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Step 6: Salt is Okay in Small Amounts

 

 

There is a lot of fear around salt. Many people believe that any amount of sodium will raise their blood pressure, damage their heart, or lead to water retention and bloating. As a result, some well-meaning individuals go to great lengths to cut out salt completely, thinking it’s the healthy thing to do.

But in reality, salt is not the villain it has been made out to be. When used appropriately and in small amounts, salt can make a healthy, plant-based diet far more enjoyable, and for most people, it does not pose a health risk. In fact, when salt is used to enhance the flavor of whole foods like potatoes, rice, and vegetables, it can be the difference between sticking with your diet for life or giving up out of frustration.

The Nasrawy Method, which is grounded in real-world results and practical science, does not require you to eliminate salt. It encourages a more balanced approach: use salt wisely, and only in small amounts, to support long-term dietary success without compromising health.

 

 

The Real Cause of High Blood Pressure: It’s Not Just Salt

Let’s start with the biggest concern people have about sodium: blood pressure. Yes, salt can affect blood pressure in some individuals. But for most people, the real drivers of hypertension are obesity and poor diet quality, not moderate salt use.

People eating the standard Western diet are consuming enormous amounts of sodium, but they are also consuming massive amounts of saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar, and animal protein. Their arteries are inflamed and stiff, and their weight is often too high. This is what leads to high blood pressure.

When people adopt a starch-based, plant-centered diet, their weight drops, their blood vessels begin to heal, and their blood pressure often improves dramatically, even if they continue to use a moderate amount of salt.

Let’s look at some real-world examples. The traditional Japanese diet, especially in the Okinawan population, includes soy sauce, miso, and pickled vegetables, foods that contain sodium. Yet these populations had some of the lowest rates of heart disease and stroke in the world, before Western dietary influences arrived. Why? Because their overall diet was low in fat, rich in unprocessed plant foods, and free from animal products and processed junk.

Salt becomes a problem when it comes packaged with harmful foods (fast food, processed meat, and salty snacks). But if your diet is based on potatoes, rice, vegetables, and beans, then a sprinkle of salt on top is not the problem.

 

 

Why Salt Helps You Stick With a Healthy Diet

When people switch to a whole-food, plant-based diet, the most common complaint is that the food tastes bland. And for good reason. Most of us are coming from diets that are loaded with salt, sugar, fat, and artificial flavorings. Our taste buds are overstimulated. So when we start eating clean, natural food, it may seem boring at first.

Salt can help with that.

A small amount of salt can bring out the natural flavors of healthy foods and make your meals more enjoyable. A little salt on a baked potato, some tamari in a vegetable stir-fry, or a spoonful of miso in soup can make a big difference. And when your meals taste better, you’re more likely to stick with the program long term.

Research supports this. Studies show that people on extremely low-sodium diets often compensate by seeking flavor in other ways, usually by adding fat or turning to processed foods. In other words, removing all salt can backfire, pushing people to eat worse in order to feel satisfied.

We’re not advocating heavy salting. But a little salt used thoughtfully is a helpful tool, not a forbidden vice.

 

 

How to Use Salt Without Overdoing It

Here’s how you can get the benefits of salt without consuming too much of it:

  • Add salt after cooking, not during. This allows the salt to hit your taste buds directly and gives you more flavor with less sodium.

  • Use condiment-style sources of salt (such as miso, tamari, or low-sodium soy sauce) sparingly. These can enhance flavor without overwhelming your meals.

  • Avoid packaged foods, restaurant meals, and frozen dinners. These are where most people get excess sodium, not from home-cooked meals.

  • Use other flavor-enhancers as well. Garlic, onions, lemon juice, herbs, and spices can all boost flavor naturally.

  • Pay attention to how your body responds. Some people are salt-sensitive and may need to adjust more cautiously, especially if they have high blood pressure or kidney disease.

Instead of dumping in a teaspoon of salt while cooking soup, try adding just a small pinch to your bowl at the table. That one change can cut sodium intake significantly while preserving taste.

 

 

Beware of the “Low-Sodium” Processed Food Trap

Another point worth addressing is the rise of “low-sodium” packaged products marketed to health-conscious consumers. While the label sounds good, these foods often compensate for the lack of salt by adding more fat, sugar, or artificial ingredients to keep the product palatable.

Take a look at the nutrition label on a “low-sodium” plant-based burger. You’ll often find added oils, stabilizers, or protein isolates, all ingredients that contribute to weight gain and undermine the benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet.

Meanwhile, a simple baked potato with a little salt is far more satisfying, contains fewer calories, and provides actual nutrition. Do not be fooled by health claims on processed foods. Focus instead on eating real, intact, unprocessed foods, where you control the flavoring.

 

 

Who Should Be Cautious with Salt?

For most people on a healthy plant-based diet, small amounts of salt are harmless and helpful. But there are a few exceptions.

  • If you have salt-sensitive high blood pressure, you may benefit from reducing salt further. Some individuals do experience large blood pressure drops with sodium reduction.

  • If you have chronic kidney disease, your doctor may advise you to limit sodium as part of your treatment.

  • If your diet still includes processed or restaurant food, it is a good idea to reduce added salt until you’ve transitioned to home-cooked, whole plant meals.

For everyone else, salt can be safely included in small amounts, especially when it helps you enjoy and stick with the diet.

 

 

Salt Is Not the Enemy. Fat Is.

Let’s keep things in perspective. Salt does not cause obesity. Salt does not damage the arteries the way saturated fat and cholesterol do. Salt does not contain calories. It is not metabolized like sugar. It does not lead to insulin resistance. The focus on salt, in many cases, has distracted people from the real issue: fat and calorie density.

If your meals are made from potatoes, vegetables, beans, and rice, and you sprinkle a little salt on top, you are doing better than 95 percent of the population.

We don’t need to live in fear of salt. We need to remove the real causes of disease (animal foods, oil, and processed junk) and allow a modest amount of salt to help us enjoy our meals and stay on track.

 

 

Use Salt Strategically for Lifelong Success

In the Nasrawy Method, salt is treated the way it should be: as a seasoning, not a scapegoat. It is not banned, but it is used with care and intention. By adding a small amount after cooking and focusing on natural, unprocessed foods, you can have the best of both worlds, great health and meals you actually look forward to.

A healthy diet must be sustainable. If food doesn’t taste good, you won’t stick with it. Salt helps solve that problem without introducing the harms of fat, sugar, or additives.

So don’t let unnecessary fear drive you away from one of the simplest tools you have. Use salt wisely, and let your food taste like something you want to eat every day.

That’s how you stay well. And that’s how you stay the course.

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