How To Consume Less Salt?

If you are like most people, then 75% of the sodium in your diet would have come from processed foods. Processed foods such as packaged foods and canned food tend to contain a much higher amount of salt since salt is used as preservatives and helps food to taste better. Restaurant foods are also notoriously salty, whether you are eating at a cheap fast food joint or a fancy restaurant. Therefore, the most important tip is to avoid eating out as much as you can and instead, eat fresh and unprocessed foods at all times.

Eat More of These Foods

Cooking fresh and unprocessed foods is the most important step you can take in order to lower your sodium consumption. Instead of relying on prepared and processed foods, make fresh foods the basis of your diet instead:

• Fruits and vegetables – go for fresh or frozen, because canned varieties often have extra sodium in them.

• Whole grains – bread often contains lots of sodium in them. Pasta and whole grains will only have sodium from the salt that you add to it.

• Nuts and seeds – purchase unsalted and preferably raw nuts and seeds that you can roast yourself.

Watch Out for These Foods

Certain foods tend to have high amounts of sodium in them. If you are buying prepared and packaged foods, you may need to read the nutrition facts label to check how much sodium this product has. Aside from providing you with information on the amount of sodium each serving has, the label will also translate the amount to the percentage of daily value. Watch out for foods that tend to have a particularly high level of sodium content. Among these are cheese, processed meats, condiments, snack foods such as crackers and chips, and many more.

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