How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease

by Michael Greger

There are three things you can do to shake the salt habit.69 First, don’t add salt at the table. (One out of three people may add salt to their food before even tasting it!)70 Second, stop adding salt when cooking. The food may taste bland at first, but within two to four weeks, the salt-taste receptors in your mouth become more sensitive, and food tastes better. Believe it or not, after two weeks, you may actually prefer the taste of food with less salt.71 Try any combination of such fantastic flavorings as pepper, onions, garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, basil, parsley, thyme, celery, lime, chili powder, rosemary, smoked paprika, curry, coriander, and lemon instead.72 Also, it’s probably a good idea to avoid eating out as much as possible. Even non-fast-food restaurants tend to pile on the salt.73 Finally, do what you can to avoid processed foods.