3 Ways to Cut 1,000 mg of Sodium

By EatingWell Editors, "Get the Salt Out," January/February 2011

Simple swaps to get the salt out.

Healthy Low-Sodium Recipes
Low-Sodium Dinner Recipes
Healthy Low Sodium Recipes and Menus

More Information on Cutting Back on Salt
New York curbs salt in food: 5 easy ways you can cut back
6 Easy Ways to Cut Sodium
Cutting Back on Salt

Americans have a supersized salt habit. (On average we eat 3,400 milligrams of sodium in a day, which is about 11⁄2 teaspoons of salt.) If we—as a population—slashed sodium by about 1,000 mg (1⁄2 teaspoon) out of our daily diets, we’d lower our risk of heart disease by up to 9 percent, according to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Save salt with these 3 easy ways to trim 1,000 mg of sodium:

1. Trade a meaty personal-size pizza for a veggie version.

2. Eat 1 less tablespoon soy sauce with your sushi.

3. Make your snack-pack carrots instead of pretzels.