Simple tips for a low-salt, high-flavour diet

In Western countries, most people eat too much salt. This is mainly due to processed foods, which often contain more salt than necessary. That’s bad news, as high salt consumption can lead to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. But don’t worry. With a few simple tricks, you can reduce your salt intake without having to compromise on flavour.

Home cooking beats ready-made meals

Ready-made meals and processed foods often contain a lot of hidden salt to extend shelf life and enhance flavour. Cooking yourself is healthier, as it gives you full control over which ingredients and how much salt goes into your food.

If you do go for processed foods, look at the nutritional information to find low-salt options. Less than 0.3 grammes of salt per 100 grammes is considered low. Sausages and processed meat products, cheese, bread and baked goods as well as crisps and other snacks contain particularly high amounts of hidden salt. The German Nutrition Society provides detailed information (in German).

Decreasing salt intake

If you suddenly cut out salt from your cooking entirely, your food will taste bland, that’s for sure. Going cold turkey isn’t the right approach. Instead, try reducing the amount of salt slowly and use a little less salt in every meal. This will allow your palate to gradually get used to it and you’ll hardly notice the difference. Taste the food before you salt it to get your taste buds used to it. Often, you need less salt than ends up in your pot when cooking. When you’re preparing pasta or rice, for example, you can leave salt out entirely. Trust me, you’ll get used to it after a while.

Spices instead of salt

Fresh herbs (also frozen), spices, lemon or lime give your dishes a great flavour without the help of extra salt. Try out new combinations and find your favourite flavours. For example, with fresh basil, parsley, garlic, [lemon juice](/search?q=lemon juice) and a little [olive oil](/search?q=olive oil) instead of salt for pasta or rice dishes. Fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary and sage add a lot of flavour and go well with soups or stews. Curry powder, ginger and chili flakes are also great alternatives to salt. Why not marinate meat dishes with spice mixtures such as Cajun or Ras el Hanout? A mix of dried herbs such as oregano, marjoram and paprika powder gives vegetables that extra bit of oomph. And for dips and dressings, you can use [lemon juice](/search?q=lemon juice), vinegar or mustard.

Sea salt instead of more salt

If you’re going to use salt, use the right kind. Sea salt contains the same nutrients as table salt, but is more intense. This means you get the same flavour by using less salt. However, don’t use too much of it, as sea salt has a similar sodium content as table salt – and more microplastics.

Less opportunity = less salt

Support your low-salt endeavour by giving yourself less opportunity to eat salt. For example, don’t put the salt shaker on the dinner table. If you can’t get to it easily, you’ll automatically use less. Instead, put a few spices on the table that you can add to your food if it’s bland. And the next time you buy a salt shaker, check the number and size of the holes. The fewer and smaller, the less salt will end up in your food. Salty snacks such as crisps or crackers are real salt bombs. Try to avoid them as much as possible. It’s easiest if you don’t have them at home in the first place. If you don’t want to give up snacking, go for low-salt alternatives such as (unsalted) nuts, crackers and seeds, fruit or vegetable sticks with a dip. Did you know you can also reduce sodium intake by checking which bottled water you buy? Look out for the words «low sodium» or «suitable for preparing infant formula», as this marks water that contains less sodium.

The natural counterpart to sodium in the body is potassium. Find out more about potassium here: