Reducing Sodium in Your Diet
The following are suggestions for lowering salt intake:
- Read food labels. Choose foods with less salt and sodium.
- Buy fresh, plain frozen, or canned "no salt added" vegetables.
- Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat rather than canned or processed types.
- Use herbs, spices, and salt-free seasoning blends in cooking and at the table.
- Choose "convenience" foods that are lower in sodium. Cut back on frozen dinners, pizza, packaged mixes, canned soups or broths, and salad dressings -- these often have a lot of sodium.
- Cook rice, pasta, and hot cereals without salt. Cut back on instant or flavored rice, pasta, and cereal mixes, which usually have added salt.
- Rinse canned foods, such as tuna, to remove some sodium.
- When available, buy low-sodium, reduced-sodium, or no-salt-added versions of foods.
- Choose ready-to-eat breakfast cereals that are lower in sodium.
Preparing Meals With Less Salt
The following suggestions can help you reduce the amount of salt when you cook:
- Add less salt at the table and in cooking. Reduce the amount a little each day until none is used. Try spices and herbs instead.
- Cook with low-salt ingredients. Remove salt from recipes whenever possible. Rice, pasta, and hot cereals can be cooked with little or no salt.
- Use fewer sauces, mixes, and "instant" products. This includes flavored rice, pasta, and cereal, which usually have salt added.
- Rinse salt from canned foods.
- Limit your consumption of smoked, cured, or processed beef, pork, or poultry.
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