Question for people who have sodium restrictions

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TitaniumTexan
TitaniumTexan Posts: 16 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Due to a negative side effect I'm having from a medication I am on, my doctor is asking me to monitor (and probably reduce) my sodium intake. I know the obvious changes, like switching from salted nuts to unsalted, not adding salt when cooking, steering clear of most canned soups and salty snacks, etc., but I'm still learning where "surprise sodium" may lurk in other seemingly healthy foods (such as smoked salmon, previously a frequent ingredient in my breakfasts, sniff). For those of you who have switched to a lower-sodium diet, which foods surprised you by being high in sodium? Did you fall in love with any new seasonings as you experimented? (I already eat in a way that doesn't involve many highly processed foods, so luckily that's not a big change I need to make.) Thanks in advance for any tips or insight you can provide.
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Replies

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    I'm in the process of switching too.
    There was salt in my chili powder. I didn't think of that.
    I got this book and it seems pretty good for explaing what to look for as well as having recipes.
    https://www.amazon.com/American-Heart-Association-Low-Salt-Cookbook-ebook/dp/B004XW619U/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1471088937&sr=1-3
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
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    I've been on a low sodium diet for a while now so I don't track it anymore as I know what to eat and what not to eat.
    One thing I recently noticed was tinned tuna. I thought buying it in spring water rather than brine would mean less salt, I was wrong. They had exactly the same amount of salt in each.
  • xvolution
    xvolution Posts: 721 Member
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    Pizza was one of the biggest surprises for me [1/8 of a pizza has a whopping 600mg sodium], as were breads and pretty much every soup/canned pasta out there.
  • WindSparrow
    WindSparrow Posts: 224 Member
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    You pretty much have to read the label on every thing you buy. Everything. It surprised me how much sodium could be found in certain breakfast cereals. And then be prepared to read the labels of every brand of the same type of thing. Canned tomato products are a good example of this. The sodium counts vary widely between crushed tomatoes, pureed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, whole tomatoes, tomato paste, from brand to brand, and even in differing sizes of cans. Some of these products are actually quite moderate without being labeled as low sodium.

    I apologize that it has been so long since I read labels. Once upon a time I had a list of which specific brands of which specific tomato products were the best choices but I don't have it anymore. (I am a caregiver, and some of the people I have cared for were on low sodium diets, but currently no one I do both grocery shopping and menu planning for has that particular need.)

    At first, you will miss the salt. It takes a little while to get used to less salt for flavor. But after a bit, you will adjust and something that is too high in sodium will taste unpleasantly salty to you. For flavors, explore citrus - lemon, orange, lime. Balsamic vinegar, and other vinegars are also great flavor boosters in many dishes. Fresh herbs may give you pleasure.

  • hypodonthaveme
    hypodonthaveme Posts: 215 Member
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    A stalk of celery has a lot in my opinion
  • bunnyluv19
    bunnyluv19 Posts: 103 Member
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    I like salt-free Mrs.Dash.I was surprised by the sodium in diet sodas and carrots.
  • xvolution
    xvolution Posts: 721 Member
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    skinnygirl4u wrote: »
    I like salt-free Mrs.Dash.I was surprised by the sodium in diet sodas and carrots.

    I've found most of the Mrs. Dash spices to be a little on the bland side, the exception being Mrs Dash Lemon Pepper blend. It's one of my favorites.
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
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    I dont add salt to food, ever. And I log my foods and keep my sodium to 1,200 mg a day. I also take a blood pressure pill.
  • brooke88z
    brooke88z Posts: 23 Member
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    Cottage cheese has a ton of sodium. Had to switch to the No Salt added variety.
    Almost all processed, packaged meats.
  • TitaniumTexan
    TitaniumTexan Posts: 16 Member
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    Thanks, everybody, this is VERY helpful. And I had no idea about the diet soda! Certainly hadn't been logging that before. One more reason to work on giving it up.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    Black pepper has more sodium in it that I ever imagined. I still use it though, just not enough to log for the sodium. Soda pop is a little eyebrow raising. Bread is a hard one. I can't make a "proper" sammich with romaine lettuce leaves (only lettuce available to me), plus the margarine.PB slides off. I buy a weight maintenance bread one of the store bakeries makes and that's 115 mg per 42 grams.
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    edited August 2016
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    zyxst wrote: »
    Black pepper has more sodium in it that I ever imagined. I still use it though, just not enough to log for the sodium. Soda pop is a little eyebrow raising. Bread is a hard one. I can't make a "proper" sammich with romaine lettuce leaves (only lettuce available to me), plus the margarine.PB slides off. I buy a weight maintenance bread one of the store bakeries makes and that's 115 mg per 42 grams.

    Black pepper has 1 milligram of sodium for a tablespoon. And a tablespoon of ground black pepper is a lot. That's hardly anything.

    It might be worth baking your own bread. I never add salt and it comes out fine, especially if you freeze the bread after cutting it.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    Colorscheme wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    Black pepper has more sodium in it that I ever imagined. I still use it though, just not enough to log for the sodium. Soda pop is a little eyebrow raising. Bread is a hard one. I can't make a "proper" sammich with romaine lettuce leaves (only lettuce available to me), plus the margarine.PB slides off. I buy a weight maintenance bread one of the store bakeries makes and that's 115 mg per 42 grams.

    Black pepper has 1 milligram of sodium for a tablespoon. And a tablespoon of ground black pepper is a lot. That's hardly anything.

    It might be worth baking your own bread. I never add salt and it comes out fine, especially if you freeze the bread after cutting it.

    I'm sorry that I was looking at the 100 grams listing. Excuse me.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I found new tastes. In absence of salt, you become attuned to the natural taste of foods. I found my tastes changed to stronger flavoured vegetables, like parsnips. Onion and garlic help a lot on home cooking.

    I also had to eat absolutely fresh in season vegetables so I shop more frequently for those, in smaller quantities.

    Fennel has a light licorice flavour.
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
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    zyxst wrote: »
    Colorscheme wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    Black pepper has more sodium in it that I ever imagined. I still use it though, just not enough to log for the sodium. Soda pop is a little eyebrow raising. Bread is a hard one. I can't make a "proper" sammich with romaine lettuce leaves (only lettuce available to me), plus the margarine.PB slides off. I buy a weight maintenance bread one of the store bakeries makes and that's 115 mg per 42 grams.

    Black pepper has 1 milligram of sodium for a tablespoon. And a tablespoon of ground black pepper is a lot. That's hardly anything.

    It might be worth baking your own bread. I never add salt and it comes out fine, especially if you freeze the bread after cutting it.

    I'm sorry that I was looking at the 100 grams listing. Excuse me.

    Haha it's ok. I had to look it up because I like black pepper, and I add it to everything and I was wondering if I was missing something.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
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    Costco does really nice no-salt seasoning.

    I am having the same problem, its hard to stop the salt when you are cooking for others, but I am learning.

    I use lots of garlic, fresh lemon and other seasonings. I love sardines (Season Brand Skinless & Boneless in pure olive oil - 1/4 cup/55 grams have in 110mg), but only eat them in moderation, too much sodium.

    I gave up processed food a long time ago, only eat fresh or frozen vegetables. As for bread, I now eat Ryvita or WASA crispbread as there was too much sodium in bread.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    I love TJ 21 seasoning salute. I also pickle my own jalapeños, make ketchup, salsa, BBQ sauce, marinara, enchilada sauce, seasoning blends. And more. I do sometimes buy Alex's ugly sauce instead of making my own hot sauce, and I buy salt free mustard.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    TitaniumTexan wrote: »
    Thanks, everybody, this is VERY helpful. And I had no idea about the diet soda! Certainly hadn't been logging that before. One more reason to work on giving it up.

    Diet soda has a small amount of sodium, the same as water
  • trina1049
    trina1049 Posts: 593 Member
    edited August 2016
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    All restaurant prepared foods are salt bombs, even the salads. I've learned to stay away from them due to my salt restriction (1500 mg per day). For bread try Ezekiel Low Sodium Bread. Read every label before you buy at the grocery store; almost everything has sodium. The best thing is that once you're off the salt you can really taste the food. As mentioned up thread, spices are your friends but also check their labels as many have added salt. Edited to add that Pomi tomato products (imported from Italy) and Eden brand organic products (canned beans) are very low salt. I buy them at my local grocery store.
  • TitaniumTexan
    TitaniumTexan Posts: 16 Member
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    Interesting development last night. I began monitoring and moderating my salt intake on Saturday, so it had been only two full days before I left town on a business trip, meaning pretty much every meal for the next week will be something I did not prepare myself. I ordered filet mignon for dinner and was SHOCKED at how salty it was. I would have thought that it would have taken much longer for my taste buds to adjust. (Then again, maybe the steak was just super salty!)

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