Low-Salt Cooking Solutions

Salt Substitutes and Your Health

Salt substitutes, such as No Salt, commonly replace all of the sodium with potassium (with as much as 650 mg potassium per 1/4 teaspoon). But these products aren’t for everyone.  

“People who are taking high blood pressure medicine that causes their bodies to hold on to potassium could get potassium overload if they add a salt substitute,” says cardiologist J. James Rohack, president-elect of the American Medical Association.

The potassium in salt substitutes could also pose problems for people with kidney disease. Check with your doctor before using salt substitutes or lite (reduced-sodium) salt.