Reducing Your Salt Intake: Ways to Reduce the Sodium in Your Meals

One obvious way to reduce sodium: Don't add salt to dishes. Here are some other ways to reduce sodium in your diet:

• Reduce your use of processed foods with high sodium content on their labels. These include frozen dinners, canned foods, commercial sauces and dressings, and snack foods. Instead, buy foods that say "No salt added" or "Very Low sodium" on the label.
• Rinse canned beans and vegetables that have added salt to remove as much additional sodium as possible.
• Gradually decrease your dependence on salt. Start by not adding salt while cooking. Instead, add a small amount to the surface of the foods on your plate. You will need less salt overall when it is on the surface of food because it makes more contact with your taste buds.
• Use herbs, spices, and salt-free seasoning blends to season dishes.
• Add a dash of lemon or vinegar to your foods. Increasing the sourness of a dish is a way to appease your salty taste buds.

You will soon notice that your tastes have changed and you will be accustomed to lower sodium content in foods. Dishes that once tasted as if they needed salt may now taste too salty. That's a good sign that you're on the way to eating a healthy, low-sodium diet.