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KICKING THE SALT HABIT: HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED JUST HOW MUCH SALT DO WE NEED EACH DAY?

Join us in kicking the salt habit. If we can give up added salt then anyone can.


We're am going cold turkey and so can you! I am drastically reducing our salt intake. We are no longer adding any salt to the food on my plate. Nope. Just not going to do it, any more. REPEAT AFTER US: NO MORE SALT. NO MORE SALT.

If you told my family that I have given up salt, they would probably faint.


"I have loved salt on my food for decades and especially on turkey on Thanksgiving. I love Sea Salt, Kosher Salt, ground salt, you name it, I have just loved my salt. But, yes, I am giving it up and so can you. "


The best family prank pulled on me was the year we were sitting around the table at Thanksgiving and I started scanning the table looking for the salt shaker. All of a sudden, everyone starts laughing because they knew what I was looking for. Unbeknownst to me, my brother had stolen the salt and put it in his lap on purpose. To rub it in more, he sent me a card with a Turkey on it that had a small packet of salt attached.


When I was a teen, both my mother and grandmother used to admonish me with: "Stop using so much salt, it will dry your blood up." I didn't listen. In reality, I don't cook so much with salt and in comparison with some people that I see at restaurants, I don't use as much salt as others do but that said, I am still kicking the Salt habit. I am going to use spices to make up the taste difference and even wasabi.


ABOUT SALT and SODIUM: What is the difference between sodium and salt?


Salt is sodium chloride (sodium plus chlorine). The sodium in the salt is what you have to look out for. 40% of salt is sodium. If sodium is listed on the label's nutritional information instead of salt you have to multiply the amount by 2.5 to get the equivalent salt content. For example, if a portion of food contains 1g of sodium per 100g, you will know it contains 2.5g of salt per 100g.


FACT: We get more than enough salt/sodium in the foods we eat everyday.


Food labeling - high and low salt foods


You should check the labels of foods to find out which ones are high and low in salt content. If the label has more than 1.5g of salt (or 0.6g of sodium) per 100g it is a high salt content food. If it has 0.3g of salt (0.1g of sodium) per 100g then it is a low salt content food. Anything in between is a medium salt content food.

  • High salt content food = 1.5g of salt (or 0.6g of sodium) per 100g

  • Medium salt content food = between the High and Low figures

  • Low salt content food = 0.3g of salt (0.1g of sodium) per 100g

The amount you eat of a particular food decides how much salt you will get from it.


Doctors say we should try to avoid consuming foods that have a high salt content. It is a good idea to select, whenever possible, foods that say "no salt added".


How do I know how much salt a portion of food has?

Look at the label. If it says, for example, 1g of salt per 100g, and you consume 500g, you will get 5g. If the label specifies sodium, multiply the amount by 2.5.


If you have high blood pressure, then you definitely want to decrease your salt intake. So far it's been three months with no salt. I haven't picked up that shaker, even once.


Healthy, Alternatives to using salt: Fresh lemon juice. Chives, Green Onions, Fresh Ground Pepper, Mustard, Wasabi powder or paste, balsamic vinegar.


HINT: Do not use soy sauce as it is extremely high in sodium.

Here's to your health!!! If you do have high blood pressure readings. Go one month without adding salt and let us know if your blood pressure readings improve. 

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