Shake The Salt Habit ! Tips To Reduce Sodium

Food without salt ! Yikes !!!  Does not sound very palatable right ? When I talk to my clients, it seems like going sugar-free is easier than salt free. I agree ! The trick is not to give up sodium totally, but rather use some tips  to get less sodium in your diet. Know which foods have high amounts of sodium in them and avoid them. Learn to flavor your meals with less salt, using  more herbs and spices so they are flavorful without compromising on taste. Reducing sodium in your diet can do your whole family a lot of good even if you DO NOT have hypertension ! Going to give you some practical tips on reducing sodium in your diet without feeling the pinch.

Some Salty Terms ( you may see these on packages )

Sodium Free :  Less than 5 mg/ serving

Very low Sodium : 35 mg or less / serving

Low Sodium : 140 mg or less / serving

Reduced or Less Sodium: means the product was nutritionally altered to contain 25% less sodium than the original product.

BEWARE : HIGH sodium foods !  Top Ten List.

Meat Pizza, White Bread, Processed Cheese, Hot Dogs, Spagetti with sauce ( commercial), Ham, Catsup, Cooked rice, White Rolls, Flour Tortilla.

Other sources ( not listed in the top ten ) : luncheon meats, frozen dinners, pickles; Salty chips, crackers, popcorn, nuts, and pretzels; Soy sauce, steak sauce, and barbecue sauce ; Garlic salt, onion salt, bouillon cubes, meat tenderizer, and mono-sodium glutamate (MSG)

Practical tips to Shake the salt habit and decrease sodium in your diet !

Very Important : read labels when food shopping – and choose accordingly. Use the five and 20 rule  to guide you while reading labels.

Buy fresh cold meats instead of processed varieties. Luncheon meats especially are very high in sodium.

Rinse canned foods packed in water before using. This will remove sodium and the gas-producing substances as well.

Keep the condiments like mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, relish and salad dressing to a minimum, as most have high sodium levels. Make your own ketchup, salad dressings where you can control the salt.

Avoid packet-soups and most microwavable meals unless they mention reduced sodium.

Cut back on instant oats ( single serving has 80 mg sodium vs regular oatmeal which has none )

Cook rice, pasta hot cereals without salt.

Try to enjoy the natural flavoring in foods.

Use herbs, spices, salt free seasoning – Mrs Dash or Benson’s Grilling Blends. Make your own Mrs Dash by mixing together your favorite spice blends.

Choose unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, and brown rice.

Balance out your meals. If one meal has a lot of sodium, make sure the other two are lower in sodium.

keep your cute salt shaker off the table .

Tips to enhance flavor without salt :

Vinegar  :use on greens , citrus, and fruits like cantaloupe

Make salt free mustard : dry mustard powder + water

Add Fresh hot peppers – add a bite to food

Make home-made broth without salt : boil vegs, tomatoes, mushrooms, cherries, cranberries, currants ( all strongly flavored fruits & vegs)

Toast seeds,nuts on a baking sheet to enhance flavor ( 10 minutes – 400 degrees)

Roast , grill vegs to enhance flavor and caramelize their natural sugars

Pound garlic, chilli, fresh herbs with a motar pestle to release fresh flavors

use citrus zest and fresh ginger to season

 

Go Low sodium and load up on Pottasium foods like leafy green veggies, celery, tomatoes, prunes, bananas, peaches, honey dew, sweet potatoes, carrots, potatoes, fish, legumes, nuts, soy beans etc. Pottasium counteracts the effects of sodium on Blood Pressure.

Recipe for Delish Low sodium cauliflower popcorn

Will be posting my Low Sodium High Fiber black bean and Corn Salsa  soon !  Check back in two days time !

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