How do you cut down on your sodium??

shellma00 · February 2012

I am addicted to salt and spices (especially garlic). I was wondering if anyone has found some good alternatives in foods or maybe spice alternatives that have lower sodium. It seems rediculous how much sodium is in most food. Just in my 100% tomato juice, 16 oz. there was 1360 in sodium. That is crazy!!

And just in case... I am sorry if this has been posted a million times on here. I know there are always new people who might have good ideas that are not on previous threads.

melsinct · February 2012

Cook your own food. I am never anywhere near the limits that MFP sets, mainly because unless traveling or at a random work lunch, I am eating home cooked meals. I never buy boxed foods, frozen meals, etc.

Edited to add: eat all of the garlic you want. I am not aware of any problem with sodium in it, unless it is garlic salt you are using. That's an easy fix: use fresh garlic or garlic powder.

shellma00 · February 2012

I think I need to clarify. I try cooking as many home cooked meals as I can. I like to cook, so that is not an issue. We do on occasion use boxed food. I am just guessing that maybe the foods I am buying to cook seem to have lots of sodium. Maybe what I consider home cooked really is just processed. I am not really sure.

And yes, I used fresh or minced garlic in just about everything.

mudya · February 2012

I use low sodium salt

stormieweather · February 2012

Track sodium on your diary and it will show you what you need to eat less of. For me, pickles, cheese, soups, and some breads just kill the sodium levels. I can eat them, I just have to know that tomorrow, I will be bloated up like a blimp.

johncaraher · February 2012

It is mind-boggling how much salt gets added in any kind of processed food! The closer the ingredients you used are to vegetables straight from the field or garden, fresh meats, etc. the more control you have over how much (if any) salt makes its way in. If you do need to buy something canned be sure to check labels - there can be enormous variations between different versions of "the same" food, and some choices aren't too bad.

johncaraher · February 2012

Good point - that's helped me too! (in reply to stormieweather on using the diary)

BAMFMeredith · February 2012

Cook your own food. I am never anywhere near the limits that MFP sets, mainly because unless traveling or at a random work lunch, I am eating home cooked meals. I never buy boxed foods, frozen meals, etc.

Edited to add: eat all of the garlic you want. I am not aware of any problem with sodium in it, unless it is garlic salt you are using. That's an easy fix: use fresh garlic or garlic powder.

All of this. I put fresh minced garlic on like everything I cook. I LOVE it! Mrs. Dash is also salt free and can be pretty tasty.

I also don't really eat anything out of a box, and the only frozen things I eat are vegetables. Be careful when cooking things like chicken or ground turkey--they can be injected with loads of sodium. For this reason, I opt for organic free range chicken as often as possible (although it can be pricey). Check out local farmers markets for things like that.

KLK1986 · February 2012

For spices I get Mrs. Dash blends because they are salt-free.

I love cheese and found some Sargento cheese sticks that are low-sodium. Also swiss cheese is naturally much lower in sodium.

I also eat a lot of black beans and have started buying the Bush's black beans with reduced sodium (half the salt of the regular ones, taste no different to me).

I cut out potato chips and get unsalted popcorn.

Small changes like this can make a huge difference!

sjv1966 · February 2012

I, too, love salty food, and decided to start tracking how much sodium I was getting. I was absolutely shocked at how much sodium was in things that you wouldn't even think would have that much -- like jarred spaghetti sauce! And the funny part was that the things that I thought of as salty foods -- like chips -- had comparatively little.

So now if I am going to have a high-salt food I try to make it one where I can really enjoy the salty flavor, and the other stuff I am just doing without or trying to find a low sodium alternative. So far I haven't found a low sodium spaghetti sauce so I am using no-salt crushed tomatoes and making my own. Bummer but what can you do. I am told that one teaspoon of table salt is equal to your RDA so if you are making something that serves four and put in one teaspoon of salt each serving will have 1/4 of your RDA. That seems like the max you should put into something so that is my guide for all those recipes that say "salt to and pepper to taste."

One funny thing -- I did a google search for "low sodium ham" and the only thing I came up with was a suggestion that you rinse the ham in the sink before eating. LOL!

UpEarly · February 2012

I posted a bunch of tips a couple weeks ago :-)

Several weeks ago, I found out that a family member I cook for needed to start watching his sodium intake for medical reasons. Sodium was never something I tracked, because I don't seem to be salt sensitive or have any problems with water retention. To help out with meal planning and food preparation, I started tracking sodium on MFP. It was a real eye opener, but over the past few weeks, I've figured a bunch of things out and wanted to share some tips with others who are looking for ways to keep their sodium down.

1) Cheese - if you like cheese, the sodium can be killer. Try swiss cheese instead of cheddar, American or provolone. An ounce of natural swiss cheese has between 30-60mg of sodium as opposed to the 180-220mg in other kinds of cheese.

2) Hunts No-Salt Added Diced Tomatoes make great homemade salsa when fresh tomatoes are out of season. Mix them with frozen corn that you've roasted, cumin, garlic, a variety of sweet and hot peppers, red onions, cilantro, lime juice, a little olive oil and a quarter teaspoon of sea salt. Makes a great low sodium salsa! A full cup of this salsa has around 100mg of sodium as opposed to the 2000mg in an equal amount of Tostitos Chunky Medium Salsa. I also found out that a serving of Tostitos has 110mg of sodium, which is actually lower than many other kinds of chips.

3) Make homemade dressing. I make my own Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette that has 32mg of sodium, as opposed to the 350mg in two tablespoons of Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette. I make an awesome homemade ranch that has around 115mg of sodium as opposed to the 290mg in Hidden Valley Ranch.

4) Make old fashioned rolled oats in the microwave instead of the packets of instant oatmeal. You can go from almost 300mg of sodium down to zero. I stir in unsweetened frozen fruit, a couple tablespoons of half and half and a little splenda and it tastes just like (if not better than) the instant fruit and cream packets.

5) Look at the labels on the poultry and pork you buy. Some brands, like Tyson and Hormel, inject saline into their meat to make it plumper and juicier. A four ounce serving of meat treated like this can increase the sodium from 75mg all the way up to 400mg. I buy most of my meat locally, but I know Perdue does not 'plump' their birds with saline. I'm not sure about other pork producers, but if the meat is injected, it has to be listed on the label.

6) If you love lunch meat, look into the Boar's Head brand. They have several products that are much lower sodium. Their roast beef and lacey swiss are especially delicious!

7) Get a bread machine - make your own bread, rolls and pizza crusts. Then you can control the sodium. The machine turns making bread into a quick and easy task.

I guess the thing to emphasize more than anything is to MAKE IT YOURSELF! Soups, stews, stocks and sauces are all easy to keep low sodium when you make them from scratch. I know it sounds like lots of work, but it really hasn't been bad at all. I make a little bit of time on the weekends to do meal prep, then I mostly defrost/reheat when I get home from work during the week.

I was thinking about starting a blog with my lower sodium recipes, but I'm not sure if it would be used/useful.

ka_bateman · February 2012

bump

melsinct · February 2012

Maybe what I consider home cooked really is just processed. I am not really sure.

I think we are just defining home cooked differently. I am thinking from scratch. For example:

Brown ground beef, add box of Hamburger Helper (spices and pasta and whatnot in a box)

vs.

Brown ground beef, add your own spices and pasta, like in this recipe:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/hamburger_buddy.html

The boxed version has almost double the sodium per serving. Make it yourself and you just reduced the sodium in one meal by 50%. Not to mention, there are no questionable ingredients in stuff you cook yourself. Win-win!

HotBodUnderConstruction · February 2012

The entire range of Mrs. Dash seasoning is amazing...give it a try!

pauljsolie · February 2012

Try McCormick's Perfect Pinch Vegetable. Find it in the spice section of your store. 1/4 tsp =130mg of sodium compared to iodized salt=590mg. They have different flavors, Vegetable and Savory are my favorites.

mukamom · February 2012

I, too, love salty food, and decided to start tracking how much sodium I was getting. I was absolutely shocked at how much sodium was in things that you wouldn't even think would have that much -- like jarred spaghetti sauce! And the funny part was that the things that I thought of as salty foods -- like chips -- had comparatively little.

So now if I am going to have a high-salt food I try to make it one where I can really enjoy the salty flavor, and the other stuff I am just doing without or trying to find a low sodium alternative. So far I haven't found a low sodium spaghetti sauce so I am using no-salt crushed tomatoes and making my own. Bummer but what can you do. I am told that one teaspoon of table salt is equal to your RDA so if you are making something that serves four and put in one teaspoon of salt each serving will have 1/4 of your RDA. That seems like the max you should put into something so that is my guide for all those recipes that say "salt to and pepper to taste."

One funny thing -- I did a google search for "low sodium ham" and the only thing I came up with was a suggestion that you rinse the ham in the sink before eating. LOL!

Francesco Rinaldi Traditional Pasta Sauce, no added salt. Found it in Walmart for 1.50 jar...pretty good-light and fresh tasting

srea76 · February 2012

Sodium gets me a lot too. My problem is pickles. I love them way too much:) If I stay away from them I usually do pretty well.

shellma00 · February 2012

I posted a bunch of tips a couple weeks ago :-)

Several weeks ago, I found out that a family member I cook for needed to start watching his sodium intake for medical reasons. Sodium was never something I tracked, because I don't seem to be salt sensitive or have any problems with water retention. To help out with meal planning and food preparation, I started tracking sodium on MFP. It was a real eye opener, but over the past few weeks, I've figured a bunch of things out and wanted to share some tips with others who are looking for ways to keep their sodium down.

1) Cheese - if you like cheese, the sodium can be killer. Try swiss cheese instead of cheddar, American or provolone. An ounce of natural swiss cheese has between 30-60mg of sodium as opposed to the 180-220mg in other kinds of cheese.

2) Hunts No-Salt Added Diced Tomatoes make great homemade salsa when fresh tomatoes are out of season. Mix them with frozen corn that you've roasted, cumin, garlic, a variety of sweet and hot peppers, red onions, cilantro, lime juice, a little olive oil and a quarter teaspoon of sea salt. Makes a great low sodium salsa! A full cup of this salsa has around 100mg of sodium as opposed to the 2000mg in an equal amount of Tostitos Chunky Medium Salsa. I also found out that a serving of Tostitos has 110mg of sodium, which is actually lower than many other kinds of chips.

3) Make homemade dressing. I make my own Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette that has 32mg of sodium, as opposed to the 350mg in two tablespoons of Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette. I make an awesome homemade ranch that has around 115mg of sodium as opposed to the 290mg in Hidden Valley Ranch.

4) Make old fashioned rolled oats in the microwave instead of the packets of instant oatmeal. You can go from almost 300mg of sodium down to zero. I stir in unsweetened frozen fruit, a couple tablespoons of half and half and a little splenda and it tastes just like (if not better than) the instant fruit and cream packets.

5) Look at the labels on the poultry and pork you buy. Some brands, like Tyson and Hormel, inject saline into their meat to make it plumper and juicier. A four ounce serving of meat treated like this can increase the sodium from 75mg all the way up to 400mg. I buy most of my meat locally, but I know Perdue does not 'plump' their birds with saline. I'm not sure about other pork producers, but if the meat is injected, it has to be listed on the label.

6) If you love lunch meat, look into the Boar's Head brand. They have several products that are much lower sodium. Their roast beef and lacey swiss are especially delicious!

7) Get a bread machine - make your own bread, rolls and pizza crusts. Then you can control the sodium. The machine turns making bread into a quick and easy task.

I guess the thing to emphasize more than anything is to MAKE IT YOURSELF! Soups, stews, stocks and sauces are all easy to keep low sodium when you make them from scratch. I know it sounds like lots of work, but it really hasn't been bad at all. I make a little bit of time on the weekends to do meal prep, then I mostly defrost/reheat when I get home from work during the week.

I was thinking about starting a blog with my lower sodium recipes, but I'm not sure if it would be used/useful.

Thank you!!

shellma00 · February 2012

I did just buy my first Mrs Dash... the Garlic & Herb one and have been trying to substitute it for salt. I will have to look for your other suggestions, such as the Mccormick and other flavors of Mrs. Dash.

christy_frank · February 2012

When I purchase ANY ingredients, I look FIRST at the sodium level even before the calories. I read labels on EVERYTHING that goes into my cart, unless it is something I purchase on a regular basis. Example: Swanson Low Sodium Chicken Broth has MORE sodium than Swanson Natural Chicken Broth. I do not use salt in any cooking.

TubbsMcGee · February 2012

I set my sodium level on MFP to 1600mg and I only seem to go over it if I'm eating pre-packaged or restaurant food.

I agree with using Mrs. Dash. Fresh herbs are great too, and using garlic is fine! If I'm preparing all my foods using real ingredients, then my sodium levels are quite low.

Edited to include: I usually check the sodium contents in most foods before looking at the amount of calories. If there is something similar available in "reduced sodium" or "no added salt" you know which one I'm going to go for

kaybelmore · February 2012

I agree with every one who said limit your processed foods. The biggest sodium packer is bread so make sure you're looking at the sodium content in that (it's SCARY).

http://www.chfi.com/2012/02/08/americans-get-too-much-sodium-from-bread/

shellma00 · February 2012

I have to say that all of these suggestions are great. It is also making really excited for it to be time to start a garden. I had every intention to have a garden last year, but my father in law broke our tiller so I am guessing that this year I am going to have to sweet talk my dad in to coming and using his tiller. I love fresh out of the garden veggies and I feel like the people who sell at our tiny farmers markets are sometimes a little overpriced whenever I can just grow things myself. I have had horrible luck with gardens the last 2 times I have tried, but I think I can do it. I just have to keep my dogs out of the garden, my lab loves tomatoes.

I am also thinking I may very well like a bread maker. They should be pretty affordable now that they have been on the market for a while now. Maybe I can become an every day suzie homemaker. :laugh: Although I really am not sure when I will be able to fit making all this stuff into my busy schedule.

BrendaLee · February 2012

2) Hunts No-Salt Added Diced Tomatoes make great homemade salsa when fresh tomatoes are out of season. Mix them with frozen corn that you've roasted, cumin, garlic, a variety of sweet and hot peppers, red onions, cilantro, lime juice, a little olive oil and a quarter teaspoon of sea salt. Makes a great low sodium salsa! A full cup of this salsa has around 100mg of sodium as opposed to the 2000mg in an equal amount of Tostitos Chunky Medium Salsa. I also found out that a serving of Tostitos has 110mg of sodium, which is actually lower than many other kinds of chips.

Salsa is a KILLER when it comes to sodium. I switched from my favorite Old El Paso to an organic version, because it had half the sodium, but even still, it's way too high. There's just no need to put that much salt in anything.

I look for low-sodium versions of everything these days. Read the labels, and choose the one with the least amount of sodium -- even if it means a few extra calories.

becoming_a_new_me · February 2012

I am addicted to salt and spices (especially garlic). I was wondering if anyone has found some good alternatives in foods or maybe spice alternatives that have lower sodium. It seems rediculous how much sodium is in most food. Just in my 100% tomato juice, 16 oz. there was 1360 in sodium. That is crazy!!

And just in case... I am sorry if this has been posted a million times on here. I know there are always new people who might have good ideas that are not on previous threads.

I use low sodium products...Campbells has a low sodium tomato juice which is awesome. As far as seasonings...two words: Mrs. Dash. There's about a half a dozen flavor options all with no sodium. I love them all!!

craziedazie · February 2012

This is very helpful information. I hadn't been tracking my sodium until today. Yikes! Looking at the past week - it is most definitely processed foods that hit you where it hurts.

craziedazie · February 2012

[/quote]

Francesco Rinaldi Traditional Pasta Sauce, no added salt. Found it in Walmart for 1.50 jar...pretty good-light and fresh tasting
[/quote]

Thank you for this!

BarbWhite09 · February 2012

See which items you're using that have the most sodium & cut them out of your diet. Don't use salt on your foods, like ever - bad bad stuff. If you for some reason must use salt, get low sodium salt. Mrs. Dash is a nice alternative to using spices that generally have a lot of sodium. I'm not sure how you can be making most of your foods & still be getting a bunch of sodium...