Q: Will eliminating salt from my diet help me achieve permanent weight loss?
A: Reducing sodium intake can help you temporarily lose excess water weight but will not help you keep off the pounds permanently. The only way to achieve permanent weight loss is to consume fewer calories than your body uses. However, you can decrease sodium in your diet by choosing fresh or frozen vegetables that have no added salt, rinsing canned foods to remove some of the sodium and using fresh poultry, fish and lean meat, rather than canned, smoked or processed.
– Maryann Davidson, registered dietitian, Erlanger