What Are Acceptable Salt Substitutes, And Is 'Sea Salt' A Healthy Alternative To Table Salt?

Dr. Gottlieb answers the question: 'What Are Acceptable Salt Substitutes?'

ByABC News
November 19, 2008, 6:00 PM

— -- Question: What are acceptable salt substitutes, and is 'sea salt' a healthy alternative to table salt?

Answer: Salt restriction is very important in patients with heart failure. However, there are many other additives that people can use. Basically, any spice other than salt is fine; so garlic or parsley, Italian spices, pepper are all fine. However, anything with salt or sodium is particularly dangerous. This includes light salts or canned vegetables that say they have less sodium, because it is true that sea salt or some of these preparations have less sodium, but they still have a lot of salt and should be avoided.