Deli meat

paulaGetshealthy
paulaGetshealthy Posts: 464
edited October 2 in Food and Nutrition
I want to take a sandwich for lunch to work ('cause what's a more hassle-free lunch than a sandwich?) but I don't want to consume the crazy amounts of sodium in turkey or ham slices.

Do you know of any deli meat (that I can buy at any grocery store) that has low sodium? Even the low-sodium turkey slices I've seen have soooo much sodium, it's crazy!

Help!

Replies

  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
    Take the chicken you have and use the leftovers to put in your sandwich.
  • Gary1977
    Gary1977 Posts: 804 Member
    If there is a Lowes Foods near you, their low sodium deli meat is somewhat beeter than most i've seen.
  • janetb21
    janetb21 Posts: 182 Member
    Get a half turkey breast and roast it yourself, slice it up. It's easy and cheaper than deli meat.
  • no one said you need to buy it pre-prepared :)
  • Make it myself?? Lol I wanted to save time! But I suppose eating healthy does require time & patience. Since I've started eating healthier I spend probably 75% more time preparing and packing my lunch than I used to (no more donuts for breakfast and leftover pizza for lunch).
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
    hi it's not deli but it comes in small packs it's turkey slices by bernard mathews only 21 cals a slice! :noway:
  • i'm a little sad that i've had to stopped eating deli meat :( it's all loaded with sodium nitrates which are directly linked to colon cancer and heart disease! just an FYI for all you folks out there who don't know.. pepperoni, bacon and most processed and cured meats also have tons of sodium nitrates. hope this is useful to someone! :)
  • jennie-o makes a good turkey breast... it take about 2 - 2.5 hours to make and it will last you all 4 or 5 days! :) and it's sodium nitrate free :)
  • Melbel85
    Melbel85 Posts: 240 Member
    Walmart Deli has LS oven roasted turkey and chicken... both are delicious!!!
  • lizkubbie
    lizkubbie Posts: 11 Member
    go with Tuna in a pita pocket with lots of spouts and lettuce and tomato just don't put a lot of may since it will make it get soggy
  • 1a1a
    1a1a Posts: 761 Member
    you don't need meat to make a sandwich interesting.

    curried egg and lettuce
    tomato, onion, cheese and lettuce toasty (lettuce goes on post heat)
    antipasto stuff
    (I think this would work better in a wrap) rocket, cottage or cream cheese, semi sundried tomatoes and red onion

    don't know how these fair on the calorie count but they taste good :-)
  • We have been purchasing the deli style meat at costco's, it is very good, but like you....I have wondered how good it is for me as when I eat this during the weight I feel it is stauling me out...no scales movement....then when I buy the turkey burger patties, cook them in my electric grill, (like the george foreman) I lose...it is the sodium I am convinced that is the culpret, glad you posted this, I think my days of going easy are also gone,....however, it is easy and no time at all to cook on the girller. Then...nuke it once at work, make you sandwhich or no bread and enjoy with low cal mayo...
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    Get a half turkey breast and roast it yourself, slice it up. It's easy and cheaper than deli meat.

    Big thumbs up to this.

    I often grill a bunch of chicken at once, then slice some up for sandwiches, use some for salads, some in a stir fry, etc. It is super versatile and requires minimal cooking time to get lots of meals out of it.

    Worst case, buy a rotisserie chicken and pick off the meat if you need a time saver.
  • nikkizmom1962
    nikkizmom1962 Posts: 93 Member
    I love boars head ham, turkey and chicken there is also deitz and watson cold cuts in the deli they are low fat and sodium. I buy country kitchen italian bread which is only 70 calories per slice and the deli meat is 60 calories for 2 oz that is a total of 200 per whole sandwich and when i log it my sodium is still under at the end of the day. I hope this helps
  • kyle4jem
    kyle4jem Posts: 1,400 Member
    Make it myself?? Lol I wanted to save time! But I suppose eating healthy does require time & patience. Since I've started eating healthier I spend probably 75% more time preparing and packing my lunch than I used to (no more donuts for breakfast and leftover pizza for lunch).
    Welcome to the world of wholesome, nutritional eating :bigsmile:

    I'm not familiar with how deli meats are processed in the USA, but if you are worried about elevated salt (sodium) levels, then it might be best if you use either chicken or meat from joints you have roasted yourself. Or perhaps buy a rotissery chicken from the deli counter?

    Tuna's also great as a sandwich filler and high in Omega-3s :tongue:

    Salt is used a preservative in pre-packed meats and remember you do need salt in your diet. If you've no real medical reason to reduce salt levels, it's probably not that unhealthy to use deli meats occasionally. I'd probably be more worried about added salt, preservatives, emulsifiers and HFCS in your bread :frown:
  • Don't forget to think back to being a kid, Peanut Beutter and Jelly! There are a lot of HEALTHY versions of this out there now, PB is high in protien (although you have to watch the fat content) and you can purchase a lot of jelly's sugar free now. You just have to take some time to read the lables at the store and pay attention to serving sizes.

    Boars head has some excellent lower sodium cuts of meat that I have tried, what I found is that I load up the sandwich with veggies and use a smaller abount of meat which helps even more. (Think of all the veggies offered at subway!) Utilmatly though, if you look at the sodium content in a prepared frozen diet meal and what you are putting on the sandwhich, you are probably going to come out better with the sandwhich.

    An easy lunch idea is to take a salad and then add a slice of meat or some cut up leftover meat to the salad.

    When I had to cut back to 1500 mg of sodium a day per doctors orders, I found it was easier to reduce the intake by limiting the amount of soda I consumed, eliminating frozen meals and increasing my veggie intake! Mrs Dash became a very good friend of mine!
  • lizkubbie
    lizkubbie Posts: 11 Member
    Another idea is to get a lowfat low carb wrap and pack it with shredded letttuce tomato spounts onion and chicken or turkey and eat it with some carrot and celelry sticks and a low fat dressing for dipping or yogurt or hummus dip
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    I roast my own turkey breast and use that for sandwiches and salads. You can freeze it in single serving packages.
    Or just get the lowest sodium meat you can find at the store and only use 1/2 a serving. You can look up different brands on line and see who has the lowest.
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