Sugar and salt are everywhere.

They are in the obvious foods we expect, such as candy, cookies, chips, and soda. But they can also hide in foods we might not think twice about—bread, sauces, salad dressings, breakfast cereals, frozen meals, canned foods, flavored yogurt, and many restaurant meals.

You don’t necessarily have to eliminate sugar and salt completely to improve your diet. A more realistic goal is to become aware of how much you’re consuming and gradually reduce the amount of added sugar and excess sodium in your everyday meals.

Today’s health tip is simple:

Consume less sugar and salt.

Small changes can make a meaningful difference over time.

Why We Eat So Much Sugar and Salt

Sugar and salt make food taste good, which is one reason they’re used so heavily in processed and prepared foods.

The problem is that our taste buds can become accustomed to very sweet or salty foods. Something with less sugar may initially taste bland when you’re used to heavily sweetened foods. The same can happen when reducing salt.

Fortunately, preferences can change.

When you gradually reduce sugar and sodium, you may begin noticing flavors you previously overlooked. Fruit can taste sweeter. Vegetables, herbs, spices, garlic, onions, citrus, and other ingredients can become much more noticeable.

Instead of thinking about reducing sugar and salt as taking flavor away, think about it as learning new ways to create flavor.

Understand Added Sugar

Not all sugar in food needs to be treated exactly the same.

Foods such as whole fruit naturally contain sugar while also providing nutrients and fiber. The bigger concern for most people is added sugar—sugar that is added to foods and beverages during processing or preparation.

Common sources include:

• Soda and other sugary drinks
• Candy
• Cookies and cakes
• Sweetened coffee and tea
• Ice cream
• Sweetened breakfast cereals
• Pastries and doughnuts
• Flavored yogurts
• Sweet sauces and syrups
• Energy and sports drinks

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, people age two and older should keep added sugars below 10% of their total daily calories.

For someone eating 2,000 calories per day, 10% equals about 200 calories from added sugar, or roughly 50 grams.

That isn’t a target you need to reach. It is an upper limit in the guideline, and reducing heavily sweetened foods can make it easier to stay below it.

Sugary Drinks Are a Great Place to Start

If you’re trying to cut back on sugar, look at what you’re drinking.

A beverage can contain a surprising amount of added sugar while doing relatively little to make you feel full. Soda, sweetened tea, specialty coffee drinks, energy drinks, lemonade, and other sweetened beverages can quickly increase your daily sugar intake.

Try replacing some of them with:

Water

Add lemon, lime, cucumber, berries, or mint if you want more flavor.

Unsweetened tea

Hot or iced tea can provide plenty of flavor without added sugar.

Sparkling water

This can be especially helpful if you enjoy the carbonation of soda.

You don’t have to change everything overnight. If you normally drink three sugary beverages a day, replacing even one with water is progress.

Be Careful With “Healthy” Foods

One reason added sugar can be difficult to manage is that it isn’t limited to desserts.

A food can be marketed as natural, organic, high-protein, low-fat, or wholesome and still contain significant amounts of added sugar.

Granola bars are a good example. Some are relatively low in added sugar, while others can resemble desserts nutritionally.

The same applies to yogurt, oatmeal packets, cereal, smoothies, protein bars, and bottled beverages.

Don’t rely entirely on the front of the package.

Turn it around.

Check the Nutrition Facts label and look specifically at the line for Added Sugars.

Comparing two similar products can sometimes reveal a surprisingly large difference.

What About Salt?

Salt and sodium aren’t exactly the same thing, although the terms are often used interchangeably in everyday conversation.

Sodium is a mineral, and salt—sodium chloride—is a major source of sodium in the diet.

Your body needs some sodium for normal functions, including nerve and muscle function and fluid balance. The goal isn’t necessarily zero sodium.

The concern is too much sodium.

The Dietary Guidelines recommend that people age 14 and older consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. Recommendations are lower for younger children.

Regularly consuming too much sodium can contribute to high blood pressure, which is an important risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Most Sodium Isn’t Necessarily Coming From Your Salt Shaker

You might assume that avoiding the salt shaker solves the problem.

It can help, but much of the sodium people consume comes from packaged, processed, prepared, and restaurant foods.

Foods that can contribute substantial sodium include:

• Pizza
• Deli meats
• Canned soups
• Frozen dinners
• Fast food
• Chips
• Crackers
• Sauces
• Certain breads
• Cheese
• Processed meats
• Packaged noodles
• Prepared sandwiches

This doesn’t mean you can never eat these foods.

It means portions, frequency, and your overall eating pattern matter.

Start Reading Nutrition Labels

One of the most useful habits you can develop is reading Nutrition Facts labels.

You don’t have to become obsessed with every number. Start with two:

Added Sugars and Sodium.

When you’re choosing between similar products, compare them.

If two sauces taste good but one contains considerably less sodium, choosing the lower-sodium option is an easy change.

If two yogurts are similar but one has much less added sugar, you have another opportunity to reduce your intake without giving up yogurt altogether.

Also pay attention to serving size. A package may contain multiple servings, meaning eating the entire package could give you considerably more sodium or added sugar than the label initially appears to show.

Cook More Food at Home

Cooking at home gives you more control over what’s in your food.

You decide how much salt goes into the meal.

You decide whether sugar is necessary.

You can also build flavor with ingredients such as:

Garlic, onion, pepper, paprika, cumin, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, chili powder, ginger, vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, fresh herbs, and other seasonings.

Experiment.

A meal doesn’t need to be overloaded with salt to have flavor.

Let Fruit Handle Your Sweet Cravings Sometimes

Want something sweet after dinner?

Try fruit.

Berries, apples, oranges, grapes, peaches, pineapple, watermelon, and bananas provide natural sweetness along with nutrients.

You could also combine fruit with foods such as plain yogurt or oatmeal.

This doesn’t mean you can never have cake, cookies, or ice cream again.

Dessert can still be dessert.

The idea is simply that every craving for something sweet doesn’t have to end with a heavily sweetened food.

Reduce Sugar Gradually

If you put three teaspoons of sugar in your coffee every morning, going immediately to zero may make your coffee unpleasant.

Instead, try two and a half.

Then two.

Eventually, maybe one.

The same strategy works with other foods.

Mix sweetened cereal with unsweetened cereal.

Buy plain yogurt and add fresh fruit.

Use less syrup on pancakes.

Choose unsweetened oatmeal and add cinnamon and fruit.

Gradual changes are often easier to maintain because you’re giving your taste preferences time to adjust.

Reduce Salt Gradually Too

The same principle applies to salt.

Instead of suddenly removing it from everything, slowly decrease the amount you use when cooking.

Meanwhile, increase other seasonings.

Use garlic.

Add black pepper.

Squeeze lemon over vegetables.

Try fresh herbs.

Experiment with vinegar.

Add spices.

Over time, you may find that you don’t need as much salt to enjoy your food.

Watch Sauces and Condiments

Sometimes the food itself isn’t the biggest source of sugar or sodium.

It’s what we put on it.

Ketchup, barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce, salad dressing, dipping sauces, marinades, and other condiments can contribute significant amounts depending on the product and portion.

You don’t necessarily have to stop using them.

Instead, check the label and pay attention to how much you’re using.

Try using a little less.

Look for lower-sodium or lower-added-sugar versions that you actually enjoy.

A healthy eating pattern needs to be sustainable, so taste matters too.

Don’t Chase Perfection

Improving your diet doesn’t require eating perfectly every day.

You can have birthday cake.

You can enjoy pizza.

You can eat dessert.

You can go to your favorite restaurant.

One meal doesn’t determine your health.

What matters more is the pattern created by the choices you repeatedly make.

If most of your meals include nutritious foods and you’re mindful about added sugar and excess sodium, occasional treats can fit into an overall balanced lifestyle.

Make One Change Today

Trying to overhaul your entire diet overnight can feel overwhelming.

Instead, choose one thing.

Maybe today you replace one soda with water.

Tomorrow you compare two jars of pasta sauce and choose the one with less sodium.

This weekend you make your own dinner instead of ordering takeout.

Next week you start buying plain oatmeal instead of heavily sweetened packets.

These changes might seem small individually.

But small decisions repeated hundreds of times throughout a year can become meaningful habits.

Your Taste Buds Can Adjust

One of the most encouraging things about changing how you eat is that your preferences aren’t necessarily permanent.

As you gradually reduce very sweet and salty foods, your palate may adapt.

You may start noticing how sweet fruit naturally tastes.

You may discover that roasted vegetables seasoned with garlic, pepper, herbs, and lemon don’t require much salt.

Foods that once tasted normal may eventually seem extremely sweet or salty.

Give yourself time.

Focus on What You’re Adding Too

Healthy eating shouldn’t always feel like a long list of things you’re forbidden from having.

Instead of constantly thinking:

“Less sugar.”

“Less salt.”

“Don’t eat this.”

“Don’t drink that.”

Also think about what you can add.

Add more vegetables.

Add whole fruit.

Add water.

Add whole grains.

Add beans and other nutrient-dense foods.

Add herbs and spices.

Add home-cooked meals.

Add healthier snacks.

When you fill your diet with nutritious foods, there is naturally less room for heavily processed foods loaded with added sugar and sodium.

A Simple Challenge for Today

Take five minutes and look at the Nutrition Facts labels of a few foods or drinks you regularly consume.

Check two numbers:

Added Sugars

Sodium

You might be surprised.

Then identify one product you could replace with a lower-added-sugar or lower-sodium alternative.

That’s it.

You don’t need to completely transform your diet today.

Just become a little more aware of what’s going into your body.

Final Thoughts

Consuming less sugar and salt isn’t about making food boring or depriving yourself of everything you enjoy.

It’s about balance.

It’s about paying attention.

It’s about understanding what is actually in the food you’re eating.

And most importantly, it’s about creating healthier habits that you can realistically maintain.

Drink a little more water.

Read the label.

Choose whole foods more often.

Cook at home when you can.

Experiment with herbs and spices.

Reduce added sugar gradually.

Watch your sodium intake.

Enjoy treats without letting them become the foundation of your diet.

You don’t have to make every change today.

Choose one healthier decision and start there.

What is one food or drink you regularly consume that you could replace with a lower-sugar or lower-sodium option?