Learning Salt Sense
What do you know about salt? Do you think about it before sprinkling salt onto your food? Sorting out salt information is just about as easy as reciting the alphabet backwards – fast. Most of us like the flavor of salt but we are more-or-less confused about how it might affect our health.
How can Salt Affect Health?
Too much salt can aggravate high blood pressure and put a sensitive person at higher risk for heart disease.
Too much salt can worsen diseases of the heart such as congestive heart failure and high blood pressure.
Too much salt can be a sign that someone is relying on processed/packaged foods that are not as nutritionally sound.
5 Tips to Eat Less Salt
- Read the label. Be on the watch for salty ingredients such as salt, sodium chloride and MSG or monosodium glutamate. These ingredients add salt to what you are eating.
- Manage the portion size. Pay attention to eating a medium portion of all foods since this will help you not to go overboard with salt.
- Cook with spices and herbs. Experiment with adding spices and herbs to whatever you cook. There are sweet spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as savory spices such as turmeric and cumin. Wash and chop up fresh herbs, or use dried, and then sprinkle them into a soup, stew or healthier casserole.
- Concentrate on naturally low salt foods. Grab a simple piece of fruit, a vegetable, or unsalted nuts. A homemade recipe is also a good idea since you can add a pinch of salt, if needed, rather than a bucket.
- Be mindful with restaurant meals. Stay alert when making restaurant choices since often they are salty. Drink plenty of water in a restaurant and take home half your meal for later as a strategy to manage salt.
Cooking at Home with Salt Sense
Spending time in your kitchen and making a recipe with less salty ingredients is a skill. Turning a skill into an everyday habit is what happens when you practice, practice, practice. So, jump in there, cook as much as you can and like my Facebook page for daily tips, tiny recipes and inspiration for cooking on a healthy note, at home!
Which of the 5 tips above will help your salt sense?