Hypertension/High Blood Pressure Health Center

5 Tips on Reducing Salt Intake

Eating less sodium can help lower blood pressure in some people, reducing their risk of heart disease. While sodium is something we need in our diets, most of us eat too much of it. Some of the sodium we eat comes from salt we add to our food or from processed foods we buy from the grocery store. The American Heart Association recommends consuming less than 1500 mg of sodium each day.

Use these tips to reduce your salt intake:

•  Avoid adding salt to foods at the table.
• Take stock of the sources of salt in your diet, such as restaurant meals, salt-based condiments, and convenience foods. Some of these are really loaded with salt.
• Read the labels when shopping. Look for lower sodium in cereals, crackers, pasta sauces, canned vegetables, or any foods with low-salt options. Or, eat less processed and packaged foods.
• Ask about salt added to food, especially at restaurants. Most restaurant chefs will omit salt when requested.

If you need to use salt while cooking, add it at the end. You will need to add less.