8 Ways To Replace Dietary Salt

• Celery juice is naturally super salty—add it to other dishes.
• Marinate diced cucumber in lime juice for a couple of days in the fridge and add to other dishes.
  
• Use seaweed instead. Popular and easily accessible kinds are nori, wakame, kombu/kelp and sea palm. Always read the labels to make sure it is pure seaweed, without salt or other additives.
• Use a lot of fresh dill and cilantro in dishes. Make sure to include the stalks, which are the saltiest part of the plants.
• Use other fresh herbs to enhance flavor. The more pronounced the flavor, the less the need for salt. Parsley, rosemary, basil, oregano, chives, thyme, mint, marjoram and sage are all great for this.
• Dried herbs can also be a great substitute. Use at least one teaspoon of dried herbs per each pinch of salt normally used. If using dried lavender, only use a little bit.
• Use spices to boost flavor. Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, cumin, coriander and fennel—the list of options is long.
• Spicy, heat-inducing aromatics such as black and white pepper powder, fresh ginger, horseradish, garlic, onion and turmeric help make food very appealing to the taste buds.
  

If there is leftover salt in the cupboard, use it for cleaning and scrubbing or combine it with turmeric and neem powder for a simple homemade tooth powder to use instead of conventional toothpaste.

Irina Ra is the co-owner of Purple Sprout Cafe and Juice Bar, located at 341 E. Dundee Rd., in Wheeling. For more information, call 224-223-7133 or visit PurpleSprout.com.