Reducing Your Salt Intake
It's often a good idea to reduce the amount of salt (sodium) in your
diet if you are diagnosed with certain conditions, such as
Cushing's syndrome, or
heart failure. Exactly how much daily salt is needed
varies from person to person.
Try some of these tips for lowering your salt intake:
- Flavor your foods with herbs and spices such as
basil, tarragon, or mint, or use salt-free sauces or lemon juice. Try plain or
flavored vinegar to flavor soups and stews. Use about
1 tsp (4.9 mL) of vinegar for
every 2 qt (1.9 L) of soup or
- Choose fresh or frozen vegetables and
- Include more grains and beans in your
- Choose foods marked "low-salt" or "low-sodium." Foods labeled
this way must contain less than 140 mg of
sodium in a serving.
- Do not use salt during cooking or at the table.
Talk to your doctor before using a salt substitute. It may not be
recommended, because most salt substitutes contain potassium. Potassium can
build up in the bodies of people who have kidney disease and cause severe illnesses
and even death.
- Avoid fast foods, prepackaged foods (such as TV
dinners and frozen entrees), and processed foods (such as lunch meats and
cheeses). Always check the serving size on processed food. Eating more than the
single serving size may increase your sodium beyond a healthy
- Avoid foods that contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) and
- Avoid canned foods.
- Avoid salted
ham, potato chips, pretzels, salted nuts, and other salty snack foods.
|Primary Medical Reviewer||Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine|
|Specialist Medical Reviewer||Rhonda O'Brien, MS, RD, CDE - Certified Diabetes Educator|
|Last Revised||July 12, 2012|