A great way to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet is to replace salt with herbs and spices in your food. Not only do spices and herbs offer so many other rich flavors beyond salt, there is growing evidence that they help prevent cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other conditions.
If you are like me and truly enjoy eating food with lots of zest and flavor, one of the hardest things to have to cut out of your diet is salt. We all know that eating too much salt is not good for you. Consuming too much salt it linked with high blood pressure, osteoporosis, stomach cancer and can contribute to other medical problems such as heart attack and stroke. The recommended daily dose of salt for adults is no more than 2,300 milligrams (or around about a teaspoon of salt) a day. The World Health Organization (WHO), estimates that the current average intake of salt averages between four to ten times higher than the recommended daily amount. That’s a lot of salt!
If you are trying to make a change for the better one of the hardest ways to reduce your salt intake is to quit “cold turkey.” You are used to the flavor that salt provides and your food will probably seem very bland. Instead, try a simple herb, spice or blend that will add flavor to your meals without the salt.
Here are some herbs and spices to try instead of salt to season your food.
Beef
Season your beef with one or a combination of the following:
Garlic
Marjoram
Basil
Pepper
Thyme
Celery Seed
Chicken
Season your chicken with one or a combination of the following:
Marjoram
Oregano
Rosemary
Sage
Tarragon
Paprika
Fish
Season your fish with one or a combination of the following:
Curry powder
Dill
Parsley
Blends
Here are some fantastic blends from MySpicer that will add delicious flavor to any dish:
Wacky Pepper
Lemon Pepper, no salt
Rocky Mountain Herb Blend
