Enjoy these five simple tips to help reduce your sodium intake, while cooking meals at home.
1. Use fresh herbs. Use onions, garlic, herbs, spices, citrus juices, and vinegars in the place of some or all salt to add flavor.
2. Drain and rinse all canned vegetables and beans. This may help to cut the sodium content by 40%.
3. Combine regular versions of foods with low sodium versions. If you don’t care for the low sodium version, combine it with equal parts of the regular version. Chances are you won’t notice a difference in taste while cutting back on the amount of sodium.
4. Cook pasta, rice, and hot cereal with no added salt. Also use cooking methods like grilling, braising, and searing to bring out a food’s natural flavors.
5. Incorporate foods with potassium. Potassium helps to counter the effects of sodium and may help lower your blood pressure. Foods high in potassium include sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, greens, tomatoes, white and kidney beans, non-fat yogurt, oranges, bananas, and cantaloupe.
Shakera Williams, M.P.H.
Assistant FCS Nutrition Extension Agent – Nutrition
Webster/Claiborne Parish
Office: (318) 371-1371
Fax: ( 318) 371-9005
sswilliams@agcenter.lsu.edu
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