Sodium: Where to Find It and How to Hide from It
Author: Shannon Miller Lifestyle
Granted, it makes many of our favorite dishes taste just right and perhaps this is why it’s easy to surpass our daily recommended allowance of sodium – most people do.
The recommended amount of sodium for most people is not to exceed 2300 mg/day.
Interestingly, most of the sodium you consume in a day is not from those fancy salt shakers on your kitchen table – sodium is added to the prepared foods you consume from your local grocery store or favorite eatery.
Here is a short list of some foods that love to harbor our friend, Sodium, and other foods that aren’t incredibly fond of it…
Where You Can Find Sodium…
- Bacon, corned beef, ham, hot dogs, sausage
- Pretzels, chips, crackers, salted nuts
- Olives, pickles, relish
- Canned beans, chicken, fish, and meat
Where You Can Find a Lot Less of It (foods low in sodium)…
- Fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables
- Rice
- Noodles
- Cooked cereal (w/o added salt)
- Fresh meat, poultry, and seafood
- Low fat, low sodium cheese
- Unsalted nuts
- Low and reduced sodium frozen dinners, peanut butter, and salad dressings
- Air-popped popcorn
If you think you and yours are consuming too much sodium, check out these tips on how to hide from it…
- Buy more fresh foods.
- Try ditching the fast food, frozen dinners, and canned foods and cook from scratch!
- Instead of sprinkling your food with salt, try a dash of spices, herbs, or sodium-free seasonings.
- To remove any extra sodium, rinse canned vegetables, beans, meats, and fish.
- Check the label on fresh meats and poultry for sodium that has been added for preservation purposes.
- The best and easiest tip out there: keep an eye out for foods that have labels like: sodium free, salt free, very low sodium, low sodium, reduced or less sodium, light in sodium, no salt added, unsalted, and lightly salted.
Follow these tips for a healthier lifestyle! Turn a new leaf this fall (c’mon, that’s funny)!
Sources: “Everyday Eating for a Healthier You”, Eat Right. .
“Sodium – Tips for People with Chronic Kidney Disease”, National Kidney Disease Education Program.