Reducing salt and sugar intake is key for heart health, blood pressure control, weight management, and reducing the risk of diabetes. Here’s how you can cut back effectively:
🔹 How to Consume Less Salt (Sodium)
Goal: Stay under 2,300 mg per day (ideal: <1,500 mg for many adults)
✅ Tips:
- Limit processed foods: Most salt comes from packaged items like canned soups, frozen meals, deli meats, chips, and sauces.
- Cook at home more often to control how much salt you use.
- Use herbs and spices instead of salt for flavor (e.g., garlic, lemon, black pepper, rosemary).
- Choose low-sodium versions of broths, soy sauce, and canned goods.
- Read labels: Look for “low sodium,” “no salt added,” or “reduced sodium.”
🔹 How to Consume Less Sugar
Goal: Keep added sugars under 25g (6 tsp) for women and 36g (9 tsp) for men per day
✅ Tips:
- Cut sugary drinks: Soda, sweetened coffee/tea, energy drinks, and juices are major sources. Choose water, unsweetened tea, or sparkling water.
- Avoid sugary snacks: Cakes, cookies, pastries, and candy.
- Check labels for hidden sugars: Look for ingredients ending in “-ose” (like sucrose, glucose, fructose), corn syrup, or honey.
- Choose whole fruits instead of fruit juice or dried fruit with added sugar.
- Reduce sugar in recipes when baking (you can often cut 1/4 to 1/2 without noticing).
Would you like a printable checklist for reducing salt and sugar or examples of low-sodium, low-sugar meals?
