13 Ways to Control The Salt Content In Your Diet

A lot of us have to restrict the amount of salt in our diets.  This becomes important because of blood pressure control and fluid retention problems.  There are many kinds of salt in the world of chemistry but typically what we have to be concerned about is sodium chloride or ordinary table salt.  Sodium chloride and water are best buddies so where one goes, so goes the other.  If your doctor has given you a diuretic (a.k.a. - "water pill") it's because your body is not getting rid of water as it should.  It may be because of too much salt consumption.  Some folks are more sensitive to salt than others.  Some foods are naturally high in sodium but most of our exposure to sodium comes from processed meats, cheeses, soups, cold cuts and snack foods.  The majority of our salt intake is voluntary and portion control becomes very important.  It's unrealistic to think that we are going to deny ourselves salty foods for the rest of our lives.  But if you economize on salt where you can, your overall consumption will go down.  Here are a few suggestions on how you can be more in control of how much salt you knowingly eat:

•1)      Try various salt substitutes and seasoning blends such as Mrs. Dash, Cavender's Salt Free All Purpose Greek Seasoning, etc.  They will either be salt free or reduced salt.  One word of caution, however.  Some salt substitutes are potassium chloride so you have to use them in moderation because you don't want to get too much potassium in your system.  

•2)    Fresh or dried herbs also add flavor without adding salt and can 'distract' your taste buds. 

•3)    Substitute garlic and onion powder for garlic and onion salt. 

•4)    Use unsalted butter.  Salt is added to butter as a preservative but is generally not necessary with modern refrigeration.  Butter vs margarine is another topic for another time.

•5)    Try butter spritzers instead of butter or margarine on things like baked potatoes.  I find them to be just as tasty and they add enough moisture to things like baked potatoes to make them just as enjoyable. 

•6)    Use salad spritzers on salads instead of salad dressings that contain salt.  They are really delicious and I can't tell any difference from using regular salad dressing.  They won't substitute for creamy dressings but you should at least give them a try to see if your salad tastes just as good.

•7)    Buy reduced sodium canned products such as soups, broths, etc., and add seasoning blends, fresh herbs or pepper. 

•8)    Seasoned ground peppers, such as lemon pepper, add a lot of flavor and you can get by with less salt. 

•9)    Season with little bits of lemon and lime juice or dabs of hot/seasoned vinegars (I season my spinach with the vinegar from bottled sport peppers) instead of salt. 

•10) When cooking pasta, there's no need to add salt - you can't tell the difference once it's cooked. 

•11)  Substitute mustards, catsups and other low sodium condiments with a lot of flavor if you need to add sauce for moisture. 

•12) Avoid salty chips as snacks and start substituting fresh cut veggies, apple slices dusted with cinnamon, etc. as snacks or if you just have to have some chips, limit portion size. 

•13) Get in the habit of reading labels and comparing products for sodium content before you buy.  And lastly, once you reduce your salt intake, foods that are highly salted will just seem way to salty to you and you probably won't be as attracted to them.  At a minimum, Taste Before You Shake!! The cook may already have added enough salt.

I wish you Good Eating.