How to reduce salt at the table

Table salt can be reduced without sacrificing taste, simply by introducing some eating habits that, over time, will become completely normal. There are alternatives to salt, some of which are very pleasant, and food labels now allow us to clearly understand the amount of salt contained in each packaged product. While salt content increases due to industrial food production, it is still naturally present in almost all foods.

Reducing salt intake should be done gradually, to give your palate time to adjust to the new diet. Typically, if we proceed gradually, your palate will adjust within 2-4 weeks. Adaptation typically occurs through the following phases:

• In the early days food may seem “bland”.
• After approx 10–14 days the brain and taste receptors begin to adapt.
• By 3–4 weeks many previously “normal” foods can turn out to be too salty.

This phenomenon is linked to the plasticity of taste receptors and the way the brain interprets flavors.

A study conducted on volunteers and published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirmed that the gradual reduction in the amount of salt present in bread—a quarter less over 6 weeks—proposed daily to the group of people subjected to the experiment was not perceived at all and did not give rise to any unpleasant reactions.

Many people have the bad habit of immediately adding salt to dishes as soon as they arrive at the table, as if their bland taste were a given. To avoid this waste, you can taste the dish before adding more salt, or take a more drastic step (useful in the first phase of the new diet): remove the salt shaker from the table. And if you have guests, have it brought only when requested.

The planet is teeming with natural foods, herbs, and spices that can replace salt. According to Chiara Donfrancesco, researcher at the Department of Cardiovascular, Endocrine-Metabolic and Aging Diseases of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità and also responsible for monitoring studies on Italian salt consumption, instead of sodium you can use:

• Algae granules
• Salt with potassium chloride substitution
• Gomasio (toasted sesame seeds and salt)
• Celery salt
• Vinegar
• Lemon or citrus fruit
• Herbs
• Spices

There are, therefore, numerous remedies for eliminating or reducing salt; you just need to experiment in the kitchen with the sparing use of paprika, curry, turmeric , cloves , and cumin. And let's not forget the aromatic herbs already present in our homes, such as basil, rosemary, parsley, coriander, chervil, sage, bay leaves, marjoram , oregano, thyme, and mint.

Drain and rinse the vegetables and legumes

This method works very well for preserved vegetables and legumes. In particular, for:

• peas
• beans
• ceci
• closest

These products are soaked in a liquid that contains added salt (i.e., sodium chloride) : draining and rinsing under running water can reduce the sodium by as much as 30–40 percent.

How can we replace salt when cooking pasta, the dish that so defines Italians and that we would never cook differently for anything? Possible alternatives range from partially replacing salt with potassium chloride to even flavored salt.

Sodium present in various foods

From cured meats to a slice of bread: the amount of sodium varies from food to food. And the differences can be significant. Let's look at the most important ones:

• • 100g of canned legumes: 0,5g of sodium
  • 100g of cooked ham: 0,70g of sodium
  • 100g of raw ham: 2,6g of sodium
  • 100g of parmesan: 0,6g of sodium
  • 100g of fresh vegetables: small quantities
  • 100g of fresh fruit: small quantities

The salt that does less harm