8 Ways to Eat Less Salt
Updated September 30, 2014.
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.
The relationship between salt intake and health has been studied for some time, with often-controversial results. Overall, for years, high salt intake has been linked to high blood pressure, while lowering salt in the diet is generally recommended for people with high blood pressure. A recent study out of England published in the April 2014 issue of the British Medical Journal that included over 20,000 people over an 8-year span found a significant reduction in death from stroke and heart disease with lowered salt intake.
These results are consistent with many earlier studies, suggesting that beneficial effects are noticeable within 4 weeks of salt reduction in the diet.
While the scientific studies point to lowered stroke risk, lowered death from stroke and fewer recurrent strokes, there are several challenges to lowering salt intake. These include the difficulties of changing long term cooking habits, the preferred taste of heavily salted food and the high salt content of convenient prepared foods.
Some tips to cut salt from the diet without sacrificing convenience and flavor.
*Drink more decaffeinated fluids. Fluids can help lower the overall concentration of salt in the body. Additionally, a high salt concentration in the body is associated with other health problems besides stroke. One of these problems is kidney disease, and well-balanced fluid is often recommended for kidney disease.
*Cut down on processed foods. For many reasons, processed foods contain a high amount of salt. Salt helps to preserve food for a long period of time (pickles for example) so that processed food can have a longer shelf life without getting spoiled.
Very high sugar content is often balanced out with salt, even in processed foods that are considered sweets and desserts. The end result is high calories AND high salt. Often, processed convenience foods are used to satisfy hunger on-the-go. The saltiness may provide a short-term sense of satisfaction when people reach for a bagged snack instead of a meal.
*Learn how to use a few more spices. Salt is the easiest spice to use. But other seasonings, such as onions, garlic, pepper, basil, oregano, dill, cilantro, cumin, paprika, parsley, ginger, lemon, allspice, nutmeg, mint and many others can add flavor and variety to food without the side effect of raising blood pressure.
*Be careful with shortcuts. Cooking is challenging and only a few are truly talented. Spice blends and sauces can be a practical tool. But they often contain a great deal of salt. Usually, spice blends include a label with a list of ingredients. One way to lower salt is to buy the separate spices (it is cheaper to buy them separately) and combine them on your own to create a homemade spice blend. Then you can add salt sparingly. Some ready-made seasoning blends are formulated with low salt or no salt.
*Add fresh fruit and vegetables to your diet. Fresh fruit and vegetables contain vitamins and minerals, natural sugars and a high percentage of water. The natural content of fresh food, particularly when eaten raw, can help balance the salt in the diet.
*Adjust your palate. Sometimes people just have to make a change. Adapting and gradually decreasing salt intake while learning to appreciate a variety of flavors and natural foods may take effort, but it is well worth it.
*Use sauce on the side. Many restaurants serve very high salt content sauces because they are convenient, and often prepared well in advance. Most restaurants will agree to serve saucy dishes with the sauce on the side. This allows you to have more control over your salt intake.
**Follow up on your blood pressure. Changing habits and making sacrifices can be difficult. Watching results is the best motivation for staying on track when it comes to good habits.
Sources
Feng J He, Sonia Pombo-Rodrigues, Graham A MacGregor, Salt reduction in England from 2003 to 2011: its relationship to blood pressure, stroke and ischaemic heart disease mortality, British Medical Journal, April 2014