My ADA

Don’t Pass the Salt, Please

July 14, 2006

Does food taste better after a few shakes of salt? If you’re watching your sodium intake, you can still enjoy plenty of flavorful foods prepared with less salt:

• Especially if you’re already accustomed to salty tastes, cut back gradually on high-sodium foods. It takes time for your taste buds to appreciate new flavor combinations.
• Taste food before salting it. You may like it just the way it is!
• Keep the salt shaker in the kitchen cabinet, not on the stove or table. Use salt as needed, not as a habit.
• Season foods with herbs, spices, herbed vinegar, herb rubs and fruit juices.
• Prepare foods with less salt. For example, skip the salt in the cooking water for pasta, rice, cereals and vegetables.
• Remember balance. If you eat high-sodium foods occasionally, balance them by eating foods with less sodium.

Don’t forget to read Nutrition Facts labels: They will tell you the sodium and salt content already contained in your packaged food items.

Produced by ADA’s Public Relations Team