Today begins World Salt Awareness Week 2010. While we all know that salt adds good flavor to foods we also must remember that it should be used in moderation. Generally speaking, processed foods contain higher amounts of salt than foods you make at home from scratch with fresh ingredients. That being said the only way to avoid the high salt content of the processed foods is to avoid them all together.
Ok, let me take a step back so we are all on the same page…what are processed foods anyway? A processed food is one that has been somehow altered usually for convenience or safety purposes. For example processed foods could be canned, frozen, dehydrated, etc. With the exception of frozen veggies and pasteurized milk, most “processed” foods are not great for you – the best example that I can think of is white sandwich bread which has absolutely no nutritional value to you. Processed foods are usually either high in fat, high in calories, loaded with sugar or saturated fat or all of the above! My mom has always said to stay on the outer edges of the grocery store while shopping. If you notice, the fresh produce, fresh meat, yogurt and dairy, etc. are all generally on the outer edges of the grocery store. Interesting, huh!?!
Now, to cut salt intake when you are cooking at home is easy! There are so many wonderful herbs and spices to give your food flavor without loading it with salt.
Here are some of the spices we love to use in place of salt:
Cumin, paprika, Homemade Chili Powder (so that you know there is no salt in it), black pepper, celery seed, all-spice, cayenne pepper, lemon pepper (although watch for hidden salt in these store-bought blends), cinnamon, etc.
Not to mention many delicious bbq rubs that can be made with no salt and used on anything from veggies to meat. Try our Santa Fe Dry Rub.
As well as wonderful, fresh herbs:
Flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme, mint, rosemary, sage, dill, and the list goes on and on and on!!
Then there are the flavor-packed veggies that will spruce up any meal without any added salt:
Garlic, onion, shallot, green onion, bell pepper, hot peppers, etc.
A few more tidbits of info:
1. When you are cooking try not to add salt until the very end. When you add salt at the beginning and then your food is cooking for awhile the flavors can become intensified and soon you have an over-salted dish. Yuck!
2. Try buying low-sodium alternatives to your usual groceries. For example, we use low-sodium soy sauce, low-sodium chicken broth, etc.
3. Watch the amount of high-salt condiments that you use. Period. I was shocked to discover how much salt/sodium that ketchup, mayo, and mustard contain. Not to mention the amount of salt that pickles have. Whoa!
Spread the word about cutting down on salt. You, your friends, and your loved ones will all be better off!! 
