Healthy Sodium Sources

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Slackpacker
Slackpacker Posts: 20 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone have a good suggestion for healthy sodium sources?

I'm trying to break a potato chip addiction, first of all.
Second, I'm mildly allergic to nuts. I can eat nut products, but feel like crap if I just snack on them straight.
Third, cardio is my exercise of choice (biking, hiking, walking), so I burn through electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, calcium) easily.

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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I don't eat a ton of snack foods, so I get most of my sodium from condiments and salting food to taste. Unless you've gotten specific guidance that you need to increase sodium, I think for many athletic people salting food to taste and making sure you're consuming electrolyte-style products while engaged in extended activity or heavily sweating.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
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    At the risk of stating the obvious:

    Just put salt on your healthy food. I have low BP and without sodium I get ...ill. Which was a problem when I cleaned up my diet and didn't think about it. I now just add a bit of salt or seasoning mix with salt (they almost all have sodium) to my vegetables/meat/eggs/stuff I'm eating anyway.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,984 Member
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    Besides just salting your food, you can also snack on pickles and olives. Relatively low calories, sodium-packed, and yum.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
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    There is a world of salt choices out there. Nothing is healthier than pure salt within reasonable limits both maximum and minimum. My favorite is Maldon crystals, but pink Hawaiian, endless kosher choices, powdered, ancient unrefined, etc.juspbv4uj5b8.png
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,158 Member
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    Pickles are amazing!

    Most of my sodium intake is from food I prepare myself. I don't think you have to eat this way for health or weight management, but it's helpful for me. Lately I've taken to making a lot of my own condiments and dressings too, which can also be high in sodium. It's usually taking two or three minutes to whisk some stuff in a bowl. In my experience it tastes better and is worth the effort. And I control what's in it!
  • joyanna2016
    joyanna2016 Posts: 323 Member
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    Celery
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I just salt my food to taste and get sodium when I use products like canned tomatoes or other minimally processed food goods for cooking. I don't think sodium deficiency is really something most people need to worry about unless they are really going out of their way to avoid it. When I used to do a lot of endurance cycling I would typically eat more pickles and even drink a shot of pickle juice after a long ride or event...I still eat pickles sometimes because I enjoy them, but for general regular exercise that isn't hours in duration I don't find it necessary to go out of my way to get more sodium...I only needed to do that when I was really into the long duration endurance stuff....like hours on my bike in the summer.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,459 Member
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    How about crispy chickpeas, lentils, broad beans? They can be made at home, or there are lots of flavored commercial versions, including single-serve snack packets. Dry-roasted salted soybeans (edamame) are another option. These are not low-cal, but have a bit more useful nutrition than potato chips.

    Personally, I also like bean-based tortilla chips, my favorite brand being Beanitos original black bean. Again, not low cal, but more nutrients per calorie.

    Indian puppodums are another one. If you're not familiar with them, they're disks the size of a small tortilla, made with some kind of legume flour, usually salted/flavored. The commercial ones are designed to be fried, but if you microwave them they turn into a crispy, wrinkly, puffed-up snack. The brand I usually get (Sharwood's) has 20 calories per disk. Watch closely when zapping, because it doesn't take long before they burn. These would not be a good trail snack - too fragile.

    On the lower-calorie end, I like raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut, kim chi, miso, fermented pickles, and things like that. Low calories, very salty, tasty, and (because raw/unpasteurized) full of probiotics. Not probiotic, but most salsa is also quite salty, can dip with veggies instead of chips.

    I also like cucumber cut up in hand-eating sizes, and sprinkled with some tasty seasoned or plain salt. Jicama is also good that way, or with salt, lime, and a good chili powder. There are other veggies that are good raw/salted, too, like radishes, Hakurei turnips, etc.

    I love salt, eat too much of it for my own good (though blood pressure is fine these days). On occasion, I've even been known to (looks around to see if anyone adult and sensible is paying attention) . . . just eat salt. 😮

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