Teaching adults how to flavor food with herbs and spices instead of salt may be more effective at lowering sodium intake, according to a recent study.

Research presented on Wednesday at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology & Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity & Metabolism Scientific Sessions 2014 shows that a behavioral intervention teaching people how to substitute salt with spices and herbs could lead to a decrease in sodium consumption compared to people who tried to reduce sodium on their own.

"Salt is abundant in the food supply and the average sodium level for Americans is very high -- much higher than what is recommended for healthy living, "Cheryl Anderson, lead author of the study, said in a statement.

In the first phase of the study, 55 volunteers ate a low-sodium diet for four weeks. Researchers provided all foods and calorie-containing drinks. Salt is the main source of sodium in food.

Researchers found that sodium intake decreased from an average 3,450 mg/day to an average 1,656 mg/day.

In the second phase, half of the study volunteers participated in a 20-week behavioral intervention aimed at reducing their sodium intake to 1,500 mg/day by using spices and herbs. The other half reduced sodium on their own.

Researchers found that sodium intake increased in both groups. But those who received the behavioral intervention consumed an average 966 mg/day of sodium less than the group that didn't receive the intervention.

"People in the intervention group learned problem-solving strategies, use of herbs and spices in recipes, how culture influences spice choices, how to monitor diet, overcoming the barriers to making dietary changes, how to choose and order foods when eating out and how to make low-sodium intake permanent," Anderson said.

Those assigned to the behavioral intervention group had cooking demonstrations and had a chance to share how they were changing traditional recipes to remove salt and include spices. The researchers didn't emphasize specific spices, and encouraged participants to try different things to find out what they liked most.

The McCormick Science Institute funded the study.