Cut back on salt
Read our tips on clever ways to enjoy salt-free cooking, and put them into practice with six of our best low-salt recipes.
• Eat the freshest foods: Eat produce at its best, when it’s fresh. Ripe fruit and raw vegetables are full of flavour.
• Enjoy natural sodium: Celery, beetroots, carrots, sweetcorn, spinach, artichokes, poultry and seafood all have it.
• Embrace herbs: All foods have a herb partner – rosemary for lamb, bread and vegetables; sage for pork; fennel for fish and so on. Herbs enhance flavour and reduce your salt cravings.
• Add a dash of spice: Make a seasoning mix with 1 tablespoon each mustard powder, paprika and garlic powder, 1 teaspoon each black pepper, dried basil and thyme. Sprinkle on food before cooking.
• Use sharp flavours: Squeeze lemon and lime over chicken, fish and vegetables before you cook, and add rich, sticky balsamic vinegars to marinades and salad dressings.
• Eat naturally hot foods: Spicy leaves such as watercress and rocket pep up salads. Horseradish and wasabi are great with meat and fish, and chillies add a real kick to food.
• Slow cook: Simmering soups and stews intensifies flavours.
• Know your onions: Gently fry onions in oil and unsalted butter until caramelised, then use to add savouriness.
• Make your own stock: Chicken carcasses contain natural sodium and make great stock with veg and herbs.
• Home-bake cakes and biscuits: That way, you know there’s no extra salt added.