Absurd amount of sodium in some frozen raw chicken breast I bought.

fatguy_fitness
fatguy_fitness Posts: 195 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I asked my wife to pick up some chicken breasts at the store and she purchased some Sunchef frozen raw chicken breasts that were on sale. I made them today and they were quite good and pretty moist. Then I scanned the label for MFP...good Lord. :o The 8oz piece that I just ate had a whopping 1313mg of sodium! Remember these are raw and unseasoned. I almost fell out of my seat. No wonder everyone has high blood pressure these days! It also makes me realize how bad I was probably eating before I started keeping of track of things. Why does everything have to be injected with salt water and soy?

Replies

  • Tigg_er
    Tigg_er Posts: 22,001 Member
    For the taste I recken. You can get the frozen breast with out hardly any salt added just have to read the label and make sure they are not packed in a solution. I usually get mine from Trader Joe's.
  • fatguy_fitness
    fatguy_fitness Posts: 195 Member
    edited January 2015
    We've had other ones that were less than 100 for the same amount. I guess I should have looked before I made them. Live and learn I guess.

    We were going to go to Trader Joe's for the first time today actually, but I had a sick kid at home.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    If you workout then you may actually need more sodium. There's often sodium in fresh chicken too because most chicken is soaked during the chilling process at the slaughter house. That's what helps keep it moist.
  • Tigg_er
    Tigg_er Posts: 22,001 Member
    ars371 wrote: »
    We've had other ones that were less than 100 for the same amount. I guess I should have looked before I made them. Live and learn I guess.

    We were going to go to Trader Joe's for the first time today actually, but I had a sick kid at home.

    Yea thats how I figured it out also. I must of bought the same bag.

  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    If sodium matters for you (it does for me, high BP), that's crazy high. In the future, be mindful of frozen chicken (or any frozen meat) that says on the front "XX% solution added for flavor enhancement." That means saline (salt). It also inflates the weight, so the producer can sell "more" but still give you less actual chicken (per pound).

    I bought those type of products until I wised up about how to read nutritional labels better. I'd much rather stick to fresh chicken breasts.

    IDK how much you paid, and I see you're in WI (HI!!!), check out Walmart Supercenter. Big packs of fresh boneless skinless breasts and thighs are ~$2/lb (at least here in Green Bay). Nothing but meat, no sodium added.
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    williams969 wrote: »
    If sodium matters for you (it does for me, high BP), that's crazy high. In the future, be mindful of frozen chicken (or any frozen meat) that says on the front "XX% solution added for flavor enhancement." That means saline (salt). It also inflates the weight, so the producer can sell "more" but still give you less actual chicken (per pound).

    I bought those type of products until I wised up about how to read nutritional labels better. I'd much rather stick to fresh chicken breasts.

    IDK how much you paid, and I see you're in WI (HI!!!), check out Walmart Supercenter. Big packs of fresh boneless skinless breasts and thighs are ~$2/lb (at least here in Green Bay). Nothing but meat, no sodium added.

    But don't those have broth added? I bought some chicken breasts at Walmart (before I was tracking so IDK the sodium) and they were 15% broth added. So much liquid cooked out. I bought them to grill on the 4th of July, so they were possibly a special buy.

  • HuskyHiker413
    HuskyHiker413 Posts: 78 Member
    Some frozen raw chicken is frozen with a layer of saltwater on the outside of the breast to help protect them from freezer burn. It usually says somewhere on the package.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    ars371 wrote: »
    I asked my wife to pick up some chicken breasts at the store and she purchased some Sunchef frozen raw chicken breasts that were on sale. I made them today and they were quite good and pretty moist. Then I scanned the label for MFP...good Lord. :o The 8oz piece that I just ate had a whopping 1313mg of sodium! Remember these are raw and unseasoned. I almost fell out of my seat. No wonder everyone has high blood pressure these days! It also makes me realize how bad I was probably eating before I started keeping of track of things. Why does everything have to be injected with salt water and soy?

    They were moist because of the sodium.
    Most people in the U.S. are not sensitive to salt. Maybe, do not worry about the salt.
    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt-and-sodium/sodium-health-risks-and-disease/
  • CarrieCans
    CarrieCans Posts: 381 Member
    HuskyHiker413 wrote: »
    Some frozen raw chicken is frozen with a layer of saltwater on the outside of the breast to help protect them from freezer burn. It usually says somewhere on the package.

    That's exactly why they are higher sodium. It's so they can be loose packed in a bag instead of tightly packed together with the air removed from the bag. That air space makes it easier to freezer burn but it also makes it easier to remove just one portion from the frozen bag. It's a convenience trade off. It really does work to prevent freezer burn.

    The next best option is to buy fresh chicken and freeze it yourself in baggies with the air removed. A couple of minutes saves a lot of sodium.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    edited January 2015
    CarrieCans wrote: »
    HuskyHiker413 wrote: »
    Some frozen raw chicken is frozen with a layer of saltwater on the outside of the breast to help protect them from freezer burn. It usually says somewhere on the package.

    That's exactly why they are higher sodium. It's so they can be loose packed in a bag instead of tightly packed together with the air removed from the bag. That air space makes it easier to freezer burn but it also makes it easier to remove just one portion from the frozen bag. It's a convenience trade off. It really does work to prevent freezer burn.

    It's not just a convenience trade off, it's also a cost trade off. Where I live, even at Sam's Club, the freezer packs of boneless, skinless thighs work out to $1.83 per pound. The fresh Tyson ones sell for $2.99/lb, and they're salt-injected too IIRC! (Incidentally the $2.99 is more than the fresh boneless/skinless breasts, which sell for $1.88/lb! It seems like everyone on here is always on about how much cheaper thighs are, but unless I find a sale it never happens here!)
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    Hard to find chicken or turkey these days without a unch of salt added.

    "Hi" from the U.P.!
  • CarrieCans
    CarrieCans Posts: 381 Member
    Phrick wrote: »
    CarrieCans wrote: »
    HuskyHiker413 wrote: »
    Some frozen raw chicken is frozen with a layer of saltwater on the outside of the breast to help protect them from freezer burn. It usually says somewhere on the package.

    That's exactly why they are higher sodium. It's so they can be loose packed in a bag instead of tightly packed together with the air removed from the bag. That air space makes it easier to freezer burn but it also makes it easier to remove just one portion from the frozen bag. It's a convenience trade off. It really does work to prevent freezer burn.

    It's not just a convenience trade off, it's also a cost trade off. Where I live, even at Sam's Club, the freezer packs of boneless, skinless thighs work out to $1.83 per pound. The fresh Tyson ones sell for $2.99/lb, and they're salt-injected too IIRC! (Incidentally the $2.99 is more than the fresh boneless/skinless breasts, which sell for $1.88/lb! It seems like everyone on here is always on about how much cheaper thighs are, but unless I find a sale it never happens here!)

    Check out a smaller grocery store chain if you can. I shop at a typically higher priced store but bigger stores can't compete with a lot of their sales prices. I stock up on chicken breasts when they are BOGO. Sometimes i get really lucky and i work out a 50lb deal at a local meat market. Prices vary depending on the time of year etc. It's definitely worth checking around and comparing.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    It is an eye opener.
    I too only buy fresh chicken breasts now when they are on sale and freeze them.
    Watch your turkey too. Frozen are loaded with sodium.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    They pump that in there so that it weighs more and you pay more money for less meat. Then the water cooks right back out, leaving the meat boiling in a puddle of gross water. It's a form of ripping you off. And the extra sodium.... bleck.... they feel like saltier things will taste better and sell better. Always read the labels. If I weren't broke as hell, I'd go to one of those natural foods places, but as it is, I just read everything carefully and go for the least amount of additives I can find at the regular grocery.
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