Question for people who have sodium restrictions
TitaniumTexan
Posts: 16 Member
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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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=1-31 -
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.2 -
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.1
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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.
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A stalk of celery has a lot in my opinion0
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I like salt-free Mrs.Dash.I was surprised by the sodium in diet sodas and carrots.4
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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.1 -
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.2
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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.2 -
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.0
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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.1
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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.
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.1 -
Colorscheme 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.0 -
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.1 -
Colorscheme 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.1 -
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.1 -
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.1
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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 water1 -
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.1
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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!)1
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TitaniumTexan wrote: »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!)
Yup, yup. Been there. Too bad a tasty bit of meat was drowned out by the salt siren.
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Something worth looking into is a salt-substitute such as "No-Salt". It's potassium chloride, like what is added to "no salt added" canned vegetables, instead of sodium chloride (table salt). Some people can't tell the difference between the two. Others, like myself, taste potassium chloride as very bitter and metallic. Give it a try.
A trick my doctor told me was to be sure and drain and rinse any canned vegetables or beans, as the liquid in the can contains a large portion of the listed sodium.
In answer to your question, though, canned tomatoes and sauces were a big surprise when I lowered my salt intake. Also, salad dressings.
Finally, Penzy's brand spices offers a ton of salt-free herb/spice mixes. "Mural of flavor" is a game-changer.
https://www.penzeys.com/shop/spices/2 -
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.
this^^
I use almost all of the same products.2 -
I like a Mexican seasoning for fruit and jicama snacks called Tajin Fruit Seasoning - contains chili and lime, and a whopping 154mg of sodium in a quarter teaspoon. I won't be using that any more. Fortunately a great replacement is a wedge of lime and ground dried chilis which takes the sodium down to near zero (my favorite ground chili is Turkish from Aleppo, available at Penzeys).2
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TitaniumTexan wrote: »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.
Basically anything processed (that would include smoked salmon) is going to have a lot of sodium in it...that's how those foods are preserved. Restaurant foods are also high sodium.
The solution is more whole foods. I salt my food still as that really isn't where people have issues...it's the abundance of processed foods and eating out.1 -
I am restricted to a maximum of 1500 calories a day. You learn really quickly to read any and all labels because it seems like everything contains sodium. I've learned to make my own spice mixes and there are a ton of blogs that give good tips and recipes. I think my biggest surprise was salad dressings and yogurt. I've switched to a 75% clean diet which has helped but I still read every single label. I will say though that the 21 Season Salute from Trader Joes is by far the best salt-free spice mix you can buy.2
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