Simple Tips To Cut The Salt

12/07/07 Nutrition & Exercise

We all know we should eat less salt to avoid high blood pressure and heart disease, but a lower sodium diet can be hard to maintain when you are busy. The best way to control salt intake is to cook everything from scratch, but who has the time? As a heart attack survivor and a heart health educator, I’ve found some simple strategies to cut the salt.

At the grocery store:

• Check the label. Look for entree items with less than 20 percent of the recommended daily allowance of sodium. Keep your total sodium content for your meal under 30 percent.
• Beware of “Lower and Reduced Sodium” labels. These products may have less sodium than the regular version, but still not be healthy choices. Look for “No Salt Added and Low Sodium” labels instead.
• Choose frozen vegetables over canned.
• Rinse canned beans. Much of the salt is in the sauce.

At home:

• Don’t salt the pot. If you must add salt, put it on right before serving. Use dressings and condiments sparingly: The salt can add up quickly if you pour on too much.
• Marinate: Try red wine for beef, beer for chicken, and olive oil, lemon juice, and chili powder for pork.
• Substitute: Bullion and broth are staples for many recipes, especially when trying to cut the fat, but are high in salt. Try substituting wine or beer instead. A dry white wine or blond beer is a great substitute for chicken broth. Try using a heavy stout instead of beef stock in your stew or soup.

When out:

• Get the salad: Fill up on healthy vegetables first or choose it as your entree. Skip the croutons, processed meat, and anything pickled. Go easy on the cheese and ask for the dressing on the side.
• Ask for the sauce on the side: Use less than half the portion, or skip it entirely.
• Choose fish. Unless it is fried, grilled or broiled fish is cooked with less salt than other entrees.
• Ask your server. Most kitchens can prepare your meal without adding salt.
• Skip the soup. Chances are it came out of a can and is loaded with salt. Be good. If you know you’ll be eating out, choose wisely the rest of the day.

All the time:

• Taste it first: Don't instinctively pick up the salt shaker. Even better, take the shaker off the table so you have to work a bit to use it.
• Get a sea salt grinder. Natural sea salt has healthy trace minerals such as potassium which help your body use sodium efficiently and a "saltier" taste.
• Skip the sports drink. Designed to replace sodium after exertion, unless you exercise at a high intensity for more than 60 minutes your body doesn't need it.
• Limit soda. Most soda is loaded with salt. Drink water with meals and limit soda to one treat per day.

For more Healthy Lifestyle Tips for Busy People, visit Eliz's blog at www.EmbraceYourHeart.com.

Eliz Greene survived a heart attack at age 35 while seven-months pregnant with twins. She is a heart health educator, free lance writer, and speaker on a mission to help busy people lead healthier lives.