How Do You Reduce Salt in Your Diet?

Sea and kosher salts do NOT have less sodium. They have the same amount of sodium as table salt.

Have you tried any seasoning blends at the store to replace salt? Mrs. Dash makes a table blend that's pretty good.

I'm a salt lover too. The less processed, prepackaged foods, the better. I don't know what else to tell you other than taste it before you add more salt, I know when I'm cooking I have to add salt and it's usually enough to where I don't have to add more. Just wanted to note also, the sea salt doesn't have iodide like the regular table salt (unless it says added on the packaging). I guess if you don't have enough iodide you could develop thyroid problems, per Dr. Oz.

Do you think it would help to have an "allotted amount" of salt you are allowed to use per day in seasoning your food? That is what I would suggest. Measure it out in the morning and then only use what is in the ramekin or bowl throughout the day. I would imagine you would not only be more conservative in your salt use just because you don't want to get to dinner and have none left, but it will also make you more aware of how much you are actually using.
After a few weeks, reduce the allotted amount, then repeat again until you are used to less salt.
Also maybe using more herbs and spices but NOT salt in your cooking would help, to make things more flavorful but not more salty.

If you aren't eating processed foods or foods from a can or package, it would take A LOT (like, more then you could stomach) of salt from he shaker to meet the daily recommendations. Cutting out processed foods will go very far, in reducing your salt intake.

Did you know that a craving for salt (or need for it) can be a sign of adrenal gland issues or magnesium deficiency? Several years back, I was having a lot of issues and eating a lot of salt. I did a full workup and I had some pretty bad adrenal exhaustion and magnesium deficiency. You might look into that.

You can use the table salt quite a bit if you don't use processed foods.

Your solution is to cook from scratch, since the vast majority of our salt is already in the process foods we eat. If you want to reduce it, make your own spaghetti sauce, Mac and cheese, soups or meats in marinades. Most of it has enough salt to float a boat! Find flavor through citrus or herbs and spices.

Make that the family adventure, not hide the salt shaker!

How do I reduce salt in my diet?
Normally you don't, your body does it automatically by a process of homeostasis. We all need salt, it's vital to our body's chemical processes such as sweating. People in hot climates or workplaces - eg a ship's engine room, need more salt to deal with this loss through sweating and are often given salt tablets to prevent problems. A salt deficit can result in weakness and passing out.

In normal healthy people, when we need salt, we crave it as required. If we consume too much, it makes us thirsty. Our body takes what it needs and flushes out the excess through our kidneys. Hence the thirst. Craving salt can be a variable our body calls for when needed. This somewhat negates the need for hectoring 'salt police' always warning us of the perils of salt and trying to regulate our diets and lives. It also calls into question the doctors' dictum that salt causes high blood pressure. In normal healthy folks it doesn't. I consume more salt than than the 'salt police' say I should - have done for years and my BP is normal.

However, J., your indulgence does sound rather excessive and addictive. It may be a good idea to wind down your intake to a lower level where your body doesn't have to work quite so hard and retain fluid to deal with your consumption. Don't cut salt out, enjoy it, but just slowly cut down the amount. You may even come to appreciate the underlying flavor of your food more. Maybe too, have your doc check out your body chemistry and kidney function.

Good luck

#1 - cut out processed/boxed/prepared foods.
#2 - now that you'll be making most things for yourself, experiment with other spices--garlic, basil, pepper, oregano, curry, cumin, corriander, etc.
#3 - wean yourself off the salt. Start measuring how much you are using in your meals, and then make a conscious effort to taper down to nearly nothing.

Avoid processed, prepackaged, or frozen meals. Any sort of packaged rice (seasoned, not just plain rice) has TONS of sodium. Avoid those like the plague.

As for the rest, maybe try salting only AFTER you are done cooking, rather than while you are cooking. Then, you will maximize the flavor of the salt you are sprinkling.

I would bet if you did go "cold turkey" for about a week or so, you would be able to taste the salt better with less added to your food. I know it works that way with sweet. If you cut out almost all carbs (especially juices, most fruits--not dark colored ones, but the citrus-y really sweet ones, and processed sugars and starches) then in just a couple of weeks you really taste the actual flavors of the foods you eat. Veggies are actually sweet, if you aren't accustomed to hyper-sweet foods in your daily diet.

If you cut out the carbs (including in your beverages) and then, after a few weeks of getting accustomed to it, try to drink a full calorie soda---it is like drinking pure syrup. It's disgusting.
I'd be willing to bet that your taste buds have a similar reaction regarding salt sensitivity and if you cut it out for a week or two, you will be shocked at how little it takes to taste it again.

Do you smoke? Do you take any medication that can effect your sense of taste? If foods taste bland, talk to your doctor about what may be causing a diminished sense of taste.

Then look at other ways to boost flavor other than salt. Tabasco Sauce, pepper, vinegar, salt substitutes. It'll take about a month to retrain your taste buds. Just stick to it.

I use sea and kosher salts. They contain less sodium, and the strong flavors mean that I don't have to use as much to get the desired taste.

Cook your own food instead of buying processed foods.

Have you noticed that some recipes call for you to add salt to even boiling water? Don't do it. Wait and add the salt in the end, for flavor. Don't add any salt for chemistry.

Processed foods have loads of salt hidden in them. Get rid of them. If you make the food you know exactly how much salt is in it. Also, use very flavorful seasonings to make up for what you will, at least at first, perceive as a lack. Chiles, lemon, curry, cumin, cinnamon, rosemary, cilantro, oregano, fresh basil, sage, balsamic vinegar... all of these ingredients bring a lot of flavor to the party. And that's far from a conclusive list.

As for switching from standard table salt to sea salt, both are the same chemical compound. Personally, I do find that seas salts and other specialty salts have flavors all their own (it's the other minerals present, not the NaCl, that bring the extra, interesting taste), and I often need less in order to achieve a satisfying taste. Also, coarse salt sprinkled (very lightly) on food brings a nice, intense burst of salty flavor and a fun little crunch every few bites. A little can go a long way.

It is also possible that you are a hypotaster. Some people perceive less flavor than others. It has to do with the number and density of your flavor receptors, and it is genetic. Actually, if you are one, you are better off than a supertaster (the other extreme) because a lot of what tastes good to the rest of us tastes nasty to them. It just means that to enjoy your food more you might need to "kick it up" a bit. The key is to find seasonings other than salt that will do the job for you.

I am curious why you've decided you need to cut down on salt. You do still need some in your diet, and removing it entirely will make your food taste quite blah. Has your doctor said something? I am not aware of a connection between salt intake and weight. For people with the salt sensitive version of high blood pressure, it is an issue, but even for many with hypertension cutting salt is no longer recommended, because research has shown the advice to be unsupported by outcome.

Susie B is right! Salt is necessary. It doesn't matter how you believe, most people think the Bible is a good book. I am FIRMLY convinced that God would not call his people the salt of the earth if it was a bad thing!

Sodium in processed foods is not what kind of "salt" anyone needs. The other ladies have told you to avoid processing and that is completely right. Processed foods not only have too much sodium but they also have other chemicals that weaken your immune system so your body doesn't assimilate what it needs correctly. Sea salt is fine. Mrs Dash is good as well.

Regards,
M.

My husband had high blood pressure. Cut out all the processed foods and started cooking fresh veggies, chicken, fish, meat and a carb. Sort of like how we ate in the 50s and 60s. Also bough low salt tomato sauce, diced tomatoes (or salt free). I too love my salt and these changes were easy to make. His blood pressure came down. My blood pressure runs low, so I still snuck the salt on some things. Do it gradually and you will adjust to it. I do feel your pain lol.

You could try salt substitutes but I don't like the taste of them myself.
Stay away from foods that come highly salted - bacon, ham, potato chips, pretzles, soy sauce, etc.
Don't add salt to boiling water (for pasta).
Discover other flavors - garlic, ginger, lemon, curry.
Cook with the minimum amount of salt a recipe requires and only allow yourself a small amount when you eat it at the table.
If you have to, buy the little individual packets of it and only allow yourself to use one per meal.
If the salt is on a foods surface (you just sprinkled it on) you will taste it better than if it was cooked and absorbed into the food.
Drink lots of water and if that gets boring, add a just enough lemon and/or lime juice to the water so you can barely taste it.
I've recently discovered cucumber/mint/lemon water and it is SO refreshing!
It will take some doing but you are going to have to wean your tastebuds away from the amount of salt you are use to.
But once you do, things will taste alright again.
Just monitor your salt use after that and don't let it creep up again.
You can do this!

I haven't read your responses, so sorry if I say something others have already. I threw all my salt away, and use Morton's Lite Salt in all my shakers. I don't salt my food when I cook it. I think that is up to the person eating it. Also you can use Mrs. Dash - there are a lot of different "flavors" of this seasoning, and they are all good. They taste like you just sprinkled salt on your food. And you can use as much as you want because it is just spices and not salt.

Your pallet will adjust. It won't be easy to ween yourself off the salt. I don't salt things (at all), but I love my potato chips! So I do know this is not easy for you. I heard somewhere that it can take a couple of weeks for your pallet to adjust. But after it does, you will start to think things are too salty. My mom and I were really good for awhile (ok, she still is really good), and we could tell that someone had used regular canned soup in a recipe instead of the 98% sodium free version that she and I use. We agreed the recipe would have tasted much better our way, but that's because we were used to it.

It does get easier.

Just start reducing the amount you use and eventually you don't salt anything.

Stay away from processed foods. Make all your own food if you can. And try to eat it with very little salt. It might take a long time but you can retrain your taste buds. I grew up eating very salty meals and I retrained myself in my 20s. Now when I eat my mom's cooking I think it sure tastes too salty. Think of it as an experiment. Instead of thinking man, I wish I could add salt to make this taste better, think hmmm, let's see what this actually tastes like with no salt added. I don't think you need to go cold turkey and add zero salt...just don't use much. Good luck. (PS, I swear it took me a year or more to retrain my taste buds....it is a slow process)

I'm not a fan of salt, I don't use much of it myself. I'd suggest that if you like to use table salt, eliminate as many processed food as you can and eat fresh. Most things in cans and packets have a lot of sodium. Also, experiment with other spices and seasonings to give your food a flavor boost without the excessive sodium.
Good luck

Don't know if this will help you, but when I started eating fruit shakes for breakfast, everything started to taste too salty to me. My husband and I also recently adopted a plant based diet (no dairy, meat, or refined sugars). We follow it loosely not supper strictly. None the less, I can't even taste cheddar cheese without if seeming too salty. If you switch up your diet to more whole plant based foods, you like anyone else who does this, will loose your taste for salt. But the salt shaker is not your worst enemy. Its processed foods and restaurants. Best of luck.
I have in-laws who think they are doing so well because they don't salt their oatmeal or use a salt shaker ever. But they add bacon and cheese, mayo and mustard to everything - those are the places salt is hiding!