Reduce Salt Every Day, Here's an Easy Way to Do It

Illustration of salt. (Pexels/Tara Winstead)

JAKARTA - In addition to sugar, daily salt consumption must also be limited. This is because excessive salt consumption can cause various diseases.

Starting from the risk of high blood pressure or hypertension, heart disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, to osteoporosis. Several studies have also proven that increased salt intake (sodium) is associated with headaches and autoimmune diseases.

The WHO recommends that adults consume less than 5 grams of salt per day, and less for children. Adults should not consume more than 5-6 grams of salt or the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt.

However, regulating daily salt consumption is indeed a challenge to be carried out. This is because salt is not only from table salt that is added while cooking, but some foods already have sodium content in them.

Therefore, here are some recommendations for ways to reduce daily salt intake that you can do, quoted from WebMD, Tuesday, February 10, 2026.

1. Pay attention to the salt label on the food

When choosing food, especially packaged ones, pay close attention to the packaging label regarding its salt content. Choose foods that have a "low sodium" or "low salt" label.

This applies to food or drinks, as well as products such as cooking sauces. Try to choose products that contain less than 300 milligrams of sodium per serving.

2. Use alternative seasonings

When cooking, you don't always have to use salt to add flavor to food. You can use alternative seasonings such as garlic, onions, or natural mushroom broth.

3. Limit processed foods

Processed foods that have gone through various processing processes tend to contain high salt. Therefore, it is important to limit the consumption of processed foods so that salt intake is not excessive.

Consume whole and healthy foods, such as vegetables, nuts, to fresh meat that contains less salt.