Spice Up; Don’t Salt!

Sodium is found in all foods, but canned and processed foods contain extremely high amounts of salt. Sodium in moderation can benefit the body in several ways. Sodium helps maintain fluid balance, and can aid in nerve and muscle activity. However, too much salt can increase blood pressure and hypertension. One teaspoon of salt meets four times the body’s daily intake requirement.

Learning to enjoy other seasonings requires slowly decreasing salt and adding herbs and spices. Some simple tips to lower the intake of sodium include: buying fresh foods over prepackaged or canned, and trying herbs and spices to season food instead of salt.

However, if you’re going to continue to buy canned and prepackaged or prepared meals, buy the reduced-sodium varieties. And if you’re going to use herbs, use the dried versions at the beginning of cooking so they can flavor the food the entire time you are cooking. When using fresh herbs, add them during the last few minutes of cooking.

Food we typically salt—herbs and spices to use instead:

Eggs—Use basil, dill, garlic, parsley, black pepper, onions, diced vegetables
Fish—Basil, bay leaf, lemon, thyme, parsley, sage, ginger, poppy seeds
Poultry—Sage, marjoram, garlic, cumin, red pepper, chili powder; stir fry with vegetables, sesame seeds
Tomato sauce—Basil, bay leaf, marjoram, oregano, parsley, cloves
Vegetables—Basil, parsley, dill, French tarragon, poppy seeds, sesame seeds
Italian food—Basil, garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram, onions, black pepper
Mexican food—Chili powder, cumin, red pepper, cinnamon
All foods—To enhance sweetness, use ginger, nutmeg, or cinnamon