How to Lower Your Salt Intake

By your own decision or at the request of your doctor, you may be determined to lower your salt intake. Reducing the salt intake in your diet has some very healthy benefits. Some of those benefits include weight loss, stronger bones, lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of osteoperosis.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• determination
• salt substitute

1. AVOID PROCESSED FOOD:
   Food does not have to taste salty to be salty. Don't go by taste, but by fact. Read the labels on your food. Whether they taste salty or not, most processed food is loaded with salt. You won't find salt anywhere on the label, so look for it under the guise of sodium.

2. AVOID FAST FOOD:
   Just like processed food, fast food is absolutely loaded with sodium. Fast food is basically processed food served for you rather than you preparing it yourself. Eat in, where you have absolute control over your salt intake.

3. COOK WITHOUT SALT:
   When you cook your own food, you have the control over how much salt, if any, is used. Simple and obvious, just avoid the temptation to use salt in your cooking. Others, who might want more salt, can always add salt to their own portion at the table.

4. USE SALT SUBSTITUTES:
   There are plenty of reduced sodium salt substitutes on the market today. You will find them sitting right next to table salt in your favorite grocery store.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with other spices when cooking your food. This will help make up for missing that salty taste.
• Be careful with extreme changes to your diet.
• See your physician before making any extreme changes to your diet.

[sbarry77]

on 11/25/2009 Great tips on lowering your salt intake! 5*

[kittykat3]

on 11/15/2009 Great tips on how to lower your salt intake. 5*

[sunnyglitter]

on 11/3/2009 Great article! I almost had a heart attack a few years ago (and I'm only in my 20s), and while diet was not what caused it, I'm glad to see an article about limiting sodium.

[sistersdd]

on 10/24/2009 A good reminder about the processed foods. Thanks.

[knelson]

on 10/23/2009 So important for people to lower salt intakes, great article!