Salt contains sodium, an essential element in the human body. When consumed reasonably, it helps maintain normal blood pressure and prevents the appearance of certain disorders (dehydration, loss of appetite, muscle fatigue, etc.). On the other hand, excessive consumption of salt can be dangerous for health because it promotes high blood pressure, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
What is the amount of salt recommended per day?
To prevent cardiovascular disease, an adult person should not eat more than 5 g of salt per day (salt hidden in food and salt added), which is equivalent to a teaspoon. But most of us go beyond this recommendation since the average salt consumption for a man is 9 g per day and 7 g per day for women. The large part of our daily salt consumption (80%) is in the food themselves. The rest (20%) corresponds to the salt added during cooking or directly on the plate.
How to give flavor to food without adding salt?
Use citrus juice
Citrus juice or the addition of acidic ingredients to your dishes can help balance the flavors of certain sodium -poor foods. You can use lemon, lime, grapefruit or orange. Other less known but equally tasty citrus fruits can enhance the taste of little salty dishes:
- Kumquat;
- Tangelo;
- The Yuzu.
You can for example accompany your dish with a lemon district as a garnish or press it for an explosion of flavors with protein dishes like chicken or fish.
Think of vinegar
Vinegar is not used to give your salads more taste, you can completely pour it a little on your dishes as you would with lemon juice.
Little caloric, vinegar brings a tangy touch to your dishes, but not only. Depending on the type of vinegar, your dish can be scented or slightly sweet. There are different varieties of vinegar:
- Balsamic vinegar;
- Apple cider vinegar;
- Fruit vinegar;
- White vinegar …
In addition to being a good alternative to salt, vinegar brings health benefits that go beyond those related to the reduction in sodium intake.
Mix different vegetables
What if you add more vegetables to your meals to compensate for the lack of salt? Mixed together, some vegetables bring flavor to dishes: onion, garlic, pepper, leek, pea, etc.
Favor fresh or frozen vegetables, without sauce or seasoning, because they are naturally poor in sodium. Avoid canned vegetables and ready -made dressings because they can contain high quantities of salt.
Spice up meals
Instead of salt, add spices and aromatic herbs to your dishes. You have a wide choice available to you:
- Basil ;
- Bay leaves;
- Cinnamon ;
- Cumin;
- Curry powder;
- Aneth;
- Onion powder;
- Oregano;
- Paprika;
- Parsley ;
- Pepper ;
- Tarragon.
Studies have shown that the addition of spices and aromatic herbs contributed to reducing sodium levels up to 50%, especially in people 65 and over.