By: Maria Parker Hopkins

October was my month to eat less salt, but I will warn you: I didn’t want to! My family has a history of high blood pressure—who cares! Though, I don’t have medical issues, I could in the future—so what!

See, I told you I wasn’t happy about it. And I could think of 11 challenges that would have been much easier for me to do. However, because this particular challenge was the one with which I have the most difficulty, and because I’m competitive by nature, I set out to overcome my salty addiction.

After consulting with my challenge motivator, I began to implement some of her suggestions: I started to salt “once.” Mind you it was the most forceful shake of the salt shaker ever, but it was still only once. I also began to become more mindful of the amount of salt-ful components on my plate. And now I must admit that once my desensitized buds recovered, I really began to enjoy the natural flavors of foods.

Salt enhances a food’s flavor, but I was missing the taste that food supply on their own. I am still a work in progress, but I’m pretty proud of myself.

Read More: Top 10 Ways to Reduce Sodium

By: Susan Roberts

Watch out, Dara Torres!

I would like to take a moment to look back at one of our 12 Healthy Habits from earlier in the year—the February directive to get moving. Because we are supposed to continue these new habits throughout the year, aren’t we?

I have always done a halfway decent job of getting moving. After a youth and young adulthood spent dancing (ballet, modern), I got into running in my late 20s, and then added some classes such as spinning in my 30s. I’ve always enjoyed my cardio.

This year I turned 40, and I found myself facing a new challenge: My knees and lower back hate me and are plotting revenge. They have let me know, in no uncertain terms, that they are not interested in any more high-impact aerobic exercises. If I wanted to continue to challenge myself with cardio, I would have to make a truce with my joints and find something that doesn’t involve a lot of bouncing up and down.

Enter swimming. I had always heard that swimming was great exercise—low impact, involves the whole body. I belong to a gym with a couple of very nice pools. Of course, I didn’t know how to swim, but I’m not the type to dwell on trivial details. My gym sent out a few e-mails advertising summer swimming lessons. These lessons were all designed for children, but I brazened it out and called about adult lessons anyway, got the numbers of some instructors, and was soon on my way.

Well, long story short, those early swimming lessons were the most frustrating experiences I’ve had in a very long time. I was used to going into a new exercise class and, while certainly not being able to do everything perfectly right off the bat, being able to follow along somewhat, and then improving with practice. When it came to swimming, I felt like nothing I was good at translated to this weird new activity. The one thing I was counting on—having decent endurance—didn’t even apply. Swimming was so much harder than I expected, and the whole “not being able to breathe at just any given moment because you’re underwater” thing really messed with my head.

I didn’t have good upper-body strength—something I’ve tended to neglect with my other activities—so of course that didn’t help when it came to doing strokes. One side of my body is considerably stronger than the other, which led me to swim in a dead diagonal across the pool. And for some reason—bad swimming instincts, lack of understanding of hydrodynamics, or perhaps bad karma—when I first started doing the breaststroke, I went backwards.

And let’s not forget that oftentimes I was surrounded by children—children swimming around like little guppies. They weren’t actually part of my private lesson, but they were around. Watching me. They seemed so full of joy, as opposed to fear of imminent death. I was jealous.

After a few weeks of this, I was quite demoralized and ready to throw in the towel, assuming I just wasn’t meant to be a swimmer. But I just hated to quit so soon, and besides, I definitely got a good workout. My saintly teacher, Coach Rafael, has the patience of Job. He specializes in teaching children, but he also does extremely well with recalcitrant 40-year-olds. He’s very good at analyzing the movement and breaking down exactly what I’m doing wrong. And he’s very reassuring. He has told me time and time again that the main things I need to work on are my patience and my timing—two things I have never, ever been known for. He is also wise.

So, I’m not going to tell you that everything suddenly came together and gelled and now I’m a great swimmer. For one thing, lightning would probably strike me at my computer. However, in recent weeks, I have become considerably less terrible. I can now do real laps back and forth across the pool like a grown-up (not like a kid—I’m not that good yet). I absolutely love the fact that no matter how hard I work out, swimming doesn’t make any of my joints hurt afterward. (Yet—I know that may change, but don’t curse me yet.) I have a stronger upper body and core. And the more improvements I see, the more inspired I am to practice. Lately I have begun to feel like I’m on a roll, and I want to keep that good momentum going as long as possible.

I would like to encourage you not just to get moving, but to get out and do something you’ve never done before. Sure, it might seem impossible at first, but imagine the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel as you start to get control of it. If you have children, you probably push them to try new things all the time, but when was the last time you pushed yourself? If you have overuse injuries, learning a new activity can be good for your body. But the psychological benefits of taking on and mastering a tough new sport may be the things that really get you hooked.

This week, Susan successfully experimented with herbs. She made a fresh pesto that she tossed with linguine, tomatoes and long shavings of Parmesan cheese. She also made a chimichurri sauce (parsley, cilantro) which she served with steak, and a lemon rosemary chicken.

Prior to this herbstravoganza, Susan’s hands-on herb experience was limited to fresh basil and dried oregano. This week, she found herself playing with scallions, cilantro, parsley, and arugula and loving it. “I think of parsley as having no flavor, because out of a shaker, it doesn’t. Fresh herbs have a completely different flavor than dried,” said Susan.

Plus, since Susan chose recipes that use handfuls of herbs instead of teaspoons, she noticed another benefit. “In the past, I didn’t buy fresh herbs because I don’t use them up,” said Susan, “Right now, I have a little rosemary, but we’ve used up everything else.” Since rosemary keeps for up to a month in the refrigerator, I feel confident that Susan will find more uses for her rosemary before it goes bad.

But there’s one part of Susan’s coaching session that had this coach jumping up and down, and it’s this: When I asked Susan how much she was salting her food, and if she noticed a difference, she said, “You know, salt isn’t really on the forefront of my mind. I’m thinking about the food now. When I was having dinner last night, I had to stop and ask myself, ‘Did I use it?’”

Hallelujah! Susan, who used to spend a good part of dinner criticizing herself for her salting, has shifted her focus. Sure, there’s salt on the table, but it’s not on her mind as much. She salts once, and is satisfied to see those big ol’ grains of kosher salt smiling up from her plate. 

And now, the conversation at the dinner table is about flavor, flavor, flavor. Oooh, is this chimichurri too spicy? Not according to her husband, who said he’d eat it on anything. She thought her daughter wouldn’t like the pesto linguine since she’d recently staged a Parmesan protest, but as it turns out, what a 6-year-old doesn’t know won’t kill her; she loved it and may even reconsider Parmesan once she learns that Parmesan is one of pesto’s leading ladies. 

This week, Susan’s salt conversation was secondary; now she’s much more interested in what new delicious dishes she can cook. This week, she’s taking a trip to Asia. We found versions of family favorites on cookinglight.com, so Susan is going to rock a Pan-Fried Udon Noodles with Teriyaki Sauce, Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry, and Sesame Orange Chicken. 

How’s this month going for you, salt-wise? Let us know!

Isn’t there a song titled “Eating out is fun to do?”  Well it is, but it sure takes a toll on your waist if foods are not chosen properly.  For the past several months, I’ve worked very hard at choosing the right vegetables to go along with each meal that I enjoy outside of my own kitchen.

It’s fall and what a delight to see butternut squash, beets, apples and more on menus this season.  Just yesterday I enjoyed a beet salad at The Grand Marlin  in Pensacola, FL.  Just take a look at those beautiful colors…red, yellow, green, oh my!  And the Yellowfin Tuna entrée (pictured below); just caught that morning from the waters off Destin, FL.  Talk about fresh and sustainable!  And to my surprise, guess what came as a wonderful little goodie on the side: pumpkin seed brittle.  This is the best-tasting brittle I have ever put to my lips.  Executive Chef Gregg McCarthy—hats off to you!  

So of course I then turned to the pages of Cooking Light’s October issue and found Thai Cashew Brittle that will be a must this month. And with pumpkin on the brain, I’m sharing one favorite recipes from the past:  Pumpkin-Honey Beer Quick Bread.

I’m still a work in progress but what a challenge—and actually what fun—to study a menu and know I’m making a good choice when it comes to adding vegetables to my plate.  If you have any other ideas or suggestions, please send them my way!

It was with a bit of trepidation and a lot of trust that our October coaching candidate, Susan, followed some counter-intuitive coaching recommendations for limiting her sodium intake.

After our call, here were my recommendations to Susan:

- Instead of feeling guilty about your sodium intake, enjoy the process of salting your food. First: don''t leave salt out of your recipes, and second: buy a little salt cellar for the table so that salting is a fun thing. Do it, take pleasure in it; don't feel guilty. Your body needs salt, so be mindful, but not guilty.

- Use larger-crystal kosher salt. This is real salt, it just has a larger crystal. Teaspoon for teaspoon, this has less sodium than a fine salt which has a smaller crystal. Plus, it takes longer to dissolve into your food, so you "taste" it more.

- Put cut lemons and limes on the table. If you like to "pop" the flavors in your food with salt, chances are you'll enjoy perking up your meal with some acid. You know how the Brits love malt vinegar with their fries? Same philosophy. So increase of reaching for the salt, try a lemon squeeze!

Here's what happenned:

Susan bought her daughter Sarah a salt cellar and put kosher salt in it. It's pink and she loves it. Plus, Sarah is really taking to the lemons and limes on her food. "I've been pleasantly surprised," said Susan. "Now I find myself saying "Ok, enough with the lemon and lime, you're overdoing it!"

When Susan invited her salt-loving dad to dinner, there were no salt shakers on the table, but she did provide small bowls with kosher salt for pinching. By parting with the old habit of shakers, she was able to encourage a new approach to salt.

Ironically, Susan's husband found the kosher salt *too* salty, and wished that he had put less on his food the first night he tried it. The lower-sodium salt was too salty? Terrific! I'll take that as a win!

Susan prepared a chicken and caper dish (pictured below), and for the first time, used the amount of salt that was called for in the recipe. Susan and her family also measured the salt they added to their meal that night first night (without holding back), and found that she used about 1/8 of a teaspoon of kosher salt. Which is 12% of the recommended daily allowance of salt. Which is absolutely fine. 

When Susan invited her parents and sister over for a Quick Pastitsio, her Dad was worried about trying it. He was nervous that this no-salt thing would have removed all the salt, and joy, from the meal and the table. Susan reassured him that there was salt in the dish, and though she was not using salt shakers, there would be salt on the table as well.

"When it came time to dish it out onto plates, my Dad told me to just give him a small amount because he wasn't sure he was going to like it." said Susan. "A few minutes later, his plate was clean and he asked me for a second helping.  When it was time to go home, I offered him leftovers and he seemed very happy to have them."

"I used the recommended salt in the recipe (1/4 tsp) and salted my food only once with the kosher salt and that's all I needed," said Susan. "Sarah squeezed her lemons and limes all over all of her food and also into her water.  She is loving having the lemons/limes on the table.

This week's goal: Susan will start cooking with fresh herbs. She's going to make a basil pesto, herb chimichurri, and chicken with rosemary. Basil and dried oregano are the only herbs Susan has used to date, so we're hoping that by adding vivid flavor to her food, she'll be reaching for that salt cellar even less. 

Stay tuned, and please share your ideas for eating less salt!

This month, I'll be working with Susan to help her getting a handle on her sodium intake. Here's the letter she sent me to explain why she needed my help:

Hello...
My family has always used too much salt on everything. I remember my Dad trying to cut back when I was a kid and he warned me to watch my salt because of how hard it is to stop once you start.  He tried every salt substitute out there and never did manage to get off of salt.  He still keeps a salt shaker next to him at the table at large gatherings. 

Now I have the same issue.  I salt everything...over and and over.  I find that when the salt sits on the food, the taste fades...so I salt it again.  I have a six year old now who, despite my efforts not to introduce table salt to her, has developed a strong affinity for it.  We cannot leave salt shakers out because she will try to use it when we are not looking and will oversalt her food.  I try very hard to make myself stop using it, not so much even just for my own health, but because I know my daughter is watching me and I can't tell her to stop using salt, if I can't do it. 

I wish I could say I'm hopeful i can stop using salt entirely...but I would be lying.  I do feel though that's it is possible for me to learn to reduce my salt intake and try to help  my daughter learn to control her intake while she is still  young. 

After our first coaching conversation, it became clear that Susan was really beating herself up whenever she readched for the salt. Make no mistake -- she still reached for it -- but it was an incredibly negative experience, for herself, and now for her daughter. It was a real source of stress.

Susan doesn't salt her food while cooking (not even the pasta water); instead she salts each bite when she eats. I asked her to measure her salt at dinner and guess what? She had only had 1/8 of a teaspoon of salt. That's 12% of her RDA of salt. At one meal. Which is fine! Susan's salt may be just what she needs! After all, our bodies need salt, and with all that salt-denial...let's just say wouldn't it be a happy discovery to find out that Susan is giving her body exactly what it needs?

Salt may be America's favorite seasoning, but it's in the nutrition hot seat. Now that we've gotten past the low-carb era and the frenzy over fat, all eyes are on the amount of sodium we consume.  

Our bodies need sodium, that's for sure.  We're just getting too much:  about 1-1/2 times more sodium per day than the 2,300mg alloted by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  

That's why the October habit is to eat less salt. We know, that's a challenge. Few Americans -- just one in 10 -- limit daily sodium intake to these recommended levels (which is just a mere teaspoon of salt).

We asked our readers if they thought they were eating less than 2,300mg of sodium.  Here's what they said:

59% Probably not

36% I think so, or at least I'm trying

5% I have no clue

If you're using lots of prepackaged food and frequently eat out, it will be mighty tough to hit the sodium target.  Nearly 80 percent of the sodium we consume is added to a food before you open a package or order from a menu.

So our March habit of preparing 3 more meals per week at home will serve you well when it comes to slashing sodium.  

Once you start cooking more, there are some simple things you can do to reduce sodium without sacrificing flavor.

Pick a smarter salt.  Go for the large-crystal salts, like kosher salt and sea salt.  Per teaspoon, they contain almost 25% less sodium than table salt.

Save the salt for the table.  Instead of salting when you're cooking, wait to salt at the table.  Fill up a decorative salt cellar with kosher, sea salt or an interesting flavored salt to use as a finishing salt. You'll get a more immediate flavor impact, so you'll likely use less.

Dial up other flavors.  Counterbalance the lack of salt by focusing on a completely different flavor profile.  Try acidity, sweetness or heat as a substitute for saltiness.  You'll be amazed at what a squirt of lemon juice or a splash of balsamic vinegar can do to vegetables.  Try glazing a chicken breast with sweet apricot preserves or sprinkling smoked paprika on grilled meats.

What are your tricks for eating less salt?  Tell us what's working for you!

Image courtesy of Happy Krissy on flickr

Jenny and Rob are in a whole different world today than they were one month ago.

As Jenny puts it: "I was excited this week when I got my new issue of Cooking Light and didn’t have to skip over the fish recipes like I used to.  A whole new world is opened to me!"

Until this month, when Jenny and Rob saw fish on a menu, or in the grocery store, they looked away. It was an automatic "no." And as a result, their young children had never tasted fish. Never.

That's all different now. As of this month, Miriam, their daughter, is now eating fish 3 times per week. Here's a clean plate picture after she tried salmon for the first time:

Rob and Jenny were committed to trying fish, but they weren't going to committed to liking it. So they started slowly, building confidence with baby steps, grilling tilapia and making a homemade Caesar salad dressing (with anchovy paste).

One month later, they're making Thai Beef Cabbage Cups (with fish sauce, which is not for the feint-of-fish), and Spicy Orange Shrimp Stir-Fry.

Rob and Jenny, you've made me proud. They say you can't change a person, and I suppose you can't, but you two, collectively, chose to change yourselves. And you weren't going to hold your nose and swallow that salmon down, fish had to earn your respect to earn a spot on your table. And in order to do that, you committed to trying, to giving fish a shot, to opening your minds, mouths and stomachs to something new; something your brain was opposed to.