There may come a time when you feel like you need to cut down on the amount of sodium you eat. This could be because you ate too much over the weekend or because you’re starting to notice patterns in your eating habits.
Even though the short-term and long-term solutions are different, they all have the same goal: to reduce the amount of sodium in your body and improve your health.
How to get rid of sodium from your body
If you think you’ve eaten too much salt, you can get rid of the extra sodium in a few different ways. Julia Zumpano, RD, a registered dietitian, says that sweating is the best thing to do. “Sweat, tears, and urine are all-natural ways for the body to get rid of sodium.”
To keep your sodium level even, work up a sweat by going to the gym or sitting in a sauna. Cut out salt and salty foods right away and drink a lot of water.
Here are seven ways to eat less sodium.
If heart or kidney disease runs in your family, it’s a good idea to eat less sodium to keep your health from getting worse. Blood pressure also tends to go up as people age. So even if you don’t have any problems with it now, cutting back on sodium is a good idea for your health in the long run. Here are some ways to cut down on your salt intake:
1. Keep track of how much sodium you eat.
First, you need to find out how much sodium you eat every day and what kinds of foods are high in sodium. Zumpano says, “Most of us eat the same things every day.” “So, if you just write down how much sodium you eat for two days during the week and two days on the weekend in a food diary, you’ll get a good average of how much sodium you eat.”
Once you know how often you eat foods that are high in salt, you can make changes that will help you reach your health goals. For example, you might find out that the can of soup you often eat for lunch has half of your daily sodium. You could switch to something with less salt, like a salad, or look for a soup with less salt. This could cut your sodium intake in half and still make you happy.
Zumpano says that this small change can make a big difference in how much sodium you take in overall. But maybe you want to keep the can of soup because it’s easy and has a lot of fibre and few calories. If you don’t want to eat too much salt for the rest of the day, all you have to do is cut back.
2. Cut down on salty foods.
Take a look at what you eat all the time. Some foods have way too much salt. Try not to eat them too often, or look for versions with less salt or none at all. The worst offenders are:
- Soups in cans.
- Chips and popcorn from the microwave.
- Soy sauce and teriyaki sauce are examples of condiments.
- Frozen meals.
- Olives and pickles.
- Made-in-a-kitchen snacks (trail mix, crackers, beef sticks).
3. Cook food at home
More than 70% of the sodium that Americans eat comes from packaged and restaurant food. If you eat out a lot or eat ready-made meals, it’s hard to keep track of how much salt you’re eating. To cut down on how much salt you eat, cook more meals at home. So, you can control how much salt is in your food.
4. Use half as much salt
Do you already eat most of your meals at home? If so, you might want to slowly cut back on how much salt you use in recipes to control how much sodium you get each day. Start with half of the normal amount. Once you’re used to it, you can cut it down to a quarter of what the recipe says.
Zumpano says that this way of cutting back on salt helps you slowly get used to a less salty taste. “Because sometimes it’s hard to quit cold turkey. It can ruin the taste of food.”
5. Give it flavour with other spices
Put away the salt shaker—you won’t need it if you use ingredients that add flavour. Add herbs and either no-salt or low-salt seasoning to improve the taste. Basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, turmeric, ginger, and vegetables with strong flavours like garlic and onions will give your meals a kick. Zumpano says it’s also a great way to spice up food if you like it spicy. Use fresh, dried, or salt-free jalapeno, cayenne, or green chilli peppers.
6. Make special requests at restaurants
When you eat out, make special requests to cut down on the amount of salt in your food. You can request:
Your order won’t get any salt added while it’s being made.
Dressings and condiments are served on the side so you can control how much goes on your food.
Instead of fries, you could have fresh fruit, steamed vegetables, a salad, or a baked potato.
7. Eat lots of potassium-rich foods
The mineral potassium works well with the mineral sodium. When the amount of sodium goes up, the amount of potassium usually goes down.
When you eat more potassium instead of sodium, your blood pressure goes down. You can get more of this mineral by eating foods high in potassium, such as:
- Avocados.
- Bananas.
- Mushrooms.
- Peas.
- Potatoes.
- Spinach.
- Tomatoes.
- Oranges.
Using one tip until it becomes a habit is the best way to cut down on sodium in your diet. Then try making another change. Before you know it, you’ll be eating a lot less salt than you did before.
“Remember, there’s no list of foods you can’t eat,” says Zumpano. “Just be aware when you eat foods with a lot of salt and change the rest of your day to have less salt than usual.”