Three Tips To Reduce Salt In Your Diet

by Melody Thacker, in Health (No Comments)

Are you looking to reduce salt in your diet and increase your heart health? Or are you wondering, “What is the big deal about salt? Your body requires a certain amount of sodium to function. It helps to keep muscles moving and the electrical conduction system of nerves working correctly. However, too much salt or sodium can cause the body to retain excess water.

For some people, consuming too much salt can also raise your blood pressure as a result of fluid retention. That means your heart will have to pump harder to move blood throughout your body. This can lead to stroke, heart attack or heart failure.

Here are three tips for reducing your salt intake which may help lower blood pressure.

1. Put down the salt shaker! Try seasoning your food with spices and herbs to add flavor or an extra kick to the dish;  black pepper, curry, red peppers (hot peppers), thyme, oregano, cilantro and others.
2. Drive by the fast foods. Restaurants season their food before you receive it and you have no way of knowing what has salt or how much sodium it contains. Even if you can’t taste that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
3. Prepare meals at home, from scratch. Try to avoid processed and already prepared foods. Make it a habit to read labels for sodium content. Various sources recommend people aged 9 to 50 should consume 1,500 to 2,400 mg of sodium daily.

So now you know what can you do to decrease the amount of salt you take in and increase your overall health!

You’ll be pleased to know after reducing the salt in your diet for a few weeks your taste buds will adjust and you won’t even miss the salt!