Enjoy More Herbs, Less Salt

I use fresh basil, oregano and flat leaf parsley to season veggie grill pockets! YUM!

Enjoy More Herbs, Less Salt Day on August 20 by reassessing your sodium intake. We understand that maintaining a balanced, healthy diet is easier said than done — especially since the flavor suffers the most, but healthy eating is no longer bland and boring! Spices and aromatic herbs are a great way to reduce salt in meals and amp up the taste. Your taste buds won’t know what they are missing, and your body will be grateful.

Shake the habit and season with fresh or dried herbs!

Salt isn’t exactly bad for us, but as with everything else, too much of a good thing can do more harm than good. Sodium is an important electrolyte needed by our bodies for nerve and muscle function. However, excessive intake of salt can have negative results like hypertension, heart disease, and bloating. Cardiovascular disease can lead to a stroke, heart attack, and even death. The renal function of kidneys can also be severely damaged, as blood flow to the kidney tissue is disrupted. Tests done on mice also show a linkage with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease due to high sodium intake.

The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) recommended daily consumption of salt less than 1500 milligrams. Fast food utilizes a lot of salt and is a large contributor to increasing the intake of salt in our bodies. Many one-time fast food meals contain 2000 milligrams or more of salt! This is why it is important to prepare meals at home and control the amount of salt going into our meals. More Herbs, Less Salt Day aims to encourage people to enhance the flavor of their food using herbs and spices instead of heaping large amounts of salt. This way the taste won’t be compromised, and may even turn out better.

This is why it is important to prepare meals at home. It gives us control over how much sodium goes into our meals. Also get in the habit of reading labels. Salt/sodium is hidden in many foods. Cold cuts, canned items (like veggies), boxed or frozen meals, soup and some fresh meats (injected with saline to increase the weight of the meat) are sources of added sodium.

The World of Herbs and Spices for example; has a list from A-Z of herbs and spices that can aid you in adding flavor to your foods without added salt.