Easy ways to cut sodium from your diet

October 2, 2015

Too much sodium raises your odds of developing high blood pressure.  And it may not matter if you're "salt-sensitive" or not.  These tips will help you get rid of the extra saltiness in your diet.

Easy ways to cut sodium from your diet

Too much sodium prompts your body to hold on to more fluid; this increases blood volume, forcing your heart to pump harder with every beat and putting extra stress on blood vessel walls. People with high blood pressure are at high risk of heart attacks and strokes. A high-sodium diet can also thin your bones, boost your risk of gastric cancer and worsen lung function in people with exercise-induced asthma.

The biggest salt culprits:

  • Condiments.
  • Processed meats and cheeses.
  • Canned beans and vegetables.
  • Salad dressings and pickles.

1. Toss flavour packets and spice mixes

They're mostly salt. Instead, invest in several sodium-free spice blends or make your own.

Three we love:

  • Ground black pepper mixed with a dash of sodium-free dried lemon peel.
  • Oregano, ground cumin and a shake of red pepper flakes.
  • Basil, marjoram and thyme.

You can save about 500 milligrams of sodium per serving.

2. Eat cucumbers, not pickles

A single dill pickle can pack up to 830 milligrams of sodium! Instead, slice a cucumber and serve with plain yogurt sprinkled with fresh or dried dill and some lemon juice or dried grated lemon rind.

3. Shake less in the kitchen and at the table

  • Use kosher salt in recipes — it's coarser, so it doesn't pack as tightly in a measuring spoon.
  • Put light salt or a salt substitute in your saltshaker.

4. Toss blood pressure-raising condiments

Garlic and onion salts pack 1,480 milligrams of sodium per 5 grams (1 teaspoon); soy sauce, 500 to 2,000 milligrams per 15 millilitres (1 tablespoon); and bouillon cubes, 1,200 milligrams per tiny cube. Throw them out — now.

  • Safe alternatives include onion flakes, garlic powder and low-sodium soup stock.
  • Don't bother with reduced- or low-sodium soy sauce, as it packs 300 to 830 milligrams per 15 millilitres (1 tablespoon).

5. Eat lean meats instead of deli meats or bacon

A single slice of deli ham packs 350 milligrams of sodium; one strip of bacon, 192 milligrams. Pretty much any meat product that's processed in a factory or cured or smoked for flavour is off the charts when it comes to sodium. Make sandwiches instead with unsalted slices of turkey breast or lean beef.

6. Make your own salad dressing

Bottled salad dressings can contain up to 620 milligrams of sodium in a single 30-millilitre (2-tablespoon) serving.

  • Make your own dressing with 125 milliltres (1/2 cup) olive oil, 50 millilitres (1/4 cup) balsamic or cider vinegar or lemon juice, and your choice of herbs and spices (we love crushed garlic, black pepper and oregano), then refrigerate.
  • A 30-gram (2-tablespoon) serving packs less than 3 milligrams of sodium!

7. Rinse canned beans and veggies twice before using.

Canned veggies and beans may contain one-fifth of your daily sodium allotment, up to 500 milligrams per 125 grams (1/2 cup)! Drain off the liquid, dump the beans or veggies into a colander or strainer and rinse thoroughly, then rinse again. A good "shower" can remove nearly half the sodium, say University of Michigan experts. In one study, a three-minute rinse cut sodium in canned tuna by 80 percent.

8. Always buy natural or reduced-sodium cheese

  • A slice of pasteurized, processed Swiss cheese packs 435 milligrams of sodium.
  • A slice of real Swiss cheese contains 54 milligrams.
  • A slice of low-sodium slice has just four milligrams.
  • Same goes for grated Parmesan: 15 millilitres (1 tablespoon) of pregrated regular Parmesan has 76 milligrams, while the low-sodium version has three milligrams.

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