Many people, for the sake of their good health, have known to give up salt altogether. Salt, being the sole imparter of flavour and taste to your food, is important in our diet. A little salt does absolutely no harm, but people suffering from hypertension and heart-related disorders need to keep their salt under control. The biggest drawback is that food tastes bland in absence of salt. One cannot simply live off bland food all their lives. In order to address this issue, it is best to employ other ingredients that work as salt, but do not affect your health. Some of the best alternatives for salt are as given below:
Lemon juice:
Lemon juice does not impart the exact taste of salt to food but gives a sour-lemony taste that is like that of salt. Also, lemon is good for cutting down on cholesterol and hence is a better alternative to salt. Being citrus and acidic in nature, lemon juice also cuts down belly fat, slimming you down and regulating your blood pressure. Speaking of health, the required amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice is much better than the stored or concentrated one.
Garlic powder:
This is, perhaps, the best alternative to salt in your diet. Garlic is known for enhancing the flavour and aroma of any food that it is added to. Use this to your advantage and replace it with salt whenever you can. Garlic powder can be prepared at home by roasting a few garlic pieces in a pan followed by grinding them to make a fine powder out of it.
Sun-dry this powder till all its moisture is lost. This garlic powder is better than salt or any other replacement of salt you can come up with. Remember to prepare your own garlic powder and not rely on the commercially manufactured ones. The latter is high in sodium and will flush your efforts of staying away from salt down the drain.
Black pepper powder:
Spices and herbs are universally known to add flavour and other health benefits to your foods. Black pepper powder is no different. The taste is not just sour like salt but is acrid which also imparts a certain aroma to the food. Pepper is the best to cut down on body fat keeping your weight in control. High blood pressure can also be equally well tackled with black pepper powder. You can use it to sprinkle over boiled eggs, in fruit drinks, or chicken and fish too.
Cinnamon:
Another spice added to food to enhance its taste is cinnamon. Ground cinnamon is one of the best alternatives to use in place of salt since it combats high blood pressure. It is known to cut down glucose aiding in diabetic recovery and, in turn, fights off hypertension too. The taste of cinnamon is far from the likes of other spices, and will definitely regulate your blood pressure and improve your overall health condition if taken regularly. You can very well add it to your tea or soup for maximum benefits. Smoothies and yoghurts taste much better when complemented with cinnamon.
Soy sauce:
Soy sauce is known for its salt-like flavour. Also, the sodium content of soy sauce is nowhere close to that of salt, in fact, is much lower. The sodium content in soy sauce is just enough to meet your daily dietary requirements. You can replace the salt during cooking or eat your meals with soy sauce. There are plenty of varieties of soy sauce available that are specifically designed for people with high blood pressure. This not only adds to the required flavour but also keeps your health in check.
These practices can replace the salt in your diet considerably well. You will never have to worry about your blood pressure going out of hand if you follow these steps well. The above alternatives are not all. You can even come up with innovative techniques of adding salt-like flavour to your diet. Consult your dietician for better means of the same. Also, before you set out for any of the above-mentioned practices, check for allergies or any such sort of ill effects. Minimise your salt intake and everything else will fall into place.