Carolyn Bell, RDN – Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
How to Help Cut Sodium (salt) in Your Diet
- Prepare foods at home where you can control the amount of salt that is in your foods. Restaurant meals can commonly contain as much as (or more) 2000 milligrams of sodium in one meal.
- Learn to season foods without using salt, or at least reduce the salt in half. Peppers, such as banana peppers and jalapeno peppers add good spicy bites, without using salt. Natural herbs, fresh onion and garlic, and lemon juice or lime juice help make foods tastier when not adding salt.
- Keep a salt-free spice shaker on your kitchen table. Make your own blend, or purchase already mixed salt-free seasonings. (Ideas: garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, cayenne pepper, lemon rind, etc.)
- Purchase lower-sodium or no-sodium ingredients for recipes. Market Basket stocks many canned foods which have low-salt and no-salt alternatives available. This can easily cut your sodium intake in half, or reduce it even more.
- Read food labels. How much sodium is right for you? Ask your doctor or dietitian what your intake should be. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommend that individuals consume no more than 2300 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day, and some groups should limit their intake to 1500 mg a day.
