How to get the salt out of your food

(Anna Jurkovska)

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, chili 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