As you learned in my July 5th blog post, the average American eats more than 2,300 milligrams (mgs) of salt a day, when the ideal limit is between 1,500-2,300 a day. Look at it this way, 2,300 mgs is about 1 tablespoon of salt! When I look at it that way, that seems like a lot! I’d get bursitis shaking the salt shaker to add that much salt! It’s the hidden sodium that really does us in. Take time to read the labels and know, especially with yoru favorite foods. I think you’ll be surprised!

Keeping our sodium in check is only part of a heart healthy diet. Other recommendations are eating a plant based diet in which you consume fruits and veggies; whole grains; fresh poultry, fish and raw nuts. Also limiting red meat, sweets with added sugars and sugar sweetened beverages.

There are many ways to cut back on salt, the key is doing it slowly so that you aren’t craving highly salted foods because you didn’t give your palate time to adjust. (this takes about 2 weeks).

Some quick and easy tips to get you started today are:

1. Eat foods close to the source, avoid fast food; restaurant food and packaged items.

2. Taste your food first, instead of automatically salting it.

3. Remove the salt shaker from the table. Try the food first!

4. Buy salt free seasonings like the Mrs. Dash blends.

5. Use herbs to flavor foods. (garlic, oregano, basil and parsley are easy adds)

6. Use lemon or a lime juice to spice up the flavor! Citrus packs a punch of flavor!

Another way to reduce salt/sodium is to deconstruct the craving. Ask yourself, “why am I reaching for this food?” - “what is it that I am trying to soothe with this craving?” Try to note what happened before the craving came, are you tired, angry, frustrated or bored? Liza Baker, a health coach with Simply: Health Coaching stated in from Spark People that “salty, crunchy or chewy foods are indicative of a mind craving - your mind is not being stimulated enough”. It might be difficult at first to determine what happened prior to cause the craving, but the idea of being more mindful about our choices is an easy first step to take.

My favorite choice and one the Covid-19 has blessed us with is cooking at home! When you cook the meal, you know exactly how much salt is in the dish. You can reduce it and add fresh herbs to season it. Try adding citrus to give it a punch. Cooking together is a great family event that can teach kids how to eat heart healthy and involve them in the menu choices.

Spicy food usually has less sodium (unless it’s take out/fast or restaurant food). Ingredients like chili powder, peppers or red pepper flakes have great health benefits and reduce or eliminate the need for salt to season a dish.

If you have to buy canned veggies, remove them from the can and rinse them to remove up to 40% of the salt they are canned with. Pour the can into a colander and allow the liquid to drain off, then rinse with tap water for a minute.

I hope these quick and easy tips can get you started on your journey to reduce and watch the added salt. Trust me, you won’t miss it after 2 weeks! One last reason why cutting the sodium might be of interest? You can reduce the bloated, swollen feeling in your body in 2 weeks too! Your jeans can fit better too!