How to get the salt out of your food

Too much salt and sodium is linked with a variety of health risks including diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular problems. Here are some ways to enhance a variety of dishes without a sprinkle of salt.

Too much salt and sodium is linked with a variety of health risks including diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular problems. Here are some ways to enhance a variety of dishes without a sprinkle of salt.

There are various salt alternatives including Smart Salt, a mineral-based salt alternative that reduces up to 60 percent of sodium in foods, introduced at the 2010 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo (IFT10) on July 19.

However if your diet requires living sodium-free you may want to consider spicing up your dishes with these recommendations from the organization Diabetes America:Meats: bay leaves, celery, cayenne, curry powder, garlic, pepper, marjoram, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, sage, thyme, vinegar

Beef: allspice, dill, chilli powder, garlic

Poultry: cranberries, celery seed, celery leaves, dill, ginger, oregano, parsley, turmeric, sesame seeds

Lamb: celery seed, celery leaves, curry, mint, rosemary, cinnamon, sage

Pork: cinnamon, coriander, garlic, onion, sage, thyme, ginger

Veal: bay leaf, ginger, curry, thyme, marjoram, oregano

Fish: dill, paprika, bay leaf, cayenne, fennel, ginger, dry mustard, lemon juice, turmeric

Egg: dill, basil, nutmeg, marjoram, dry mustard, onions, paprika, parsely, thyme, turmeric

Asparagus: caraway, vinegar, lemon juice

Cabbage: caraway, vinegar, cardamom

Corn: green peppers, tomatoes, coriander

Green beans: caraway, basil, dill, majoram, nutmeg, sage, vinegar, lemon juice

Peas: marjoram, thyme, onion, basil, green pepper, parsley

Potatoes: dill, caraway, green pepper, onion, parsley, thyme

Squash: cinnamon, nutmeg, onion

Tomatoes: dill, basil, cinnamon, marjoram, oregano, onion, sage, thyme, vinegar

Noodles: paprika, caraway

Rice: green pepper, onion, turmeric

Breads: caraway, celery, basil, dill, garlic, fennel, mint, thyme, vinegar, parsley, sesame seeds

Fruits: almond extract, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, poppy seed, nutmeg, marjoram