The study found that people taught to cook with herbs and spices were more successful at cutting salt than those given no advice
Researchers from the Department of Family and Preventative Medicine at the University of California San Diego, USA, put 55 volunteer study participants on a low-sodium diet for four weeks. More than 60% of them already had high blood pressure, 18% had diabetes and all were overweight.
As salt is the main source of sodium (other fresh food sources of sodium such as meat, seafood or vegetables, for example, contain very little sodium unless it is added during preparation), this meant cutting back on how much salt was added to dishes.
In the next phase of the study, half of those participants were shown how to add spices and herbs to food while keeping their sodium intake at 1,500mg or less a day. The other half simply reduced sodium intake on their own, without any advice or guidance on flavouring.
During the four week low-sodium diet the study participants’ average intake successfully decreased from 3,450 mg/day to 1,656 mg/day.
When the groups were no longer told exactly what to eat, however, as was the case in the second part of the study, sodium intake increased in both groups. The group who had been given advice on how to add flavour with spices and herbs, however, ingested 966 mg per day less, on average, than those who’d been given no advice.
So what did the spice group learn?
The advice they were given focused on how culture can influence spice choices, how to psychologically overcome barriers to making changes in your diet and how to choose and order foods when eating at restaurants, for example.
Rather than telling participants which spices or herbs to use, the participants had cooking demonstrations where they showed each other how they were using spices to reduce their salt intake.
Tips for salt alternatives
Use garlic powder. It adds a powerful flavour punch that’ll help make almost any vegetable, meat or fish product more tasty.
Squeeze some lemon. This citrus fruit’s sour flavour gives your tongue the taste hit it craves, meaning it doesn’t need so much salt.
Get grinding. Swap your pepper powder for fresh ground peppercorns. Your tongue will be delighted with the tickling it gets.
Go fresh. Fresh herbs chopped and sprinkled over the top of your dinner will add intense aroma and flavour to your dish. Try coriander on curries, parsley or chives on your scrambled egg, and basil in your salads and on your chicken.
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