Low Sodium Food/Meal Ideas

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e1lindsay
e1lindsay Posts: 230
in Health and Weight Loss
I need some meal and food ideas that are low in sodium...i just ran a report on my sodium intake in the last 7 days and it's always waaaaay over my goal-limit. I know which foods i eat that are too high in sodium, but am wondering what i could replace them with that would be better for me, while still being relatively cheap and easy? My food diary is public if anyone wants to take a look...

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  • cerob
    cerob Posts: 13 Member
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    i, too, was going over my daily recommended sodium intake for awhile. preserved meats (chicken in my case) contain TONS of sodium, so eating subway and/or heating up a healthy choice chicken based frozen dinner would easily put me over. i now buy fresh and cook the food myself; non-preserved chicken breasts mostly. at 100 cal each, 23-25g protein and 0mg sodium, it was an easy choice for me. that, and, you can do SO MUCH with chicken! hehe
  • LuRox
    LuRox Posts: 520 Member
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    I too had a huge problem with my sodium levels. So I stopped eating processed foods. I make my own lunches to bring now instead of eating lean cuisines. I cook a pound of dry beans each Saturday and eat 1 cup of the every day for lunch (glad take-aways are awesome to throw in the microwave) I usually have fruits with my beans. Fills me up and the sodium is JUST what I put in it! I now keep my sodium to under 1500 mg a day. Usually I am under but sometimes I'm a couple of hundred over. Just watch what happens when you quit eating the processed stuff!

    Good luck!
  • e1lindsay
    e1lindsay Posts: 230
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    what kind of beans do you cook? I've been wanting to start cooking my own beans, but i have NO idea how to do it...
  • Rebjones612
    Rebjones612 Posts: 408
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    pre pkg things are higher in sodium, you would be better off to fix your meals fresh.
  • ElaineDianne70
    ElaineDianne70 Posts: 243 Member
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    Check my diary. I am working on that specifically and stayed under 1000mg yesterday and so far am at about 500 for today. :-)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/ElaineKatko
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    Almost every meal you are eating processed food. Lunch meats, bacon, salad dressings, etc. All of those are very high in sodium. Try making some meals that use mostly whole ingredients and you'll always be below your sodium goal. From what I saw in your diary, I would say:

    Find a different source of protein at breakfast instead of processed meats or "meat" (aka Morningstar Farms). They are full of sodium and processed to death. High protein breakfast items include eggs, Greek style yogurt, even Kashi cereal.

    Cook a boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs and use that at lunch instead of packaged lunch meats.
  • e1lindsay
    e1lindsay Posts: 230
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    yeah, we just finished off the rest of the deli-turkey meat and kraft cheese and i don't plan on buying them again...i gained almost 700 mg of sodium just from turkey and cheese today!!
  • tville23682
    tville23682 Posts: 5
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    All of the Mrs. Dash marinades and seasoning contain 0 sodium.
  • LuRox
    LuRox Posts: 520 Member
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    My favorite beans are Pinto beans and Great Northern Beans...but I also like Navy beans and Speckled Butter Beans. You can do a quick soak of them by covering them with water in a pot and boil them for 2 minutes. Then turn off the heat and leave them covered for at least 1 hour. Drain and recover by about 2 inches over the beans and boil them. I use Goya Ham seasoning in mine (since I'm from the south, and don't want to use bacon) about every 30 minutes you will need to add water to them...they take about 3-4 hours to cook down, but they last the whole week!!! Try them!
  • kje2011
    kje2011 Posts: 502 Member
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    bump (on the making your own beans idea)
  • forkeeps
    forkeeps Posts: 79 Member
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    Also, the crockpot is a life saver when it comes to beans...I just soak them overnight and then throw them in the crockpot on low in the am before work. Cover in about 1 inch of water and they're good to go. You can experiment with different seasonings too. I make a combo of red lentils, green lentils, split peas and mung beans in equal parts with Indian spices, this same combo with Chili spices (like red pepper and cumin), and with Italian spices (tomatoes, basil, oregano, etc). You can do ALL beans this way (black beans, red beans, pinto, navy, etc). I combine beans and lentils because they have different nutrient contents. All are inexpensive and highly nutritious. I also add split red lentils into my soups, etc.

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