SODIUM IS THE DEVIL!!!

LOVEsummer

I included this in my blog post today but I thought I would share it with the general public as well.
Why is Sodium lurking in everything. Why do we love the flavor of salt SO much?! Why do we think of something as bland when it doesn't taste either sweet or salty?

These are things I have been struggling with as I try to find foods that taste good, but have little to no sodium.
I am starting to realize that "bland" foods actually have flavors and textures that I like without salt or sugar when I take the time to recognize them.

I know most of us are fighting to keep our sodium in check and here are a few of my favorite low/no sodium foods

No Salt Added Cottage Cheese- 1% milkfat and tastes a lot like plain yogurt but with 0mg of sodium!!! I love it with unsalted almond butter or fruit and stevia mixed in...something like 90 cals/ half cup

Ezekiel Low Sodium Bread - after eating ezekiel breads for a while, I don't even like the taste of normal wheat bread. This stuff is a more dense, old school style of bread. Definitely not the soft doughy stuff I love when eating a PB and J but 0mg of sodium, no flour and tons of healthy grains made me love it... and it is AMAZING toasted! 80 cals/slice

Trader Joe's Low Sodium Tomato Red Pepper Soup- something like 160mg of sodium and 100 cals per cup and it is SO good when I need soup!

Butternut Squash Fries- Cut this giganto squash into fry shapes, throw on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray and throw them in the oven for 10-15 min. No salt unless you want it and it is an amazing side or main dish! 80 cals or so for 8 oz.

Trader Joe's Unsalted Almond Butter- I used 1 T of this on my Ezekiel bread and with some egg whites and spinach on the side you have a NO SODIUM BREAKFAST WOOOHOOOO

Seriously though, why is there so much sodium in CHICKEN ?! or Bran cereal I mean wtf?!

Hope this helps xoxo

mish2378

thanks for the info about the bread, If you have anymore food ideas for 0 sodium I would love it

chris1132

Thanks for this!! I have been struggling with sodium intake for the last couple of weeks. Soooo frustrating!

greeneyed84

Yeah i'm wondering the seam thing!! I have elevated BP and i'm trying to reduce my sodium to 1500 a day but it's REALLY hard. I don't add any salt to anything anymore, well ,except my salad dressing, but there are so many high sodium foods out there it's insane

MissKMN

Thank you so much for posting this...these are some great ideas! I've recently become a lot more sodium conscious and I never used to notice or care. My friends still practically dip their foods in a vat of salt before consuming but even without that, I've noticed how difficult it is to find low/no sodium anything.

I'm also always very pressed for time, so it's even harder to find quickly prepared foods that are low in sodium. Forget about the microwave meals!

I read not long ago that we are all actually born HATING the taste of salt...through much insistence on the part of the adults do we all grow into this horrible sodium loving/needing cycle of life.

Mahlissa

Yes, I agree. I eat Ezekial low sodium bread and can't stand any other bread out there. I keep it in my freezer and live off of it.

I cant find no sodium cottage cheese, so I subsitute Skim Ricotta Cheese, which has 60mg per 1/4 still sodium, but not the 400mg in the typical serving of cottage cheese. Where did you find your cottage cheese.

And nut butters, I go with the raw one's with no sodium. Cereal's also have a lot of sodium. Have you ever seen the sodium in Frosted Flakes, yikes!

Sodium is the devil and it wreaks havoc on the human body. I recenlty bought no sodium bouillon, not bad. Health Valley has low Sodium and NO Sodium soups, they are like $4 a can, but worth it and I make a meal out of it, adding more vegetables etc.

Pritikin Diet, which is a way of life, is big on NO sodium foods. As well as macriobiotic way of life.

Thanks for sharing your information.

I have never salted my food and only use Mrs. Dash vegetable spices. I agree, I think taking the sodium out of the diet, makes the food more flavorful.

JDMPWR

I just read your blog. Sodium is a preservative so you will find it in a lot of not so fresh but still titled "fresh" food. For instance unless you get chicken from a butcher daily you will most likely find it in any type of frozen Chicken. I have this same problem. I eating 1700 cals and am like 100mg under the 2500mg limit but on my workout days I go over by 200-300. I know Purdue makes a perfect portion NO SODIUM one but no grocery store carries it and I have asked Meijers to a few times and the buyer in the meat department swears he will call me back(5th or 6th time now) and never does.

Think I am gonna call the store manager today at lunch and ***** a fit....I spend 200 bucks a month there on chicken alone!!!

HartJames

Just want to throw it out there that yes, too much sodium is not good for you but the flip side is that too little is dangerous as well! Try to keep your weekly average around the reccomended amount

melsinct

Most people don't like this answer, but the only way you will ever get your sodium numbers down is to reduce how much processed food you eat.

I will make big meals that I can portion and freeze for days when I have zero time to cook. That way my convenience food quality and ingredients are controlled by me. I also keep recipes up my sleeve that can be cooked in 15 minutes or less. I do add salt to foods as I cook them, as underseasoned food tastes awful, but I am always lower than what MFP sets as the standard (unless I eat out of course...).

LOVEsummer

I found no sodium cottage cheese at safeway/vons/pavilions if you have those around... it's lucerne brand. I agree with eating less processed foods and I don't have a microwave so staying away from all of that stuff is easy but cereal... I love cereal!! I have to make my own cereal too!!!??? lol I do know what you mean though. I will look into buying fresh chicken from now on! That should be a good start.

@HartJames... I def know what you mean about sodium being important, my goal is only to get down to the new USDA recommendation of 1500mg a day

HartJames

I was under the impression that 1500 was for people with (or I suppose at risk of) high blood pressure? 2400 is the recommended amount for the average person but that too changes if you work out, in particular weight lifting. Worth some research

Strangely enough, I have low sodium levels related to a disorder I have but as long as I adhere to 2400 (and don't over-hydrate) I'm good but can never go below 2000 safely.

cem2168

suchh a great post! ive been low-sodium all my life (thanks to my mom) and its such a great thing! It really does trip a lot of people up diet wise

SueInAz

Thought I might share this since I saw this topic this morning and then the following article showed up on our intranet homepage at my office:

Whether you use a pinch or a dash of salt, it may be pleasing your taste buds, but doing your body harm. In addition to elevated blood pressure, excessive sodium intake can have other health consequences such as the occurrence of gastric cancer.

Due to the prevalence of excessive sodium in the adult diet the American Heart Association has changed their 2005 guidelines for sodium intake from 2,300 mg a day (1 teaspoon of salt) to 1,500 mg (2/3 teaspoon of salt).

While reducing salt intake may be difficult at first, it should be a gradual process to allow taste perception to adjust slowly by decreasing high sodium processed foods in the diet and avoiding the use of salt in food preparation.

According to a report published by the national Cancer institute in 2010 the major sources of sodium intake in the US population are:
o Yeast breads
o Chicken and chicken mixed dishes
o Pizza
o Pasta dishes
o Cold cuts
o Condiments
o Mexican mixed dishes
o Meats such as sausage, hotdogs, bacon, ribs and beef
o Regular cheese
o Grain-based desserts
o Soups

All together this group of foods is responsible for close to 2000 mg of dietary sodium per person per day!

For more tips on how to cut back on sodium visit the American Heart Association.

LOVEsummer

wow thank you!! is there such a thing as low sodium cheese I wonder?!

FabiolaEnvy♥

yeah i know what you mean. i mean i was looking at the healthy choice food and their really high in sodium and im like... :S how is this gonna work. but its something i get. like on a go. the calories all counted and everything so i dont have to worry. but still :S the sodium are ridiculously high... some of the food i used to eat all the time. after i started counting my calories and maintain the sodium i gave up on some of them. buuuut once in a while ill have them. cause sometime you miss the food you eat. buuut you are sooo right.

but i came to realize the more organic your buy the less sodium there is. (ORGANIC GIRL ALL THE WAY) at least im trying...

jesseBYAH

Thanks for sharing, sodium pisses me off so bad sometimes! It pops up in such unexpected places.

123456654321

Health Valley Organic has a line of No-salt added soups. I think they are just fine without all that added salt.

SueInAz

wow thank you!! is there such a thing as low sodium cheese I wonder?!

That's a really good question and one I had myself when I was reading that article. I'm now going to have to keep an eye out for it because my husband eats a lot of cheese.

HartJames

Sargento carriesa "lower sodium" cheese.

Also here's a blog resource that lists many

http://dontsalt.blogspot.com/2008/01/cheese.html

katschi

I wish I could find low sodium cottage cheese let alone no salt added.

I now buy no salt added chickpeas and kidney beans and low sodium canned tuna, 3 foods that used to really jack up the sodium intake for the day.
I've also switched to no salt added canned tomatoes (for soup).

I recently bought the new PC brand Greek yogurt and it tasted like someone had dumped the contents of a salt shaker in it.
I'm used to my brand with a 2/3 less sodium. It's more expensive but it's worth it to not have the excess sodium.

greeneyed84

I wish I could find low sodium cottage cheese let alone no salt added.

I now buy no salt added chickpeas and kidney beans and low sodium canned tuna, 3 foods that used to really jack up the sodium intake for the day.
I've also switched to no salt added canned tomatoes (for soup).

I recently bought the new PC brand Greek yogurt and it tasted like someone had dumped the contents of a salt shaker in it.
I'm used to my brand with a 2/3 less sodium. It's more expensive but it's worth it to not have the excess sodium.

I always wonder how they offer food with less salt or sugar but make you pay more. Too many people struggle withoney as it is so this doesn't help at all if they wanna eat healthy