÂÂt recommended for cooking. Some companies add L-lysine, a common amino acid, to mask or neutralize the bitter taste.

Sodium-free substitutes contain 100 percent potassium chloride, while âÂÂliteâ salts replace up to half of the table salt with potassium chloride.

Because most Americans get too little potassium, using a potassium-based salt substitute could offer some small protection against high blood pressure, stroke, heart rhythm problems, kidney trouble, and even osteoporosis. (But not nearly as much as cutting back on sodium, not smoking, and exercising!) It isnâÂÂt for everyone, though. Check with your doctor before trying a potassium-based salt substitute. Most people can tolerate extra potassium, and actually need more of this mineral. But extra potassium can be dangerous for people who have trouble flushing out any excess or who are taking medications that can increase potassium levels in the bloodstream. This includes people with diabetes or kidney disease, those who have had a blocked urinary flow, or those taking a potassium-sparing diuretic, an ACE inhibitor, or an angiotensin-receptor blocker.

Here is a link that might be useful: Harvard School of Public Health - Salt Substitutes

A while ago I made a concerted effort to cut back my salt intake. I did. Basically I tapered down and quit using salt as much as possible. Now I'm very sensitive to the taste of salt in foods so what many people think is normal, I find way too salty. I don't like the salt substitutes. I do use things like lemon juice and other things as a replacement seasoning to add some flavor when I want it. But I found that the "low" salt or "no" salt seasonings often put something like potassium chloride in there to offset for the salt and I don't like that. I think there's an odd taste to it. At first I thought it was the food without salt but I think it's the substitute itself. So now I use things that are low on salt without adding other substitute stuff if I'm making myself clear. Mrs Dash has no salt in it, no sodium and about 10 mg potassium in 1/4 teaspoon. They use herbs and spices rather than salt. Jane's Krazy Mixed up Salt is very good and is much lower in salt and sodium than things like SeasonAll and other seasoned salts. I use the Spike Salt Free occasionally also but don't remember the nutrition info offhand. And occasionally I just make my own seasoning blends. A friend tried to get me to use Tony Chachere's seasoning but when I researched it, it's about 75%-85% salt! No thanks. LOL I'm shocked when I see cooks adding Chachere's and salt on top of it. Wow.

And I'll say this, I enjoy the taste of many things much more now. Potatoes really don't need a lot of salt for me. Crispy fries are fine by themselves and a baked spud with a bit of butter is great.

I agree with Espicer that many things taste better without salt, and I find it easier to taste the food without the salt. This includes foods like potatoes, squash, zucchini, corn, etc. Basically anything that is sweet tastes better to me without salt. Then there are foods that need help, and these need to be identified, but largely (for me) include meats, cheese, and a lot of proteins. Sometimes I can substitute various types of vinegars, especially flavored vinegars. I found one brand of black rice vinegar that I can substitute of soy sauce, but it is Japanese and not that easy to find. The Chinese brands of black vinegar do not have the same flavor, and I do not like most of those. I find that salt can counterbalance bitter flavors, and so you can either learn to like bitter or find something else to counterbalance bitter, and I have found that sour or tart flavors (like vinegars) can sometimes do this.

Lars

I use SPIKE as a substitute.