10 Super Simple (almost painless) Ways to Eat Less Salt + 8 reasons why

You can eat less salt and still love the taste of your food. These 10 ways to eat less salt will please you and the fussy eaters you spend time with.

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I guiltily dumped a package of pricey low-sodium soup down the garbage disposal. I couldn’t get rid of it fast enough. That’s how horrible it tasted.

Healthy food does not have to taste gross! Or even boring!

Stick around if you want to eat less salt and still love your food.

Why you should eat less salt

No doubt, you know that a high sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure. But what if your blood pressure is great? Does your sodium intake still matter?

In a word: yes.

But keep reading.

3 effects you probably know about

Too much sodium intake is linked to each of the following:

1. high blood pressure
2. stroke
3. heart disease

But that’s not all.

If you have prediabetes or diabetes, you have a high risk for high blood pressure. In fact, most people with diabetes eventually need blood pressure-lowering medications. That’s why I always advise folks with prediabetes or diabetes to eat less salt.

Here are the surprising foods to eat if you have high blood pressure.

Surprising effect of too much sodium

1. stomach cancer
2. osteoporosis
3. kidney stones
4. changes in the gut microbiome
5. inflammation of the blood vessels from increased oxidation and the activation of the immune function

These are the reasons you should limit your sodium intake even if your blood pressure is in the ideal range.

Check out how to feed your gut microbiome.

Sodium in the U.S.

According to the CDC, 90% of Americans over 2 years (so yes, even our kids) need to eat less salt. Our average intake is 3,400 mg sodium/day – significantly more than the recommended cap of 2,300 mg.

Most of our sodium intake comes from salt – whether it’s iodized salt, kosher salt, Himalayan salt, or some other favorite salt. The chemical compound in each of these is sodium chloride. It’s the sodium portion that needs trimming.

Hiding the salt shaker won’t be enough. The majority of our sodium intake comes from salt added to packaged and restaurant foods. A mere 12% or so comes from salt added during cooking or at the table.

How to eat less salt intake without sacrificing taste

Here are my 10 top tips to eat less salt at home and in restaurants.

1. Combine canned goods

When you mix a can of regular tomato sauce, for example, with a can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes, you lower the sodium by close to half. Try it. I don’t think you’ll notice much difference. See how I did that in my Lentil and Sweet Potato Chili and one of my most popular recipes, Shakshuka.

2. Cook more at home

You have way more control over all of your ingredients – salt, fats, sugar, everything – when you eat more home-prepared meals. Unless you’re baking, most recipes call for more salt than necessary. Try reducing the salt by 1/4 or 1/2. If necessary, add a sprinkle or two after cooking.

3. Squeeze fresh citrus

A bit of lemon or lime juice added at the end of cooking brings out tons of flavor, so you can use less salt. I use citrus in so many recipes. This lemon basil sauce for fish has nearly 0 mg of sodium. And an all-time favorite with a burst of flavor from orange zest is this easy baked salmon. And you should also check out my super yummy tofu marinated in lemon, mustard and herbs.

4. Rinse canned beans and other vegetables

This simple step washes away about 40% of the sodium.

5. Liberally use herbs and spices

Use fresh, dried, or a combination of both. Don’t make these 5 common mistakes with herbs and spices.

6. Use only half of a seasoning pack

Got a packaged rice dish? Or some other convenience food that comes with seasonings?

Trim half the sodium by using only half of the seasonings. You probably won’t need anything more, but if your dish tastes a little flat, add more herbs and spices from your spice rack or a squeeze of lemon.

7. Sprinkle MSG

I know you’re thinking I must be crazy.

After all, the S in MSG stands for sodium. In full disclosure, I learned some of this information at a sponsored conference, but I did my own fact checking and taste testing. The award-winning chef and TV personality Andrew Zimmern told us that using a home mix of 2/3 table salt to 1/3 MSG (you can get it in the product Accent) is an ideal way to enhance flavor. It lowers sodium by about 25% because MSG has less sodium than table salt. I admit that I was totally shocked by the flavor punch from a small amount of MSG. The food doesn’t just taste like it has more salt; it tastes more flavorful, in general.

8. Read food labels

Taste is a terrible indicator of sodium content! I bet that surprises you. Who would guess that a 1/2-cup serving of instant chocolate pudding packs more than double the sodium as an ounce of salted peanuts? Various brands will differ, so compare packages in the supermarket.

9. Check out restaurant nutrition facts

Plenty of restaurants now have them, so take advantage. Again, make no assumptions about taste in supermarket items or restaurant foods.

10. Kindly make special requests

Here are some salty words:

• pickled
• brined
• barbecued
• cured
• smoked
• soy sauce
• miso
• teriyaki sauce

Foods prepared in these ways usually pack a load of sodium. But there’s no guarantee one way or the other from words on a menu. Chat with your server or the chef. It’s perfectly okay to kindly ask a chef to put a sauce on the side or to use a light hand when salting a dish.

More good news!

Your tastes will change over time, so ease into lower-sodium foods and cooking techniques. Search for healthy recipes and experiment in your kitchen. You’ll find that it’s not that hard to eat less salt.