13 Tips to Reduce Your Salt Intake

While some dietary sodium comes from the salt you sprinkle on food, about three-quarters comes from processed food, including breads and cereals, dairy products and processed meats. Here are some shopping and cooking tips to help you get control of your sodium intake:

Tips on How to Shop for Lower Salt Foods

• Buy fresh, plain frozen, or canned "with no salt added" vegetables
• Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat, rather than canned or processed types
• Use herbs, spices, and salt-free seasoning blends in cooking and at the table
• Cook rice, pasta, and hot cereals without salt. Cut back on instant orflavored rice, pasta, and cereal mixes, which usually have added salt
• Choose "convenience" foods that are lower in sodium. Cut back on frozendinners, pizza, packaged mixes, canned soups or broths, and saladdressings these often have a lot of sodium
• Rinse canned foods, such as tuna, to remove some sodium
• When available, buy low- or reduced-sodium, or no-salt-added versions of foods
• Choose ready-to-eat breakfast cereals that are lower in sodium

• Add less salt at the table and in cooking. Reduce the amount a little each day until none is used. Try spices and herbs instead
• Cook with low-salt ingredients. Remove salt from recipes whenever possible.Rice, pasta, and hot cereals can be cooked with little or no salt
• Use fewer sauces, mixes, and "instant" products this includes flavored rices, pasta, and cereal, which usually have salt added
• Rinse salt from canned foods
• Limit smoked, cured, or processed beef, pork, or poultry

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