Salt-Sensitive: Less Salt, More Flavor

Salt has been a valuable commodity for thousands of years of human history and has played a key role in the evolution of most civilizations. Its main use was in preserving food before the advent of refrigeration, allowing humans to store food to get them through hard times. Salt has been so prized throughout history that it was used as payment to Roman soldiers for their service giving rise to the word "salary." Nowadays, we still value salt for its preservative quality, but it's more widely known for its ability to enhance the flavor of foods.

Salt and sodium, however, are not the same. Only about half of the salt we use for seasoning is sodium. The other half is chloride, and this is sodium that is believed to cause health problems when eaten in excess. Biologically, sodium is crucial to maintaining the balance of fluids in the body for transmitting nerve impulses and for muscle contractions. Sodium is also required for the expression of certain nutrients in the digestive system such as amino acids, glucose and water.

Despite its important role, sodium has earned a bad reputation for contributing to high blood pressure, hypertension (increasing risk for heart attack), stroke and kidney disease. However, scientific research actually shows there are certain populations who may be salt-sensitive. Salt sensitive individuals tend to be those who are obese and insulin-resistant as well as the elderly, African-Americans and females with hypertension. Not all hypertensive are salt-sensitive.

Americans generally eat far too much sodium. The recommended daily intake is 1.3 g per day or about half a teaspoon of salt, but the average American consumes three times that. This is too much if you have hypertension or heart disease or a family history of either. Also, if you have kidney disease (which affects your body's ability to excrete excess salt), it is in your best interest to control your sodium intake. Even if you don't do it for health reasons, reducing sodium gradually will reset your taste buds and help you to better enjoy the true taste of foods.

How to Reduce Your Salt Intake

Reading labels and ingredient lists is the best defense against excess sodium since most dietary sodium comes from processed and canned foods. Putting down the salt shaker is probably the most obvious way to reduce sodium intake and at the very least, it's wise to taste foods before you salt them. Be wary of salted snacks, cured meats, cheeses and condiments. Low-sodium versions of some popular products may help you make the transition. When eating out, learn to be assertive about asking for low-sodium options or ask that your food be prepared without added salt.

The more you can cook your own food using fresh ingredients, the easier it will be to avoid sodium. Experiment with fresh or dried herbs to boost the flavor of it and try garlic vinegar or citrus to brighten up your meals.

There are many resources both online and in print for low-sodium recipes. Try http://www.lowsodiumcooking.com.

Other sources of sodium include baking soda, baking powder, and MSG (monosodium glutamate). Over-the-counter and prescription medications can also contain sodium, so read the labels of nonprescription drugs before you buy them, and consult with your doctor or pharmacist about your prescriptions to make sure you're not getting unwanted sodium from those sources.