​​7 Ways to Eat Less Sodium in Your Daily Diet​​

3. Try other ways to “salt” your food

In addition to low-sodium or “light” salt, which is a blend of salt and potassium chloride, there are other ways to enhance the flavor of dishes.Use garlic, citrus juice, unsalted seasonings, or other spices. Please experiment.

In the meantime, avoid instant foods such as sauces, mixes, and seasoned rice. Choose the most basic or least processed rice, beans, and other dry goods and season them yourself.

For example, when preparing the tabbouleh salad, Rendway used orange juice instead of lemon juice and added dried fruit to avoid relying on salt.

“I was really surprised. I didn’t need salt at all,” he said. “So focusing a little more on sweet or sour sauces and reducing salt is another strategy.

4. Look for no-salt to low-salt recipes

Find low-salt recipes on the internet or in specialty cookbooks. The AHA has a low-salt cookbook with free recipes online.

5. Replace salty staples with healthier ones

If you don’t like your low-sodium product, try replacing it with a similar product.

“If you’ve ever had low-sodium tomato juice, it’s horrible. When you get a product and fix it, by virtue alone, it’s second best. Nothing tastes better.” ‘ said Rendway. “Why not switch to something like orange juice without sodium?”

6. Ask to avoid salt when eating out

About a third of the calories in our diet come from outside the home, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Depending on the level of home cooking the restaurant offers, you may ask which menu items are already salted, or if items such as French fries or vegetables can be plated without adding salt. increase.

7. Increase Potassium in Your Diet

If you have high blood pressure, consuming more potassium can help lower your blood pressure to healthy levels. Good sources of potassium include bananas, oranges, melons, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. A complete list of foods rich in potassium can be found here.