Smart Cooking: Strategies to Lower Dietary Salt Intake

One of the most crucial ingredients used in cooking to season and add taste to food is salt. Sodium chloride is the name given to salt in chemistry. 40 percent sodium and 60 % chloride make up its composition. Salt has been used for more than only enhancing flavor in food. It contains sodium and chloride, two crucial minerals that are crucial for the body.

Body’s blood volume:

The body’s blood volume and flow are controlled by sodium, which also enhances nerve performance. But your body may suffer harm from consuming too much sodium. An electrolyte that is present in the blood is chloride. Salt increases hydration and ensures the right fluid balance. Salt deficiency in the body can result in muscle cramps, fatigue, irritation, decreased hydration, and other symptoms.

You probably already know this if you’ve read up on salt facts, but eating too much salt can elevate blood pressure, which raises the risk of coronary artery disease and stroke. You can reduce your salt intake by using the following advice.

You don’t need to add salt to any diet to consume too much of it; over 75% of the salt we consume is found in commonly purchased items like bread, cereal, and prepared meals.

Always taste your meal before adding salt, whether you’re preparing it at home, cooking for yourself, or dining out.

Salt is frequently unneeded, and your dish will still taste delicious, even though many people add it out of habit.

Here are some recommendations to help you consume less salt:

  • Make your food so you can be aware of what is in it. Eat only fresh meals. Food that is pre-made, processed, or packed contains a lot of salt.
  • Before placing packaged and processed goods in your shopping cart, compare them. To make sure you are purchasing a product with reduced salt levels, read the labels.
  • Boost your fruit and vegetable intake. Make a healthy substitution by switching from a bag of salty chips to a fruit salad that has little to no sodium.
  • When purchasing commonplace goods, check nutrition labels on food packages. By reading the label and selecting the pizza, ketchup, or breakfast cereal with the lowest salt content, you can significantly reduce your salt intake. When you go food shopping, try picking one item each week to examine and replace.
  • Select unsmoked, reduced-salt back bacon. Try to consume cured fish and meat less frequently as they can be high in salt.
  • Purchase canned vegetables without salt. Use canned pulses in the same manner.
  • The high salt content can be found in salsas, dips, and sauces. Reduce your consumption of these foods and choose low-sodium options instead.
  • Add black pepper in place of salt when seasoning and flavoring food.
  • On the dinner table, use herbs in place of the salt shakers. To prepare your dishes, select spices, onions, garlic, coriander, black pepper, ginger, and herbs.
  • Ask for your food to be prepared with reduced or no salt when dining out. Later, you can add salt based on your preferences and taste.
  • High sodium content can be found in smoked, barbecued, and brined foods. Steamed, grilled, baked, and roasted dishes are less salty alternatives.
  • To pasta meals, veggies, and meat, add fresh herbs and spices. In stir-fries, try adding garlic, ginger, chili, and lime
  • Instead of using cubes or granules, make your stock and gravy, or keep an eye out for goods with less salt.
  • To enhance the flavor of veggies like red peppers, tomatoes, courgettes, fennel, parsnips, and squash, try baking or roasting them.
  • Use ripe tomatoes and garlic to make sauces.

Dining out: salty advice


Making wise selections of lower-sodium items allows you to consume less salt even whether dining in a restaurant, cafe, or getting takeout.

  1. Pizza: pick chicken or vegetables as your toppings rather than extra cheese, bacon, or pepperoni.
  2. Pasta dishes: Instead of bacon, cheese, or sausage, choose one with a tomato sauce and veggies or chicken.
  3. Burgers: Choose a salad as a topper rather than salty options like bacon, cheese, and barbecue sauce.
  4. Order plain rice with your Chinese or Indian cuisine. Compared to pilau or egg-fried rice, it has less salt.
  5. Sandwiches: Choose chicken, egg, mozzarella, or veggies like avocado or roasted peppers as your fillings rather than ham or cheddar cheese. Additionally, instead of pickle or mustard, which are typically higher in salt, consider a salad with low-fat mayonnaise.
  6. Breakfast: Choose a poached egg on toast with mushrooms and grilled tomatoes rather than a full English breakfast. If you must eat meat, choose between bacon and sausage—never both.
  7. Ask for dressings or sauces on the side with your salad so you may only use what you need. Some sauces and dressings include a lot of salt and fat.

Vitamins, painkillers, or indigestion medications that are dissolved

It’s important to keep in mind that effervescent pain relievers, indigestion medications, and dissolvable or effervescent vitamin supplements can all contain significant amounts of salt.

If you have been told to monitor or lower your salt intake, you might want to think about switching to a non-soluble tablet.

Before changing the medication you take, consult a doctor or a pharmacist.

Footnote

Although we realize that eating salt is vital, too much salt can harm the body in several ways. Heart problems and eating too much salt are related. Your blood pressure rises, which worsens the condition of your heart. Osteoporosis can also be brought on by consuming too much salt (a condition in which bones become weak and brittle). Consuming too much salt can result in stomach cancer. Keeping an eye on your salt intake is essential to prevent any damage to your body or health.

A crucial component of our meals is salt. If salt were not present in our food, it would not taste the same. However, this does not imply that we should not limit our salt intake. For a healthy body and mind, change your eating habits.

Have a consultation call with dietitian Rupanshi Taneja to learn more.

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