Patients with different types of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and high blood pressure often need to reduce the amount of sodium in their diets. Sodium stores water in the body, making it harder for the heart to pump blood through the veins. Doctors often recommend cutting down on salt intake in order to lower the chances of developing chronic high blood pressure, and eventual heart attack and heart disease.

Here are easy ways to reduce sodium in your diet:

1. Be aware of hidden sodium
Cutting down on salt intake is not easy, when consumers are used to high salt diets or don’t realize the amount of hidden sodium in processed foods. Start by preparing more meals at home. Also, cut down on canned foods (i.e., soups, condiments, etc.) and frozen dinners and focus instead on fresh fruit and vegetables, lean cuts of meat, poultry, and fish, which contain less sodium than canned or frozen versions.

2. Shop low sodium
When grocery shopping peruse the aisles for low sodium food options. Shop for fresh seafood, hormone free meats and poultry, fresh fruit and vegetables, oil, lemons, dried beans, low sodium frozen and canned foods, oats, eggs, rice, pasta, whole grain bread, low sodium nuts, and fruit sorbets.

3. Spice things up
Many people associate low sodium with lack of taste. However, cutting down on the amount of sodium added to food doesn’t mean you can’t get crafty with other tasty spices. For instance, add garlic powder, cumin, chilies, onion powder, thyme, and rosemary to fish, beef, or poultry marinades and soups,sauces, and stews, to add flavor. Lightly salt foods after cooking and use non-sodium herbs and spices for added flavor.

4. Stick to lower sodium snacks
When shopping for snacks always check your food labels. For instance, see out crackers, cereals, and chips with less than 200 milligrams per serving. Try to eat fresher, lower sodium snack foods like apple slices with almond butter, vegetables and hummus, no salt added tail mix, air popcorn with no-salt spices, and yogurt and fruit parfaits.

5. Sub salt for herbs
Try substitutes for salt when cooking in fresh or dried herbs. Basil tastes delicious in sauces, salads, pizza and pasta. Paprika goes well with chicken, rice, and in stews. Rosemary flavors roasted meats and vegetables. Also consider tumeric,cumin, chives, hot chile peppers, and oregano.