Brining doesn't need to use an unhealthy amount of salt. There's sugar in a good brine as well. It has some of the same effects as the salt - it loosens the structure of the meat so that flavors and moisture penetrate. (I use sea salt and maple syrup in my turkey brine, along with a chunk of ginger root, some rosemary, some allspice berries, black peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorns, one tiny hot chili pequin pepper, and maybe a bay leaf. Just don't leave the turkey in the brine for more than about 8 hours, or the texture gets mushy. And use some of the brining liquid in the pan to add flavor to the gravy.)
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