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Helpful Tips To Eat Less Salt
Cutting down on salt may sound difficult and distasteful, but it doesn't have to be. This pamphlet will discuss ways to help reduce your salt consumption. The health consequences of decreasing salt can often aid people with high blood pressure.
Salt or more correctly sodium (salt is 40 percent sodium), is important to the body. However, for some people, excessive salt in the diet has been linked with hypertension, or high blood pressure, which can result in heart or kidney disease or stroke.
Americans are generally used to highly salted foods. It's a taste we acquire almost from birth. We not only like to salt our foods heavily, but we also use packaged and processed foods that have salt added to them.
However, concern about the link between sodium and high blood pressure has brought about changes. Many people have learned to cut down on the salt they use while cooking and eating. They usually report that after awhile they just don't miss the salt flavor. It's generally best to cut back gradually to give the taste buds time to adjust. People are also using food labels to help reduce their sodium consumption, as more and more labels list the salt content of their products.
Sodium amounts are often listed in milligrams per serving on food labels. A milligram is a tiny fraction of an ounce, but the important thing to remember is that 1 , 1 00 to 3,300 milligrams of sodium per day is usually all a person needs. (For the record, a teaspoon of salt contains nearly 2,000 milligrams of sodium.) However, your physician may determine that your sodium consumption should be a different amount. If your doctor determines, for example, that your intake should be 2,000 milligrams a day and a food label reveals that the product contains 500 milligrams per serving, you would know that one serving has one fourth of the sodium that may be safe and adequate for you that day.
Labels that don't list ingredients by amounts will carry the items in the order of their dominance. That is, the first ingredient listed will be the one used .most in the product. So if salt comes third on the list, it is the third most used ingredient.
Also read the label for other sodium containing items such as monosodium glutamate (M.S.G.), baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate), garlic salt, brine and sodium citrate.
Some foods are low in sodium. These include most fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meats and poultry, hot cereals and grain. Items that run higher in sodium include baked goods, most cheeses, lunch meats, seafood, many dry cereals, and some canned or dehydrated soups.
When cooking, salt can be used sparingly or, better, not at all. Use spices, herbs and other seasonings instead. Lemon, lime, basil, garlic, oregano and, of course, pepper, are but a few of the seasonings that might be used in greater quantities or in place of salt.
In addition to the low- and reduced sodium food products now available, shoppers can also choose from a number of nonprescription medications with reduced sodium content.
A word about salt substitute products: generally these products are high in potassium. Sodium and potassium work in delicate balance in the body. Salt substitutes can be safely used by most people, but not those with some kidney and other medical conditions.
In summary, the following page will provide some tips to help you cut down on your sodium consumption.
Use the salt shaker sparingly. Don't
use it until you've tasted your food.
Read food labels. Look for the amount of sodium in a product. See where salt or sodium is on the ingredient list.
Look for low-salt, low-sodium or sodium-reduced products. These days the low-sodium list runs literally from soup to nuts.
Avoid cooking with salt. Use spices and other seasonings. Remember. A teaspoon of salt contains almost 2,000 milligrams of sodium.
Give yourself time to get adjusted to a diet lower in sodium. Most people make the adjustment and never miss salt in their diet.
The following two recipes can be placed in shakers and used instead of salt:
Saltless Surprise:
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. anise seed
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. powdered lemon rind or dry lemon juice
Put ingredients into blender or mix them by hand. Store in glass container, label and add rice to prevent caking.
Pungent Salt Substitute:
3 tsp. basil
2 tsp. savory (summer savory is best)
2 tsp. celery seed
2 tsp. ground cumin seed
2 tsp. sage 1 tsp. lemon thyme
2 tsp. marjoram
Mix well and then powder with mortar and pestle.
[Reprented from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service. For more information about your health, visit www.montefiore.org ].