Need to watch your salt intake? Are you one of the 39 percent of Americans who have high-normal or high blood pressure? Since high-salt eating is linked to high blood pressure, you're smart to choose and prepare foods with less salt.

But what if you like salty tastes? Then try to retrain your taste buds. The less salt you eat, the less you'll want. After all, you weren't born loving salty tastes. You learned it, so you can unlearn it, too. Taste before you shake today; a dish may not need more salt.

If food needs a flavor lift:

Pep it up with pepper. Chili peppers or hot pepper sauces come in different degrees of "hot."
Add a splash of vinegar. Herbed, balsamic, wine, or rice vinegar give a flavor spark to sauces, soups, and salads.
Use MSG for flavor with one-third the sodium in the same amount of salt.
Shake on a salt-free herbal blend.

Source: 365 Days of Healthy Eating from the American Dietetic Association (Wiley 2004), Roberta Larson Duyff, MS, RD, FADA, CFCS; Reprinted with permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.