Most Americans get more than the recommended amount of sodium in their diet. We are eating way too much salt, and much of it is coming from our processed food. As a result, more people are being diagnosed with high blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends 1500mg of sodium or less per day and the average person consumes over twice the recommendation. Many people in our workshops often say that they don’t use the salt shaker that much but much of the food they buy is highly processed, already seasoned or purchased from a fast food chain. A simple way to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet is to use spices and herbs when cooking instead of cooking with the salt. Herbs can give food flavor. The Extension Office can provide you information about which herbs work best with which types of foods. Fresh herbs are very hardy and easy to grow, even if you do not have a lot of space. They do not have that long of a shelf life, but you can always use dried herbs. However, since dried herbs are stronger than fresh herbs, you need less, typically 1/3 of the amount of the fresh herbs. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano, you only need 1 teaspoon of dried.