Too little make food tasteless, and too much is just tongue-curdling! Such is the fine balance that one must strike when using those small white grains we refer to as salt. It’s not only an essential ingredient of all savoury items but is also recommended in certain health conditions, such as dehydration as a result of diarrhoea or vomiting, where it is recommended to take a pinch of salt, a few drops of lemon juice with a tablespoonful of honey or sugar mixed in a glass of water. Also adding a pinch of salt to fruit juices keep us adequately hydrated in summer.

But despite these and many more benefits salt is not always safe to consume. For instance, over consumption of salt can be hazardous for people suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure). The high intake of sodium, an ingredient of table salt, with inadequate intake of potassium can raise blood pressure that may cause heart attack or stroke (paralysis). In summer, unlike winter, there are fewer incidences of heart attack and stroke, because of continuous loss of electrolytes including sodium in sweat. This also explains the significance of sports as recreational activity for keeping good health and to knock out obesity and associated illnesses e.g. diabetes, blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and many more.

With dietary advice for restricting sodium intake arises a question: “How can food taste salty without adding salt?” While looking for substitutes, people have considered Chinese Salt as a healthy alternative. In fact it is not right to think that Chinese Salt (Monosodium glutamate) can substitute for common salt. Chinese Salt, as the chemical name shows, also has sodium in it. Moreover, excess consumption has been linked with all manners of health problems.

The relationship between sodium in salt and potassium influences your overall cardiovascular well-being. So, while to control blood pressure through diet salt restriction is recommended, it is important to also take a potassium-rich diet. Many vegetables provide the required potassium and on top of the list is spinach, which is an excellent source of potassium. Not just that, but Spinach juice added to any dish makes it taste salty without altering the sodium content. Other vegetables that can supply an ample amount of potassium include broccoli, tomatoes, beetroot, green beans ,carrot, cucumber, bell pepper and cauliflower.

With cucumber please note that peeling it drastically reduces the potassium content. Among fruits, apricot and papaya are the most potassium rich fruits that even diabetic patients can eat safely in ample quantities.

Also there are many herbs, such as oregano, dill, garden thyme, rosemary and peppermint which, when mixed with any food add flavour and freshness to it. The less familiar herbs that can substitute the need of salt includes rose geranium, sweet bay, purple amaranth, winter savoury and Vietnamese coriander. The additional benefits associated with the use of these herbs include detoxification of harmful compounds produced in the body or those taken in from the environment.

Another option to make any food salty is to use sea vegetables. Sea vegetables are rich sources of a vast array of minerals and lignans — chemical compounds with cancer protective properties. Compared to ordinary salt, sea vegetables have higher iodine content, which is needed to sustain the optimum activity of thyroid glands that plays a key role in maintaining hormonal balance in a healthy body.

Kelp is a sea vegetable that can be easily used as an alternative to salt as it is available in flakes that can be added easily to most foods during cooking or at the table. Granulated or ground dulse or nori can also be added in cooked food instead of common salt.These herbs and the sea vegetables can easily be obtained from any supermarket selling natural food.