Tips on cutting Sodium?

rainunrefined

I have never really paid attention to sodium... ever. I don't salt my food often, but according to my diary I obviously eat foods that blow past the recommended 2500mg.

Do you have any tips or tricks to cut out extra sodium? Any food swaps? Any advice is appreciated!

HealthyWarrior

BUMP

chevy88grl

I have never really paid attention to sodium... ever. I don't salt my food often, but according to my diary I obviously eat foods that blow past the recommended 2500mg.

Do you have any tips or tricks to cut out extra sodium? Any food swaps? Any advice is appreciated!

I've been paying closer attention to my sodium and there are days I am WAYYY over. So, any advice would be great! For example: I love cottage cheese, but it has a tremendous amt of sodium in it.,

kate_newlifestyle

Tips for keeping sodium down:

- Avoid crisps and pretzels.
- If you really love nuts, go for the unsalted ones
- Taste your food before adding salt. I just never add salt. Its safer that way. Most people suggest, if you really need salt, only put it on plain things, like plain potatos, not in burgers and pastas, as they often already have salt, and you wont taste the difference that much anyway
- Replace salt with herbs and spices
- Try and get low sodium alternatives, especially for soups: Campbells is notorious for high sodium levels. Many things now come in salt reduced alternatives, like peanut butter and other spreads
- Eating out & low sodium usually dont mix. Some meals out have your entire intake in them

Angela4Health

Cut out the processed foods! That's the best way to cut down on your sodium. Eat more clean food. Fruits and veggies. Lean meats.

aml17

processed foods are horribleee in sodium. I don't eat frozen dinners for dinner or lunch at all anymore because they're soo high.

Angela4Health

Tips for keeping sodium down:

- Avoid crisps and pretzels.
- If you really love nuts, go for the unsalted ones
- Taste your food before adding salt. I just never add salt. Its safer that way. Most people suggest, if you really need salt, only put it on plain things, like plain potatos, not in burgers and pastas, as they often already have salt, and you wont taste the difference that much anyway
- Replace salt with herbs and spices
- Try and get low sodium alternatives, especially for soups: Campbells is notorious for high sodium levels. Many things now come in salt reduced alternatives, like peanut butter and other spreads
- Eating out & low sodium usually dont mix. Some meals out have your entire intake in them

This is all great! I haven't added salt to anything in years, but instead, I add pepper, haha. I'm addicted to pepper!

AllyS7

I got rid of all the lean cuisines and other frozen meals. Now I buy brown rice, chicken breasts, whole wheat pastas and make my own dinners the night before. I can now stay around 1,000 to 1,500 mg.

kacarter1017

Stay away from processed foods. They are unbelievably high in sodium. Cook with as many fresh foods as you can. If you buy canned things, buy the low sodium version. Even frozen dinners and that kind of thing are SUPER high in sodium. I make meals ahead, freeze them and use those as my "pre-prepared" lunches.

AdamATGATT

Processed meats, like deli meats, have quite a bit of sodium in them. Same for most processed foods, especially anything canned. Trail mix can also be a culprit, because of the salt on the nuts. Try looking for a mix with no salt added.

You just have to be weary of all foods and READ LABELS! Compare different packages to see what has lower levels of fats, carbs, sodium, etc. Find the one that has the best balance of what you need.

kate_newlifestyle

I've been paying closer attention to my sodium and there are days I am WAYYY over. So, any advice would be great! For example: I love cottage cheese, but it has a tremendous amt of sodium in it.,

I love cootage cheese too. I buy only friendship 1% no salt added or Fresh Made farmer cheese. But if I eat for example another brand that has tremendous amt of sodium I try to watch sodium during the day. And I almost never go over 2000 mg

LemonCitron

I find the biggest thing is having all natural foods, no prepackaged foods like Lean Cuisines or anything like that. I'm never over on my sodium and I think that is why. My weakness is sugar, and I'm ALWAYS over on that. lol.

And also you have to make all your stuff at home. Even going to Subway for lunch will probably put you over. Good luck!!

koizumi6

My dad has healthy problems where he has to watch his sodium levels very closely...
1. rinsing can goods extremely well (canned beans and veggies etc) are packed with sodium
2. cheese and deli meats are high in sodium, go for red sodium if you can (they also have AHA approved deli meats)
3. replace salt with spices! my dad mixes a bunch of spices together and keeps shakers of them instead of salt

LorinaLynn

It depends on where the bulk of the sodium is coming from.

For me, I used to love Rice A Roni, Hamburger Helper and jars of spaghetti sauce, which are loaded in sodium. So instead I make plain brown rice, or add a little bit of some kind of sauce, dressing or marinade to give it more flavor. I like Ronzoni Smart Taste pastas, because they have extra protein & fiber, and again, use separate sauces for flavor, instead of the salty powdered junk that comes with the Helpers. And I use pureed canned tomatoes with some seasoning and garlic instead of jars of marinara.

I also don't bother with the Lean Cuisines and other microwave diet dinners anymore. If I make something from scratch using a little bit of chicken or shrimp and some fresh or frozen veggies, I can duplicate the meals, but eat a lot more for the same calories and less sodium.

Frozen veggies have way less sodium than canned. Sometimes it's more cost effective to buy frozen than fresh.

I do splurge on frozen pizzas every once in a while. I love them, and one pizza feeds my husband and myself for around five bucks. I just try to only have them several days before my "weigh-day."

kate_newlifestyle

Also I use Mrs. Dash seasonings. They give you that salty taste without ANY salt! Go stock up on all the flavors!

Another tip: when you use salt in or on your food try sea salt, which has lower sodium and more flavor.

fishermanwife

a few of the foods that have helped my sodium numbers go down are snyders salt free pretzels, jello mouse temptations, celery, brocoli, cauliflower, dove sugar free chocolates, good luck

BeckyKSmith

No processed foods - eat raw as much as possible. That way, when you do go out to eat, you have made up for it the rest of the week. Have you met Mrs Dash? She is wonderful and comes in a million flavors. I have to buy more, I only have the table blend.

Also, don't buy frozen dinners. Instead, spend an hour or so on Sunday prepping for the week. I made 8 chicken breasts on the grill yesterday when I made my salmon. I will use them for salad, sandwhiches, tortillas, etc during the week.

Anything that comes from the earth doesn't have sodium - fruits/nuts, veggies, lean meats (chicken/fish)

dls06

If you use canned foods look for no salt canned veggies,especially tomatoes. Jar sauses and salted butter are high too. Do not eat frozen pizza and dinners. Although lean cusine spa cusine has some lower salt options. Look for low or no salt breads, Alvarado St Bakery has a good organic no salt bread. Make your food from scratch if possible with as many whole foods as possible. Because even whole foods contain some sodium.

chevy88grl

I rarely eat tv dinners anymore. Maybe once in a great while at work for lunch.

I do eat some lunchmeat - perhaps I need to look and see if they offer lower sodium versions?

I don't salt my food. Never have.

I'm shocked at the amt in cottage cheese or canned tuna - which I love to eat.

mikeyml

I looked through your diary a bit but you're not tracking sodium at the moment so I couldn't see what you're averaging. I did notice some fast food though (subway, taco bell, Chic-Fil-a). Fast food is usually packed with sodium so that might be your culprit right there.

Things I do to avoid sodium:

1. No processed foods. If it comes out of a box then it's probably got a ton of sodium in it. Foods like Lean Cuisine or even canned vegetables can contain a bunch of sodium. I try to prepare more food at home instead of relying on frozen / canned foods.

2. If I'm cooking at home I use a lot of Mrs. Dash seasonings. A lot of them have little to no sodium in them and you can use them to add flavor to all sorts of dishes.

3. Look for "no salt added" or "reduced sodium" labels on the foods that you already buy. A lot of times there will be an option with less salt but you have to look for it.

4. Really try to limit fast food. If you have to get it then try to keep some foods in mind that will be the best option. For example I love Qdoba but if I want to eat it then I have to plan ahead for it.

5. You will find a lot of sodium in breads. If you order a sandwich don't eat the roll or eat only half of it. Kaiser rolls, bagels, sandwich breads all have a ton of sodium.

Hope that helps! There are more but this will give you a good start.

rainunrefined

Thanks guys this is great!

wewon

Just looking at your diary for the past week, there is quite a bit of pre-packaged foods such as canned soups, chips, soda ect. As well as ham.

Those things a loaded with sodium.

One thing that can cut out sodium is making more foods from scratch and eating more whole foods.

rainunrefined

I just went back and added sodium to the tracker online.. Holy lunch meat and processed cheese! Talk about a wake up call!!

mikeyml

I just went back and added sodium to the tracker online.. Holy lunch meat and processed cheese! Talk about a wake up call!!

Yea tell me about it lol. I used to think I was being healthy when I went to the deli and got some ham / turkey for lunch. Little did I know how much sodium was in that meat lol. Another sad wake up call for me was shellfish. Shrimp and crab meat are loaded with sodium. =/

poustotah

I took a quick look at your diary for the last few days. Holy sodium Batman!!!

Stay away from the deli meats and cheeses. And start swapping out your regular english muffins for whole grains. Don't do packaged seasonings - make your own. There are low-sodium black beans out there for extra protein and fiber - get those instead. Make your own salsa's.

Biggest loser nachos - frickin AMAZING and low sodium. Start watching EVERYTHING!

kristilovescake

Cut out the processed foods! That's the best way to cut down on your sodium. Eat more clean food. Fruits and veggies. Lean meats.

I second this! Any processed food is usually loaded with sodium. If you like frozen meals, make your own meals on a day off and pop it in the freezer to heat up in the microwave. Batch cooking is a great way to avoid processed meals so you don't have tons of prep each night.

Since I stopped eating so much processed food on most days (especially for main meals) it has really helped cut out the sodium and keep me in my recommended amount.

LG61820

I agree with most everything others have said. I would be careful of sea salt-every grocery item that says it has sea salt has just as much sodium it seems to me. I look at the sodium amount on the label before I look at the calories. Salad dressings have tons of sodium in just a tablespoon or two. Miracle Whip, which I love, has way too much sodium for me to use it on a regular basis. I use a tiny bit in the salad dressing I make.

You can find low sodium recipes for lots of food if you Google or search this site there are a lot of recipes here.

Remember, the guideline is that your MAXIMUM allowable sodium for the day is about 2400. I find that I feel much better when I stay way under that. I went over this weekend and can really tell in how I feel and in how my waistband fits. Gotta lose that water!

sceck

Fresh fruits, veggies. If you like what's in the processed foods, recreate them from home. They'll taste better and much better for you!

rainunrefined

Thanks everyone!

EmelyJ

I heard you can water your sodium away. Drink a lot of water.

UpEarly

If you like deli meat and cheese, look for Boar's Head brand. It's significantly more expensive, but it's better quality and has options that are naturally low in sodium.

http://www.boarshead.com/lowersodium/

I love their rare oven-roasted beef and their lacy swiss cheese. I can have two ounces of the cheese for 180 calories and only 70 mg of sodium and 4 ounces of the roast beef for 120 calories and 120 mg of sodium. I usually use it in a big chef salad, loaded with other veggies. It's really good!