These tips for how to reduce sodium consumption were useful to our family as we started our low sodium adventure.
- Talk to your doctor before starting on a low sodium diet (or any diet, for that matter.)
- Be informed:
- Know how much sodium you can eat.
- Our bodies need a certain amount of salt. If you are totally craving salt one day, you may need to listen to your body and eat a small serving of something salty — talk to your doctor about this.
- Read the label of every ingredient you use.
- Be aware of your portion size.
- If the recipe or package label uses a smaller portion size than you are eating, you must adjust your sodium intake estimates accordingly.
- If you are craving a higher-sodium dish,
- Have only a small portion and combine it with lots of vegetables (raw or cooked without salt) and fruit.
- Keep plenty of low-sodium condiments and sauces on hand.
- (See recipes for substitutes for some high-sodium favorites.)
- Get a quick start by reducing the amount of bread, cereal, cake, and cookies you eat. (Most of these contain a lot of sodium.)
- There are a few cereals with no sodium that are ok. For example: Oatmeal (not instant), some Shredded Wheat, and some Granolas are ok. Check the labels before you buyl
- Omit most (or all) of the salt from quick bread recipes:
- After you have reduced the sodium in the rest of your diet and no longer have a “taste for salt”, you can add back home-made bread, cake, and cookies if you don’t use self-rising flour or self-rising cornmeal, and if you greatly reduce the amount of salt you add when you make the dough.
- Substitute for self-rising flour (or cornmeal): 1 cup of self-rising flour (or cornmeal) = 1 cup of regular flour (or cornmeal) plus 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. To reduce your sodium, make your own self-rising flour (or cornmeal): 1 cup flour (or cornmeal) plus 1 1/2 teaspoons low-sodium baking powder (available in the baking section of the grocery store) plus less than 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- I started by using only 1/4 teaspoon salt per cup of flour (or cornmeal). When I no longer missed the salt, I reduced it to 1/8 teaspoon salt per cup of flour (or cornmeal.)
- After you have reduced the sodium in the rest of your diet and no longer have a “taste for salt”, you can add back home-made bread, cake, and cookies if you don’t use self-rising flour or self-rising cornmeal, and if you greatly reduce the amount of salt you add when you make the dough.
- Do more cooking and be adventurous:
- Try a variety of new savory low-sodium recipes. If you use a recipe that is new to you, your taste buds won’t be expecting the salty taste of your old recipes.
- Make large quantities and freeze the left-overs. In particular, keep in your freezer a variety of low-sodium “fast food” = single-servings of homemade soup, stews, and roast chicken, turkey, or beef.
- When you eat out:
- Eat small portions of any dish with high sodium.
- Select grilled entrees and dishes without sauces, or select dishes that are very spicy since these tend to have lower amounts of sodium.
- Use fresh or frozen vegetables whenever possible:
- If fresh vegetables aren’t available, frozen vegetables are usually a better choice than canned, as many don’t contain any salt. However, there are a few exceptions to this, so you need to check the labels.
- Cook with dry sherry or dry white wine instead of cooking wine:
- Cooking wine has been treated with salt to give it a longer shelf life and to prevent it from being sold as alcohol.
- Omit all of the salt from meat, vegetable, rice, and pasta recipes:
- For extra flavor, increase the amount of herbs and spices in the dish or add new herbs and spices to an old favorite.
- When a recipe calls for chicken or beef broth, use a no-sodium or very low-sodium broth
- Herb Ox brand powdered broth mix works well, or make your own broth.
- Homemade broths typically have more flavor than store-bought broths and broth mixes, and they require very little effort to make. Store your home-made broth in small sealed containers and freeze it for later use.
- When a recipe calls for nuts, use unsalted nuts.
- Use oatmeal or plain panko instead of breadcrumbs. For example, use oatmeal in meat dishes (meatballs, meatloaf, …) and plain panko in toppings and stuffing.
