GO AHEAD, RUB IT IN

It's been two years since I began monitoring the sodium content of food ingredients. It has become part of my daily routine. Too much sodium and my world becomes dizzy. Literally, I become dizzy.

I went from not paying attention to the sodium content per serving to having to be obsessed with it. I've now become frugal with salt consumption.

Switching to "lower sodium" food items did not solve the problem for me as the "lower sodium" content per serving was still too high.

Instead, I turned to the internet and Google and researched recipes for salt alternatives such as rubs and spices.

Rubs are made from my pantry spices. Some rubs contain brown sugar. These rubs add flavor to my chicken and pork recipes.

When in the mood for Mexican dishes, I create my own taco seasoning mix as the lower sodium content packets contain 290 mg of sodium per serving. I make a small jar of homemade taco seasoning and use as needed. This saves time and money!

Need croutons for a salad? Tossing toasted bread cubes with spices such as crushed black pepper, parsley, oregano and basil adds pizzazz. Bread contains sodium and no further salt is needed for the croutons.

Chicken soup is enhanced with rosemary, garlic, crushed black pepper and a bay leaf.

If you have a family member who needs to lower the sodium content in their food, it takes some initial research but once in a routine, it becomes as natural as sprinkling chili powder on popcorn.

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today's tip: To be frugal with salt intake, read labels on food items. Much to my surprise, meats contain sodium. The consumption of fewer non-processed foods will be the first step in this process. For example, change from instant oatmeal to cooked oatmeal.

Another strategy to weaning off sodium is selecting lower sodium products. Eventually change from packets of lower sodium (taco seasoning) to homemade taco seasoning.

Preparing from "scratch" allows you the control over how much sodium is not included in your daily diet.