Salt addicts, going cold turkey. How did you do it?

I just kept cutting back. I bought low salt versions of stuff. I cook my own food so I have more control over the sodium. I read labels. The other day I realized that I rarely salt my food. I love cheese so that is higher in salt but other than that most processed foods taste way too salty for me. I noticed I also eat less sauces and condiments because I like the taste of the food, not salt or catsup etc.

I also LOVE salt. Lemon is a great substitute and hot sauce gives that salty taste too. But be careful with hot sauce because some hot sauce has a lot of sodium.

Another way to control your sodium intake is to rinse all canned goods (like tomatoes and beans) and don't add salt when you won't taste it, like before you make pasta. Another thing I find useful is to only add salt AFTER I've tasted something and I don't add salt to entrees when I've already added salt as a part of the recipe.

Good luck! I love salt. It is my downfall.

Oh there's a great book called cooking with spices for dummies. It has a ton of info on spices and herbs, how to combine them to get certain flavours, making your own mixtures and stuff. One of the favorite things I have in my kitchen

Sodium is a necessary nutrient so you should NEVER try to eliminate sodium completely from your diet. ...This is especially true if you do strenuous exercise and sweat a lot. Outside of this... I limit my salt intake (per the salt shaker)...because the food from my current diet gives me an acceptable level of sodium without the salt shaker overkill...I use salt substitute because I need the additional potassium.

The vast majority of people can get plenty of natural sodium from vegetables and seafood both of which we should be eating plenty of for heath anyway.

Don't cut it too much. [Relative, based on your current intake and body's minimum requirement.]

Your body still requires it as part of electrolyte balance and functioning. [ Research - Hyponatremia ]

Cooking your own food definitely helps to cut down on excessive sodium intake.

Add more vinegar (especially rice vinegar, balsamic, there are a lot of flavored vinegars out there too) lemon, lime and citrus.

Herb and spice blends like Mrs Dash, Braggs has some great blends. But read the labels there can be hidden sodium.

Braggs liquid aminos (spray bottle) is a great way to add a little quality sodium and amino acids.

Nutritional yeast, this can be an acquired taste and I find a little goes a long way. Quality sodium source and adds a buttery, cheesy, slightly nutty flavor.

Avoid processed or canned foods or go for low sodium varieties.

I've never been a salt-a-holic like my teen son and husband, but I did add salt to a lot of stuff. My daughter is the one who got me off of it. She rarely adds salt to her cooking, instead using spices and herbs to jazz up her cooking, and I really didn't miss it over at her house. I tried that with my family and they didn't miss it that much, though they still add to their own food. I started buying salt substitute instead, which helps. (My son would salt sticks of salt if he could.) The nice thing is that now that I've made a point of going almost salt-free, my whole family isn't using as much salt, either.

My daughter uses Mrs. Dash a lot for stuff like eggs and tomatoes, and swears by it. Hmmm, maybe I'll try that this week.

Well, I not only survived my first endevor without salt but actually liked the switch. Threw some grape tomatoes and onion into my scrambled eggs along with a dash of Mrs Dash. Then topped it with salsa. Much to my surprise it was really good.

Thanks, all for the suggestions.

Good for you! But be sure to check the salsa for sodium - it's often pretty high...

Why is everyone so against salt?

I will still cook with it. And I eat lunch meat occasionally. I still get quite a bit of sodium in my diet (a lot of time over) without adding more.

I am also very lucky it doesn't mess with my blood pressure. Last time I was in, my BP was 95/67.

If your blood pressure is fine, then what is the rationale for ditching salt? It seems to me like it would be a waste of effort that could be better spent avoiding sugar, exercising, or just eating less calories. How about avoiding diet sodas instead of salt?

Because I truly eat way, way too much. I retain a lot of water from it. I can tell a major difference in my legs by not having any added salt for the last 4 days. I work out every day and keep my calories at 1200. When I work off calories I eat those calories back to keep at the 1200. I won't stop eating salty foods (or drinking my beer and olives). But if it makes a difference to stop pouring salt on a lot of foods then I probably should stop.

You'd have better legs, eating more and not worrying about the salt TBH! I literally put salt on anything I want and look like I do. 1200 is stupidly low.

Mrs. Dash! The BEST is Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime! It's got a little kick and because it's all spices, there are NO calories, NO sodium, etc.