Did you ever wonder if certain foods have a direct effect on your health?

Well, I'm here to solve that mystery since you are the foods you eat.

Welcome to the Nutrition Facts Podcast. I'm your host Dr Michael Greger.

We know it's possible to cut down on our salt intake so what are three practical steps we can take?

The two most prominent dietary practical steps we can take.

The two most prominent dietary risks for death and disability in the world

are not eating enough fruit and eating too much salt.

Too little fruit kills nearly 5 million people every year.

Too much salt kills 4 million.

There are three things we can do to lower our salt intake.

First, don't add salt at the table. A third of us add salt to our food

before even tasting it. Number two, stop adding salt when cooking.

At first, the food will taste bland.

2 to 4 weeks later, however, as the sensitivity of the salt taste receptors in the mouth

become more sensitive to the taste of salt in the usual

concentrations. Believe it or not, but after two weeks you may actually prefer the taste of food

with less salt.

Some of the flavorings you can use instead in the meanwhile, instead of salt,

include using more pepper, onion, garlic, tomato, sweet peppers,

basil, parsley, thyme,

chili, nettle, rosemary, smoke flavor, curry, cori, coriander, and lemon.

Even if you did add salt though, it's probably better than eating out, where even at non-fast food

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