When trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle, reducing sugar and salt intake is often a primary step. While it sounds simple, many find it challenging to implement. However, with practical tips and tricks, cutting down on sugar and salt can become manageable. This article explores the benefits of reducing salt and sugar, offers alternatives for enjoying food, and provides recipes to kick-start a low-salt, low-sugar diet.
Benefits of Cutting Down on Salt
It's often surprising how much salt infiltrates our diets, even if you don't typically use a salt shaker. Salt is added to most processed foods as a flavoring and preservative.
Foods surprisingly high in salt include bagels, cereal, pasta sauce, veggie burgers, salad dressing, cheese, pumpernickel bread, ketchup, cake mix, packaged baked goods, and canned vegetables.
While the body needs some salt for functions like maintaining plasma volume, acid-base balance, and nerve impulse transmission, most Americans consume too much. The Food and Drug Administration recommends about 1,500mg of salt daily, but many take in over 3,000mg. This excess can lead to inflammation due to fluid retention, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, kidney stones, weight gain, digestive issues, osteoporosis, cancer, and stroke.
Key facts about sodium intake:
- Global mean intake of adults is 4310 mg/day sodium (equivalent to 10.78 g/day salt).
- This is more than double the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation for adults of less than 2000 mg/day sodium (equivalent to < 5 g/day salt, or approximately one teaspoon).
- An estimated 1.89 million deaths each year are associated with consuming too much sodium.
The good news: A low-salt diet can cause noticeable health changes in as little as a week. Blood pressure often decreases within days of reducing sodium intake, and taste preferences adjust quickly. Foods with less salt may initially taste bland, but taste buds adapt.
Read also: The Definitive Guide to Flourless, Sugar-Free Dieting
Who benefits from a low-sodium diet?
- People with hypertension
- People with congestive heart failure
- People with liver disease
- People managing chronic kidney disease
Benefits of a Low Sugar Diet
Reducing sugar intake also offers significant health benefits. Like salt, sugar hides in unexpected places, making it essential to know where to look to eliminate unnecessary grams.
Foods surprisingly high in sugar include low-fat yogurt, BBQ sauce, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, fruit juice, sports drinks, granola, flavored coffee drinks, protein bars, and canned fruit.
While avoiding all sugar is difficult, cutting out added sugar-sugar added during processing or preparation-can significantly curb intake.
Lowering sugar intake can decrease overall caloric intake, aiding in weight management. Sugar is inflammatory, and eliminating it can protect against heart disease, obesity, digestive conditions, Alzheimer's disease, psoriasis, and more. A low-sugar diet can also promote weight loss, maintain good oral health, and reduce acne.
Salt and Sugar Seasoning Alternatives
Adjusting to a low-salt, low-sugar diet can take time. Alternative seasonings can help you enjoy food while your taste buds adapt.
Read also: Comprehensive Guide to Sugar on Keto
Seasonings to try include:
- Cinnamon: A sugar substitute, especially for oatmeal or baked goods; can also work as a salt substitute for some foods.
- Allspice: Similar to cinnamon, adds sweetness to sauces and glazes.
- Ginger: Warm and slightly spicy, adds complexity to dishes.
- Lemon: A salt substitute in cooked and cold dishes.
- Basil: Works well as a salt substitute in Mediterranean dishes.
It takes time to adjust to new flavors, but the switch is worthwhile. Give yourself a week to adapt, and remember that missing salt and sugar is temporary.
Low Sugar, Low Salt Recipes
Whether starting a paleo diet, seeking low-sugar desserts, or aiming for the benefits of a low-salt, low-sugar diet, these recipes can help.
Main Dishes:
- Avocado and kale omelet
- Everything bagel avocado toast
- Egyptian egg salad
- Spanish tortilla
- Mango salad with avocado and black beans
- Shrimp tacos with avocado crema
- Chicken parmesan and quinoa stuffed peppers
Desserts:
- 4-ingredient sugar-free mocha mousse
- Low-carb cheesecake
- Sticky date cake yogurt bowls
Understanding Low-Sodium Diets
A low-sodium diet focuses on keeping daily sodium intake below 2,300 milligrams (mg), with some plans suggesting an even lower limit of 1,500 mg. While some sodium is necessary for hydration, blood volume, and nerve and muscle function, most Americans consume roughly 3,500 mg daily, increasing blood pressure.
Sodium causes blood to retain more water, pressuring blood vessels. This added pressure can negatively impact heart health. Low-sodium diets emphasize unprocessed or minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, low-fat dairy, lean meat, poultry, fish, and unsaturated fats.
Read also: Reboot your health with a 30-day cleanse
Types of Low-Sodium Diets
Low-sodium diets limit sodium intake and encourage plant foods and lean proteins.
DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension): This flexible diet recommends consuming red meat infrequently and dairy in low to moderate amounts, focusing on whole, minimally processed foods.
Other Low-Sodium Diets: Any eating pattern with 2,300 mg of sodium per day or less is considered low-sodium. This can be achieved by reading nutrition labels, preparing food without added salt, and choosing naturally lower-sodium options.
Potential Health Benefits of a Low-Sodium Diet
Eating a low-sodium diet means consuming nutritious foods, which comes with potential health benefits.
- May Help Lower Blood Pressure: Lowering sodium intake can significantly reduce blood pressure, even in those without high blood pressure.
- May Help Lower LDL Cholesterol: Diets high in fiber and unsaturated fats and low in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar can help lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart disease.
- May Help Manage Kidney Disease: Limiting sodium helps reduce the likelihood of kidney disease complications.
- Can a Low-Sodium Diet Lead to Weight Loss?: A low-sodium diet will decrease blood pressure which will reduce fluid retention, decreasing weight. But this loss of water weight is different from fat loss, he notes, and the scale will stop dropping once your body has rid itself of excess fluid.That said, following the DASH or Mediterranean diet could lead to fat loss if it also puts you in a calorie deficit (consuming fewer calories than your body uses each day).
Are There Any Disadvantages to a Low-Sodium Diet?
For most people, a low-sodium diet doesn’t carry health risks. However, those who sweat a lot need more sodium to compensate for what’s lost. Having too little sodium in your blood (hyponatremia), can lead to nausea, vomiting, headaches, confusion, drowsiness, fatigue, irritability, and muscle weakness or cramps. In severe cases, it can lead to seizures, coma, or death. Otherwise, the biggest disadvantage of a low-sodium diet is that it can take time to get used to.
Low-Sodium Diet: Food List and Foods to Avoid
Prioritize unprocessed or minimally processed foods.
Top 10 Foods to Eat:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Lean meats (skinless chicken, lean pork)
- Fish and seafood (salmon, cod, crab)
- Vegetable oils (avocado oil, olive oil)
- Beans and legumes
- Herbs and spices
- Low-fat or fat-free milk and yogurt
Top 10 Foods to Limit or Avoid:
- Table salt
- High-sodium condiments (mustard, ketchup, bottled salad dressings)
- Packaged chips and crackers
- High-sodium frozen meals
- High-sodium canned soups
- High-sodium canned vegetables
- Cured meats (bacon, deli turkey, sausage)
- Cheese
- Gravy
- Electrolyte drinks
Low-Sodium Diet Shopping List
- Proteins: Chicken breast, lean pork loin, salmon, tofu, lean ground turkey
- Produce: Bananas, oranges, leafy greens, tomatoes, potatoes
- Grains: Oats, barley, brown rice, whole-wheat bread, corn tortillas
- Eggs and Dairy: Eggs, low-fat or fat-free milk, low-fat or fat-free yogurt, low-fat, no-salt-added cottage cheese, low-fat or fat-free kefir
- Condiments: Olive oil, vinegars, no-salt seasonings, spices
- Sweeteners: All are okay in moderation
7-Day Low-Sodium Diet Sample Menu
Day 1
- Breakfast: Whole-grain oatmeal with frozen peaches and low-fat milk
- Snack: Handful of nuts and a banana
- Lunch: Mixed-lettuce salad with walnuts, apple, grilled chicken, and homemade red wine vinaigrette dressing with a slice of bread
- Dinner: Grilled cod with green beans, brown rice, and a side of fruit
Day 2
- Breakfast: Whole-grain toast with no-salt-added peanut butter, an apple, and a cup of fat-free milk
- Lunch: Mixed-lettuce salad with walnuts, apple, grilled chicken, and homemade red wine vinaigrette dressing with a slice of bread
- Dinner: Baked turkey breast with broccoli and almond-quinoa pilaf
Day 3
- Breakfast: Low-fat yogurt with sliced peaches, walnuts, and a drizzle of honey
- Lunch: Sandwich with avocado, grilled chicken, and veggies
- Dinner: Homemade lentil soup with low-sodium crackers and a small cucumber salad
Day 4
- Breakfast: Whole-grain oatmeal with a sliced apple, cinnamon, no-salt-added peanut butter, and low-fat milk
- Snack: Steamed edamame with olive oil
- Lunch: Chickpea salad with spinach, bell peppers, chicken, and homemade herb vinaigrette
- Dinner: Chili-rubbed baked tilapia with roasted potatoes and broccoli
Day 5
- Breakfast: Low-fat yogurt with mixed berries and low-sodium granola
- Snack: Banana with no-salt-added peanut butter
- Lunch: Whole-grain pasta salad with tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs, and tuna
- Dinner: Pan-seared chicken breast with brown rice pilaf and stewed tomatoes
Day 6
- Breakfast: Whole-wheat toast with scrambled eggs and avocado
- Snack: Carrot sticks and homemade hummus (no salt added)
- Lunch: Kale salad with walnuts, chicken breast, pumpkin seeds, and homemade vinaigrette
- Dinner: Grilled cod with lemon, green beans in olive oil, and brown rice
Day 7
- Breakfast: Whole-grain oatmeal with sliced banana, low-fat milk, and walnuts
- Lunch: Spinach and quinoa salad with sliced apple, grilled chicken, and homemade vinaigrette
- Dinner: Baked turkey breast with roasted potatoes, green beans, and slivered almonds
Getting Started With a Low-Sodium Diet: Beginner Tips
- Gradually reduce sodium: Reduce your intake over a couple of weeks to give your taste buds time to acclimate.
- Try grilling: Grilling adds a depth of flavor to food, which can make up for some of what’s lacking when you take out salt.
- Lean on herbs and spices: Use herbs, spices, and salt-free seasonings to add extra flavor without any salt.
- Keep it simple when eating out: Go with broiled or grilled entrees and steamed vegetables, ordered with no salt added.
Additional Tips for Reducing Sodium Intake
- Read labels: Look for products containing 5 percent of the daily value or less of sodium.
- Limit processed foods: Frozen meals and ready-to-eat foods are typically high in sodium.
- Eat at home: Restaurant meals are notoriously high in salt and sugar.
- Cut back gradually: Give your taste buds time to adjust.
- Find healthy alternatives: Enjoy fresh fruits with Greek yogurt instead of ice cream.
- Season your food: Experiment with spices and seasonings instead of salt and sugar.
- Watch portion size: Have a cup of pasta with a side salad instead of a full plate.
- Use lemon juice as a salt substitute.
- Cook with fresh herbs rather than salt.
- Experiment with new spices.
- Use citrus juices and olive oil as a bright, zesty salad dressing.
- Snack on unsalted nuts sprinkled with a mix of herbs.
- Make homemade soup flavored with garlic and ginger.
- Use more fresh produce in your meals and snacks.
- Prepare homemade hummus using dried chickpeas and flavor it with garlic and herbs.
- Make a low sodium marinade with olive oil, garlic, vinegar, honey and ginger.
Public Health Interventions for Sodium Reduction
WHO has identified evidence-based interventions to tackle noncommunicable diseases. These include:
- Lowering sodium content in foods
- Implementing front-of-pack labeling
- Mass media campaigns
- Public food procurement and service
WHO Recommendations for Reducing Sodium
- For adults, WHO recommends less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt), or just under a teaspoon.
- For children aged 2-15 years, WHO recommends adjusting the adult dose downward based on their energy requirements.
- If choosing to use table salt, WHO suggests replacing regular table salt with lower-sodium salt substitutes that contain potassium.
- All salt that is consumed should be iodized (fortified with iodine).