Low Sodium Food Suggestions

shoppingqueen34

Hi everyone,

I'm 6 months pregnant and try to limit the amount of sodium I intake on a daily basis. (Anything to combat the lovely side effect of getting swollen) LOL

Any suggestions?? If you eat a low sodium diet what types of food/meals do you eat?

Thanks in advance!

miqisha

I just dont cook with any salt, I havent cooked with salt in over a year

I get my sodium from other stuff like milk and cereal.....which are breakfast items.....

So there are certain items you probably cant avoid that already has sodium

So to cut down on my sodium, I just dont cook with any

And I use alot of natural herbs and spices to add flavor....basel, oregano etc....the ones without salt...just all natural

shellshalla

bump

rcatr

from a label perspective, staying under 140mg or less per serving is ideal. Also, staying away from any packaged or frozen meals will automatically get you on the right track.

Try and incorporate more herbs for flavor with your veggies and meats instead of salt and you won't even miss it.

I'm not preggers (congrats by the way! :drinker: ) but I'm a recovering salt freak and these few tips have really helped.

SugarHi

Stay away from porcessed foods, and cheese. I love cheese but it's really high on the sodium count, but a little won't hurt you

You can have tons of veggies and fruits all day long! While I was pregnant I remember chowing down on celery, carrots, mushrooms, heads of lettuce, grapefruits, oranges, grapes and so on. Chicken, turkey, pork and fresh fish are great too.

By the way, congratulations on your expected little one! What an exciting and wonderful time in your life right now. :flowerforyou:

allykat8

cherrios

spritie

The best way to control your sodium intake is to make meals yourself from scratch. Then its up to you how much salt is added if any. You do need some sodium in your diet for proper cell function. But it can be quite low. 1200-1500mg I think is the low-ish limit.

I'm unsure if pregnancy changes this level, probably something you could check out.

Joeysgirl

Start reading labels! And avoid eating out if you can! But I agree with miqisha - you can eat a lot of natural food and just don't add salt... or not as much. I use a no salt seasoning from Costco that I LOVE on chicken and pork. Ms. Dash also makes a lot of seasonings that don't have sodium in them.

In general, usually the less processed a food is, the less sodium it will have. You really have to watch your bread and cereals to make sure they don't have crazy amounts of sodium in them, because many are available with reasonable amounts. Also, canned foods tend to have lots of sodium.... but low sodium options are usually available. I end up throwing black beans in tons of foods for extra protein, etc, but always use the low/no sodium ones.

Read this article to see what I mean about eating out: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/blog/saltiest-foods-america

Some of my favorite foods are yogurt with frozen berries mixed in, half a peanut butter and all fruit jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread, low sodium sphagetti (use low/no sodium canned tomatoes, etc to make it), fresh fruit, salad with a small amount of Lite House Toasted Sesame Ginger Dressing.

HTH

Joeysgirl

Also, watch out for low-fat or sugarfree foods!! Often they are PUMPED up with sodium to help the flavor. Just like low-fat foods can be PUMPED up with sugar. . . again.. just read labels and eat lots of clean fresh food.

Here is a magazine I like because they focus on using fresh natural food : http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/minisite/ce_index.htm

There are some recipes on the website you can use.

Gerkenstein

Bump. Just found this when searching for low sodium because I wanted to stay under for once!

Clew

Bump again! I was eating marinara from a jar - low calorie, yes but when I looked at the sodium it was like 600mg for a quarter cup! And I don't know about you but I eat more than a quarter cup at a time :blushing:

I started getting Del Monte No Salt Added crushed tomatoes and simmered it with some italian seasoning. It turns out great and the sodium is only about 40mg for a serving. Much better :bigsmile:

doodlbug

Thanks for asking this question. I've gotten some good tips. Since I started tracking sodium in my food diary I have been astonished at how much salt I've been eating every day. Both my husband and I are at risk for High Blood Pressure so we are definitely mindful of how much we take in.

Ge0rgiana

Amy's has a line of Light in Sodium products that are tasty and organic. Still read the label.

I do South Beach, because it is an incredibly healthy way of eating. Cutting out all the starches has really helped me not only cut down on sodium, it's made me feel better overall. My body just doesn't handle a lot of grains very well. My version of SBD doesn't include sausage, cold cuts, processed foods (including the Kraft SBD pre-packaged lunches), etc. I also lean more toward full-fat cheeses that are reduced sodium, although Kraft has 2% Swiss deli slices (NOT SINGLES) that are 50mg each. Yummy. I cook a LOT with Mrs. Dash, and I've recently been discovering McCormick's Perfect Pinch line. I love the Mediterranean Spice, and I'm going to develop a vinaigrette recipe with it soon for my blog. It's fantastic because it has a tiny bit of sodium. They put sea salt in it, which isn't processed and has a strong flavor. 1/4 tsp has 65mg of sodium and is more than enough to flavor a dish. I try to keep my foods natural, and I don't buy much of anything pre-cooked. I cook it and season it myself.

The other thing I recommend is a crock pot. If you are busy, there are no more excuses for eating packaged food. Throw food in the vessel the night before and throw it in the fridge. Drag it out in the morning and set the crock pot on low and go about your day. By supper it's done. Buy raw meats, dry beans, and frozen veggies to cook in it. You may add some salt when you're seasoning it, but chances are it's FAR less than what you'd get from pre-packaged food.

Best of luck to you cutting the sodium. :flowerforyou:

LifesPilgrim

You might want to add sodium to your nutrient counts, if you haven't already.

I also use very little salt when cooking, look on the web (cooking ight.com, cooks.com, allrecipes.com) for great marinade and rubs for your meats.

I also use Beau Monde sesoning when pan frying or broiling meats. It's made by Spice Islands.

Good luck with the little one.

Ge0rgiana

You might want to add sodium to your nutrient counts, if you haven't already.

I also use very little salt when cooking, look on the web (cooking ight.com, cooks.com, allrecipes.com) for great marinade and rubs for your meats.

I also use Beau Monde sesoning when pan frying or broiling meats. It's made by Spice Islands.

Good luck with the little one.

Oooo... Try my Fiesta Lime Vinaigrette on my blog. :happy: I put that stuff on EVERYTHING! Need to make another batch. http://lowersodiumsouthbeach.blogspot.com/2010/06/recipe-fiesta-lime-vinaigrette-all.html

(Forgive me if that doesn't link right. I don't know jack about BBCode. And I'm a programmer. Sadness! :laugh: )