Salt: A Very Mighty Crystal

I meet people who ask me: “If you had one piece of advice to give someone about nutrition, what would it be?” I used to hesitate in the past, thinking, I need more information about the individual to make any suggestions, but today, I confidently answer: “try reducing salt in your diet”. Most Canadians eat 2-3 times more salt than the recommended no added salt diet (2,300 mg/day). High sodium diets are not just an issue among adults, high salt eating is something that starts in childhood.

Most of the salt with eat comes from processed foods and restaurant meals, because salt is an incredible preservative and flavour enhancer. We all recognize this first hand. Once we start with a bit of salt, we just crave more.

So, my advice here is, start small. Start by reading labels, and aiming for less than 15% sodium per serving. Start by cooking meals at home more often instead buying convenience foods. If you are choosing a restaurant meal, request dressings on the side, and no added salt options. Ask for more information about the salt content of the food you are choosing. If you are a customer, chances are, restaurants are happy to accommodate your requests.

Also, recognize that all salt affects your blood pressure (by raising it) and therefore, Himalayan, sea salt, and other beautiful and more expensive salt options offer a culinary experience, but are not necessarily helpful when you’re trying to reduce your salt intake overall. Instead, choose sodium free spice blends, like the ones hand-blended by Four Elements Nutrition.