The average adult should take no more than 2300 milligrams of sodium a day. Excess sodium in the diet leads to high blood pressure, heart disease and even strokes. It can also cause calcium deficiency.
Want to cut back on salt but not compromise on taste ?
Many of us take salt for granted, sprinkling it on our food and finding it in nearly every recipe. It turns out, however, that excess salt plays a huge role in causing heart disease and strokes.
The body needs a small amount of sodium to function, but most people these days consume too much sodium. High sodium consumption can raise blood pressure, and high blood pressure puts more strain on your heart.
We need to reduce our intake of sodium and find other ways to make a recipe tasty and healthy. By simply changing how we eat, we can reduce our cardiovascular risk by as much as 25%!
Spices and seasonings are a great way to make food tasty as well as super nutritious, helping you cut down your salt intake at the same time.
Now you can rely not just on Indian spices such as Turmeric and Black pepper, but also use international seasonings to add variety and flavor to your meals.
But choose your condiments wisely
Only spices that enhance the natural flavor of your food can be counted as healthy. These flavours include: turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, basil, marjoram, sumac, and others. You can choose from a wide variety of different kinds of these spices to add to your dishes. But what if your spice tolerance is too low or you don't like the taste of plain spices?
Seasonings - something healthy to suit every palate
Seasonings such as chermoula, Chipotle and Peri Peri can add a lot of flavor to your food, but also bring variety in terms of taste. When choosing the right seasonings there are a few things you should consider.
Their sodium content
Since seasonings add so much flavor, many people often overlook the fact that a lot of seasonings contain added salt. If you are cutting back on salt, then using these options defeats the purpose. But if you're very conscious about your health and also don't want to compromise on taste there are a whole range of seasonings that are either salt free or made with low sodium salt, like these seasonings from Ella Foods.
Their purity
Like spices, seasonings are often packed with contaminants such as Lead and other heavy metals which often serve as unhealthy additives to enhance the color of a seasoning mix. Seasonings are also prone to microbial contamination in the form of salmonella and other bacteria. This is why it is important to check the quality of your seasonings before purchase. Check to see if the seasonings you buy are GMP certified for starters.
Cold pasteurization is an FDA approved technique that rids food items such as fruits, vegetables, spices and seasonings of all microbial contamination, making them safer to consume. Apart from being 99% microbial free, such seasonings also have a longer shelf life meaning they don't spoil quickly. Considering spices and seasonings can sit on your shelf, often forgotten, this is a safe and practical way to make your seasonings last longer.
Their flavor profile
Seasonings bring the flavours of the world to your plate with just a sprinkle, so it’s imperative that your seasonings retain as much of their original flavor as possible.
Choose seasonings where the ingredients are authentic, and come hand picked straight from the parts of the world where they are best grown. Nothing short of the best ingredients can get you authentic flavors.
Since seasonings are often ground into a powder, it is beneficial to ensure that your seasonings are cryogenically ground. Cryogenically ground seasonings are those that have been cooled sufficiently before they are ground, as the grinding process generates a lot of heat. When so much heat is generated, the essential oils, which are what make your seasonings flavourful in the first place, evaporate. This could leave your seasonings bland.
Cryogenically ground seasonings retain most of their essential oils and can often be up to 50% more flavourful than regular seasoning.
Now that you have a solution to your salt woes, eating healthier is simply a sprinkle away.