Reducing Salt



Your body needs a little bit of salt every day for the sodium it contains, but too much sodium can boost blood pressure and stress the heart and blood vessels.

 

What is salt?

Salt is made up of sodium (Na) and Chloride (Cl). It is the sodium part of salt that leads to fluid retention in your abdomen and ankles. Sodium is naturally present in some foods like milk, but it may also be added by food manufactures to things like bread and processed cereals. It is commonly used as a preservative in many packaged and convenience foods. Salt can also be added in cooking and at the table.

 

Where does salt come from?

10% occurring naturally in fresh foods
15% added in cooking or as table salt
75% in supermarket and takeaway foods

 

Reading food labels

Look out for other sources of sodium like Monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium bicarbonate and vegetable salt etc. The higher salt is in the ingredient list, the greater the amount in the product.

Look for the serving size and determine how much sodium you will receive. Make sure that your total sodium intake for the day does not exceed your 2300mg.

 

Six ways to eat less salt

  1. Choose unprocessed and minimally processed foods – canned, processed, packaged and frozen meals are often loaded with added salt.
  1. Read labels and choose lower sodium products – when you do buy processed foods, choose items in which the sodium content is less than or equal to the calories per serving.
  1. Know where hidden sodium lurks – some of the high sodium foods common in the average diet include; cakes, cookies, pizza, white bread products, processed cheese, hot dogs, chips, spaghetti with sauce, ham, sauces, cooked rice, packaged soups and processed meats. Make these items a small part of your diet.
  1. When eating out, keep an eye on salt content – some chain and fast-food restaurant items can top 5,000 to 6,000mg of sodium per serving — about four times the healthy daily limit. Downsize your portions by skipping the super-size or sharing a dish, or try to find the lower-sodium choices (many franchises have nutritional information on their web sites). When eating out, ask that your dish be prepared with less salt.
  1. Use your sodium ‘budget’ wisely – rather than spending your sodium allowance on salty snacks and heavily processed foods, use small amounts of salt to enhance the flavour of produce, whole grains, nuts and legumes and other healthy ingredients.
  1. Train your taste buds – one study found that people enjoy lower-sodium foods almost as much as food with the common sodium overload. It is possible to shift your sense of taste to enjoy foods with lower sodium. Make these changes gradually and consistently and over time you’ll find that you won’t miss the salt
  1. Always taste your food before adding additional salt – it is very common for people to reach for the salt-shaker as soon as their meal is in front of them. Make sure you taste your food first and make a conscious decision if it actually does need additional seasoning, or are you simply adding seasoning out of habit?

 

Cooking with herbs and spices

You don’t need to cook with salt, experimenting with other herbs and spices can give your food additional flavour without adding to the sodium content. Try some of these combinations to add extra flavour to foods;

Beef: Basil; bay leaves; chilli; curry; dill; garlic, marjoram; mustard; onions; oregano; peppercorns; rosemary; sage; thyme;

Roast beef: Rub with freshly ground black pepper and garlic/ginger

Chicken: Basil; chilli; coriander; curry; dill; lemongrass; paprika; turmeric

Turkey: Dill; paprika; cranberry sauce; ginger; honey

Eggs: Caraway seeds; chives; curry; dill; fennel; onion; parsley; pepper; sage

Fish: Bay leaves; dill; ginger; garlic; lemon juice; lime

Seafood: Parsley; pepper; paprika; fennel; shallot

Lamb: Cloves; curry; garlic & rosemary; marjoram; mint; mustard

Pork: Caraway; cinnamon; garlic; apple sauce; ginger; honey; onions; sage; rosemary

Vegetables: Lemon or lime juice; unsalted homemade dressing; vinegar; wine; parsley; chives; onion; nutmeg; cinnamon; pepper; honey; ginger; basil; oregano; bay leaf; cloves; five spice; aniseed

Remember; A little goes a long way so add herbs or spices into your cooking gradually and in small amounts.

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