10 tips to reduce salt intake

Unfortunately the average Canadian consumes more than 3,100 milligrams of sodium daily, which can lead to hypertension and a whole range of health concerns. The following tips will help you bring down your daily salt intake.

Ask anyone about salt and they'll tell you that too much is bad for you. They're right. Salt is one part sodium and one part chloride, and although our bodies don't produce sodium, it is an essential nutrient that regulates blood pressure and nerve function.

Health Canada advises an adequate daily intake of 1,500 milligrams for adults and a tolerable upper limit of 2,300 milligrams.

1. Invest in a pepper mill. Use freshly ground black pepper instead of salt, or look out for lemon pepper, a seasoning that adds wonderful flavour, not salt, to foods.
2. Mix low-salt foods with standard foods to start you on the path to reducing your salt intake. For instance, mix unsalted peanuts with salted. Slowly increase the amount of the salt-free product as you decrease the amount of the salted until you're eating only the salt-free version.
3. Keep your table salt in a small bowl, and use a tiny spoon or a pinch of your fingers to season your food. You'll find that you use far less of it. Cover it with a snug lid or some plastic wrap to keep it dry (and make it less accessible).
4. Choose no-added-sugar-and-salt cans of veggies and beans. Look for varieties that contain no additional sugar and salt when picking canned foods such as kidney beans, chickpeas and corn. If you can't find beans packed in water, rinsing them thoroughly before use will help to remove some of the salt.
5. Watch out for salty condiments and nibbles. Capers, pickles and olives are packed with salt. In fact, the pickling and brining processes used to make foods such as these primarily involve soaking them in a solution dense with salt.
6. Skip meat that's been dried or cured. This includes salami, corned beef, prosciutto, ham and dried sausages. Each is laden with salt, which is used to draw out the liquid and preserve the meat. At lunchtime, pick turkey instead.
7. Brush off visible salt. For instance, on salted bagels or chips.
8. Substitute citrus juice such as orange, lemon or lime for salt in salad dressings. That way your dressing will have extra zing without the salt.
9. Check your medicines for salt. You might not think that you'd find salt in your drugs, but you could be wrong. Particular culprits in your medicine cabinet include soluble tablets, antacids, cough medicines, pain relievers and laxatives. If you find high salt levels, talk to your doctor about alternatives.
10. Go for chips rather than pretzels – if salt is your main concern. Pretzels can have four times the salt of potato chips or tortilla chips. That's because chips get much of their flavour from being cooked in oil, making them fattier and higher in calories. Baked pretzels contain far less fat, so much of the flavour comes from salt.