What about salt in your diet?

What types of salt are there? Are there alternatives to salt? Can you come off salt? Well, what about salt in your diet? We'll break it down for you.

Compared to ten years ago, bread contains about 25 percent less salt. One slice of bread contains on average 0.35 grams of salt. Fine, but according to the Consumers' Association there is still a lot of work to be done with other products.

“Manufacturers have agreed that by 2020 there should be ten percent less salt in food. But not all product groups participate and there are no sanctions for those who do not comply with this. And so too little is changing," said Babs van der Staak, spokesperson for the Consumers' Association.

Read also: ‘Did you already know this about salt?‘

Rehab?

If you eat a lot less salt than you are used to, it seems that the meal tastes like nothing. But did you know you can train your taste buds? They then become less accustomed to salt and the cravings decrease. You do this by gradually tapering off:add a little less salt to your food every two to three days. After a week or two you will eat half the salt.

Hint: do you eat a salty bite? Take something that contains potassium, such as leafy vegetables, potatoes and dairy products. While sodium boosts blood pressure, potassium lowers it. The daily norm is 3 to 4.5 grams for adults.

Which salt do you choose?

1. First check how much sodium is in it:the less, the better.
2. Preferably choose salt to which iodine has been added, because that is very important for your body. And except in bread, seaweed and avocado, you will find it in few other foods.
3. If you want to cut back rigorously, choose diet salt (potassium salt and Lo Salt):it contains 66 percent less sodium than table salt. Diet salt is a bit of a bite, because it tastes more bitter than regular table salt. Available at large supermarkets, health food stores and the pharmacy.

Less salty alternatives to…

• Smoked salmon ➝ fresh salmon steak
• Vegetables from jars and cans ➝ frozen vegetables
• Bread ➝ low-sodium bread or gluten-free bread with a maximum of 0.4 grams of sodium per 100 grams, such as yam (check availability at Yamglutenvrij.nl/waar-te-koop).
• Old cheese ➝ young cheese
• Drink nuts ➝ unsalted nuts
• Soy sauce and soy sauce ➝ homemade sauces from fresh ingredients
• Bouillon cube ➝ low sodium bouillon cube
• Herb mix ➝ Pimp your meal with fresh herbs such as garlic, lemongrass or Spanish pepper
• Ready meals ➝ Make your own (simple) meal

Low-salt bites

Roasted chickpeas

0.3g salt per 100g

Drain a can or jar of chickpeas (or even better:soak the dried variety for about 8 to 12 hours and then cook as directed on the package). Heat some olive oil and fry the chickpeas on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring them occasionally. Add pepper (mix) to taste after 5 minutes and some cinnamon during the last minute.

Pancake rolls

(for 5 pancakes)

1.2 g salt

Ingredients

• 250 g flour
• 450 dl semi-skimmed milk or oat milk
• 3 eggs
• Frying butter (unsalted)
• 1,5 avocado
• 1 tbsp crème frache p.p.
• Arugula

Preparation

• Crack the eggs, mix them with the milk and add the flour halfway through the whisking. Melt the butter in the pan and spoon in a fifth of the batter. Let the pancake cook on medium heat and turn it over in time. Place on a plate,
• Sprinkle the avocado (in pieces), crème frache and arugula and add pepper (mix) to taste.

Just dip

Dip raw vegetables in your homemade yogurt-garlic sauce or guaca mole. Instead of salt, use half a clove of garlic and lemon juice. The many fibers give you a long-lasting energy boost.

• Tzatziki (100 g) › 0.4 gram salt
• Guacamole (100 g) › 0.7 grams of salt
• Hummus (100 g) › 1.2 grams of salt
• Pesto (100 g) › 3.3 grams of salt

(note:ready-made pesto contains almost as much salt as chips!)