Tips for Using Less Salt

At the store

• Make low-salt choices by reading labels carefully. Look for the total amount of sodium per serving.

• Use more fresh food. Buy more fruits and vegetables. Select lean meats, fish, and poultry.

• Use fewer frozen, canned, and packaged foods, which often contain a lot of sodium.

• Use plain frozen vegetables without sauces or toppings. These products are often low-sodium or no-sodium.

• Choose reduced-sodium or no-salt-added versions of condiments, canned vegetables, broths, and soups.

• Choose unsalted nuts and seeds.

In the kitchen

• Don't add salt to food when you're cooking. Season with flavorings like spices, herbs, vinegar, onion, garlic, pepper, salt-free herbal blends, and lemon or lime juice.

• Use a cookbook that has low-salt recipes. It can give you ideas for tasty meals that are healthy for your heart.

• Sprinkle spices, herbs, or salt-free herbal blends on vegetables and meat.

• Drain and rinse canned foods, such as canned beans and vegetables, before you cook or eat them.

• Remove the salt shaker from the table.

Eating out

• Tell the waiter you're on a low-salt diet. Ask questions about the menu.

• Order fish, chicken, and meat broiled, baked, poached, or grilled without salt, butter, or breading.

• Use lemon, pepper, and salt-free herb mixes to add flavor.

• Choose plain steamed vegetables, rice, boiled noodles, and baked or boiled potatoes. Top potatoes with chives and a little sour cream.

Reading food labels to limit salt

Beware! Salt goes by many other names. Limit foods with these words listed as ingredients: salt, sodium, soy sauce, baking soda, baking powder, MSG, monosodium, and Na (the chemical symbol for sodium). Some antacids are also high in salt.