Patient/caregiver was educated on measures to be considered for compliance with 2-gram sodium diet recommendation as follows:
- Some cooking practices involve adding salt to the water used for cooking rice, pasta, and vegetables. Avoid adding any extra salt to the food during cooking or limit it to the minimum you possibly can.
- While checking out food from restaurants, do not ask for or pick extra salt sachets, which can help reduce salt consumption significantly.
- Avoid adding salt on the dinner table. Discarding the saltshaker can help avoid adding any extra salt on the dinner table.
- Rely on other seasonings and spices, such as, onions, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, green chilies, saffron, coriander, fennel, turmeric, and lemon to add flavor to the food. This can help avoid eating too bland and reduce craving for the salt.
- Herbs such as, parsley, mint, basil, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, cilantro, curry leaves, lemongrass, oregano, dried fenugreek leaves, and sage could also add flavor to the food and contribute to reducing craving for salt.
- When picking readymade spice mixes from over the counter, prefer low sodium alternatives or no salt added alternatives over regular spice mixes, to help cut down intake of any extra salt during cooking.
