Heart Disease Diet – Ways to Reduce Salt Intake

In another post, I discussed the different kinds of fats, and which ones are “bad” and which ones are “good.”  In this post, I want to discuss ways to reduce your salt intake.  Salt (aka sodium) is necessary in our diets for normal cellular function.  However, when there is too much salt in your diet is where it can cause problems and contribute to heart disease.  This is because salt causes our bodies to retain water.  And when there is too much water, our blood vessels also take on some of this extra water.  However, when our blood vessels can not get any bigger to take on this extra fluid, our blood pressure can increase.  It’s kind of like if you were running water out of a hose.  If you have a small trickle, the pressure is less.  When you add more water passing through the same size hose, the pressure increases.

Here are some ways to reduce your salt intake:

1. Start using spices and herbs and fresh garlic to add flavor to your food instead.  Make sure to check the labels though as some spices contain salt as well.
2. Stay away from packaged and processed foods that have a lot of salt in them.
3. It’s better to eat fresh or frozen veggies, instead of ones in the can or ones that have been pickled.
4. Do not add salt to food when cooking.  Instead use spices and herbs.
5. Do not use deli meats as they are high in salt.  It’s better to use meats that you prepare at home.  You can even cut and freeze the meat into portions for use at a later time for making lunches for work or school.
6. Watch out for canned soups.  A lot of them contain a lot of sodium.  Instead make homemade soups, and limit use of canned soups (and only buy those that are lower in sodium).
7. Wash chick peas and lentils, that you purchase in a can, in water so that you get rid of some of the sodium.
8. Choose healthy choices that have less salt in them when out at a restaurant.
9. Do not add salt to your food after it is cooked.  Your taste buds will adjust.  Instead, you can find some great spices that work just as well or better.

I hope that this post gives you some ideas on ways to lower the salt intake in your diet so that you can lower your risk of heart disease. It is beneficial for everyone to follow these tips.