Ways to reduce sodium in your diet

• Remove the salt shaker. Do not have it in the kitchen when you cook or on the table when you eat.
• Beware of commercially prepared salt substitutes.
• Most salt substitutes are made of potassium chloride.
• Your doctor must OK the use of a salt substitute because it can interfere with the action of some medicines or medical conditions.
• Using a salt substitute does not allow you to wean yourself from the craving for salt.
• Reduce or eliminate salt in your cooking.
• Many recipes do not need salt.
• If salt is needed for the flavor of the food, reduce the amount slowly. Start by reducing it by one-quarter, then by one-half, then by three-quarters.
• Do not add salt to processed foods.
• Eliminate obviously salty foods. These include:
• flavored or seasoned salts
• pickles
• olives and sauerkraut packaged in salt brine
• canned soups
• salted snacks
• Try new seasonings.
• Herbs and spices do not contain sodium.
• Check labels to make sure they do not contain salt or sodium.
• You may use flavored vinegar, sherry, wine and lemon juice for flavoring.
• Learn to read food labels.
• Figure out one serving size.
• Compare one serving size to the amount you eat.
• Figure out how much sodium the product contains for your serving size.
• Low sodium is 140 milligrams or fewer per serving. Beware of 400 to 600 milligrams (or more) of sodium per serving.
• Beware of ingredients that contain sodium such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium nitrate, sodium benzoate and sodium bicarbonate.
• Make a spice blend recipe. OK, so you're ready to throw out the salt — but save the shaker! Fill it with this spice blend and use it on home-cooked meals:
  • 4 tablespoons dry mustard
  • 1 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 4 tablespoons onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons white pepper
  • 1 tablespoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 4 tablespoons paprika.

  Combine the spices and blend them well. Put a small amount of rice in the bottom of your shaker to allow the spice blend to flow easily. Fill the shaker with the spice blend, using a funnel. Label and store.

• Make an herb blend recipe. This blend of herbs and spices is good on meats and vegetables.
  • 1 teaspoon each:

  —dried basil

  —dried marjoram

  —thyme

  —dried parsley

  —ground cloves

  —ground mace

  —black pepper

  —dried savory

  • ¼ teaspoon each:

  —ground nutmeg

  —cayenne.

Vary the amounts to suit your taste. Fill the shaker with the spice blend, using a funnel. Label and store.

Herb and spice suggestions

Try these flavor ideas:

• beef: bay leaf, curry, dry mustard, sage, marjoram, mushrooms, nutmeg, onion, pepper, thyme
• lamb: curry, garlic, mint, pineapple, rosemary
• pork: apples, applesauce, garlic, onion, sage, peaches
• veal: apricots, bay leaf, curry, ginger, marjoram, oregano
• fish: bay leaf, lemon juice, marjoram, mushrooms, paprika
• chicken: cranberries, paprika, thyme, sage
• asparagus: lemon juice
• corn: green pepper, tomato
• green beans: marjoram, lemon juice, nutmeg, dillweed, unsalted french dressing
• peas: onion, mint, mushrooms, green pepper
• potatoes: onion, mace, green pepper
• squash: ginger, mace, onion, cinnamon
• tomatoes: basil, marjoram, onion.