If you are trying to cut back on salt, spices and herbs are your best friends — they add so much flavor that you will not miss the salt. Seasoning smarter makes healthy food genuinely delicious. Here is why cutting back on salt helps, the spices and herbs that add flavor, and how to use them.

Why Cutting Back on Salt Helps

The case for less salt: the the-most-people-eat-too-much-salt (the most people eating more salt than they need, largely from processed foods from the health-benefits logic — the too-much-salt), the the-health-reasons (the reducing excess salt supporting health, including blood pressure — the the-health-benefit), the the-flavor-without-relying-on-salt (the spices adding flavor so you do not rely on salt from the cooking-with-spices logic — the flavor-without-salt), the the-retrain-your-palate (the your palate adjusting to less salt over time — the palate-adjusts), the the-spices-make-it-easy (the spices and herbs making low-salt food delicious from the cooking-with-spices logic — the spices-make-it-easy), and the reframe (the cutting back on salt as easy and delicious with spices and herbs — flavor without relying on salt, supporting your health).

The Spices and Herbs That Add Flavor

Flavor without salt: the the-essential-spices (the a range of essential spices adding big flavor from the essential-spices logic — the the-essentials), the the-herbs-fresh-and-dried (the fresh and dried herbs for flavor from the cooking-with-spices logic — the the-herbs), the the-aromatic-spices (the aromatic spices — cumin, paprika, coriander and more from the essential-spices logic — the the-aromatics), the the-garlic-and-onion (the garlic, onion and their powders for savory depth from the cooking-with-spices logic — the the-savory-base), the the-acid-and-citrus (the a squeeze of citrus or a splash of vinegar to brighten from the cooking-with-spices logic — the acid-brightens), the the-spice-blends (the spice blends for easy, big flavor from the spice-blends logic — the the-blends), the the-heat-and-pepper (the pepper and chili for warmth and interest from the cooking-with-spices logic — the the-heat), and the the-fresh-aromatics (the fresh aromatics like ginger for flavor from the cooking-with-spices logic — the fresh-aromatics).

The How-to-Use-Them Notes

Seasoning smarter: the the-build-flavor-with-spices (the building layers of flavor with spices and herbs from the cooking-with-spices logic — the build-the-flavor), the the-toast-and-bloom-spices (the toasting or blooming spices to bring out flavor from the cooking-with-spices logic — the bring-out-the-flavor), the the-use-acid-and-aromatics (the using acid, garlic and aromatics for depth from the cooking-with-spices logic — the acid-and-aromatics), the the-spice-blends-for-ease (the spice blends and DIY mixes for easy flavor from the spice-blends logic — the the-blends), the the-fresh-herbs-to-finish (the adding fresh herbs to finish a dish from the cooking-with-spices logic — the finish-with-herbs), the the-keep-spices-fresh (the keeping spices fresh for the best flavor from the spice-storage logic — the fresh-spices), the the-experiment (the experimenting with spices to find what you love from the cooking-with-spices logic — the experiment), and the frame (the seasoning without salt as building flavor with spices, herbs, aromatics and acid, using blends and finishing with fresh herbs — delicious food with less salt. Build layers of flavor with spices and herbs, use garlic, aromatics and a squeeze of acid, and keep your spices fresh).

If you are trying to cut back on salt, spices and herbs are your best friends — they add so much flavor that you will not miss the salt, making healthy food genuinely delicious. Cutting back on salt helps because most people eat too much (largely from processed foods), reducing excess salt supports health, spices add flavor so you do not rely on salt, your palate adjusts over time, and spices make low-salt food delicious. The spices and herbs that add flavor: essential spices, fresh and dried herbs, aromatic spices like cumin and paprika, garlic and onion, a squeeze of citrus or vinegar, spice blends, pepper and chili, and fresh aromatics like ginger. Use them by building layers of flavor, toasting or blooming spices, using acid and aromatics, using blends for ease, finishing with fresh herbs, keeping spices fresh, and experimenting. Delicious food with less salt.