How to reduce salt intake

To reduce salt intake it is important to avoid buying processed, frozen or canned foods, not taking the salt shaker to the table or even replacing the salt with herbs, spices and vinegar, for example. See What Herbs To Use To Substitute Salt Into Cultivation Aromatic Plants Replace Salt.

Generally, all healthy people should consume a maximum of 5 g of salt per day, which is the same as consuming 2000 mg of sodium which corresponds to 1 teaspoon per day. Read more in: Know the amount of salt that should be consumed per day.

In this way, consuming too little salt is essential to maintain normal blood pressure and heart healthy, because excess salt regularly can lead to hypertension, heart problems or thrombosis. However, people who already have diseases such as high blood pressure, kidney or heart problems should be especially careful and therefore should reduce salt intake to control the disease and prevent its worsening.

Tips for decreasing salt intake

To reduce the consumption of salt, it is necessary to:

• Use a teaspoon as a measure, during cooking, avoiding the use of salt by the eye;
• Avoid adding salt to foods, as these usually already contain salt;
• Do not put the salt shaker on the table during meals;
• Choose grilled or baked foods, avoiding dishes with lots of sauces, cheeses or even fast food;
• Eat foods rich in potassium, such as beets, orange, spinach and beans, as they help lower blood pressure and cut off the effects of salt. Know more food in: Foods rich in potassium.

The amount of salt should be gradually reduced to allow time for the taste buds and the brain to adapt to the new taste, and usually at the end of 3 weeks, the taste can be tolerated.

Other important tips include:

1. Knowing foods rich in salt

Knowing foods that are high in salt is the first step in controlling salt intake per day. Some high-salt foods are ham or mortadella, industrialized spices, cheeses and soups, broths and ready-made meals, canned goods and fast food. Get to know other foods in: Foods rich in sodium.

The purchase of these foods should be avoided, opting where possible for fresh foods. Here are the foods that should be consumed in: Foods to lower blood pressure.

2. Read Food Labels

Before buying food, read the labels on the packaging and look for the words sodium, salt, soda or Na or NaCl, as they all indicate that the food contains salt.

In some foods it is possible to read the amount of salt, however, in other foods only the ingredients used appear, however they are listed by the ingredient that have more quantity for which they have smaller, and it must be verified if there is no similar product with less sodium and opt for this.

In addition, attention should be paid to light or diet products, as these can also contain a high amount of salt, since in these cases salt is usually added to replace the flavor lost by taking out fat.

3. Replace the salt with herbs and spices

To get good flavors by reducing the amount of salt, you can use spices and herbs at will, such as cumin, garlic, onion, parsley, pepper, oregano, basil, bay leaves or ginger, for example.

In addition you can use lemon juice and vinegar for the food to become more appetizing, preparing the seasonings in advance in the minimum 2 hours for the flavor to get more accurate or rub the spices in the food itself to get stronger flavor by mixing with fruit fresh.

Some ways to make food and flavor food without using salt may be:

4. Use salt substitutes

Cooking salt can be substituted for other food products such as Dietsal, Slim or Diet Salt for example, which in their composition have a higher amount of potassium instead of sodium. Read more in: Salt special for hypertensive.

If you do not like the substitute's flavor, you can add herbs or spices. However, the use of these substitutes should be indicated by a nutritionist or physician.

Watch the video on high blood pressure for other tips: