Painless Ways to Reduce Sugar and Salt in Your Diet

Added sugars aren’t naturally occurring, like the sugars found in fruit, vegetables, and dairy; they’re put into foods during processing to sweeten them. In excess, added sugars can contribute to insulin resistance, which in turn leads to higher blood sugar levels and an increased risk of diabetes. They’ve also been linked to heart disease, obesity, and even depression.

Reducing your intake of sodium is one of the most important dietary changes you can make for your health. In fact, the benefits are so huge that the World Health Organization (WHO) is redoubling its efforts to lower sodium consumption worldwide by 30 percent by the year 2030.

Too much sodium is harmful because it contributes to high blood pressure, which is a leading risk factor for stroke and heart disease, says Maya Vadiveloo, PhD, an associate professor of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. A recent study of almost 11,000 people, published in the European Heart Journal Open, found that for every 1,000 mg of sodium in the diet, there was a 9 percent increased risk for narrowing of the carotid arteries and a 16 percent increased risk for narrowing of the coronary arteries. Even adults without high blood pressure saw their risk increase in step with their sodium intake. That means that some people who consume high amounts of sodium may already have hardening of the arteries even though their blood pressure hasn’t reflected it yet.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends getting no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day (the amount found in 1 teaspoon of salt), but the AHA says 1,500 mg is an even healthier goal. Americans currently get about 3,400 mg a day, on average. That’s because staples in the American diet—bacon, cold cuts, frozen dinners, pizza, and most restaurant meals—are loaded with sodium.

Here’s what you can do to reduce your intake of these two common ingredients.

1. Start reading labels. “The Nutrition Facts label on food packaging makes it easy to see exactly how much sodium and added sugars are in each serving,” Vadiveloo says. And you may be surprised: A cinnamon raisin bagel can contain 540 mg of sodium. A 6-ounce container of flavored yogurt can have 13 grams of added sugars—as much as some ice creams. The label also shows the percentage of the maximum recommended daily amount that number represents. A daily value of 20 percent or above for sodium or added sugars is high.

2. Cook more at home. Most of the sodium in our diet comes from processed foods and restaurant meals. In addition, anything pre-prepared at the grocery store— such as roast chicken or deli salads—is likely to have added sodium as well. Cut out one restaurant meal a day or week in favor of home cooking and you can save yourself thousands of milligrams of sodium and many grams of added sugar.

3. Go slow. While some people are able cut down on salt and sugar quickly, others might need to take a more gradual approach. It may be more practical to give your taste buds time to adjust to the change. For instance, if you typically add 2 teaspoons of sugar to your coffee, reduce it to 1½ teaspoons, then 1, then ½ teaspoon over a week or two. The same subtle shifts work for sodium: Skip the piece of cheese on your burger. Try low-sodium soup or pasta sauce. And if you’re dining out, don’t add salt to your meals.

4. Find sweet alternatives. Opt for plain yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit over flavored yogurt. Eat a bowl of berries with a dollop of ice cream instead of cookies or cake. Nibble on a square of dense dark chocolate instead of a candy bar. Choose plain oatmeal (add fruit and cinnamon for sweetness) instead of sweet cereal.

5. Explore your spice cabinet. Perk foods up with herbs and spices rather than adding salt to them. Basil, mint, parsley, chili flakes, ginger, garlic—they all add flavor as well as antioxidants and other healthy compounds. Spices can provide sweet satisfaction, too: Try cinnamon, nutmeg, or vanilla extract in yogurt, coffee, and other foods that you might normally add sugar to.

6. Don’t aim for perfection. “Making changes can be challenging,” Vadiveloo says. “Every day and every meal are a new opportunity” to cut back. If you do have a salty or sugary meal, don’t beat yourself up or assume you won’t be able to stick with this new dietary approach long-term. “You’ll get better over time,” she says. “It’s a lifelong process.”