less sodium, more protein? helppp

Hi, Danielle-

Are you eating fresh meat that you cook yourself? Raw chicken, ground turkey, etc. are very low in sodium and will stay low unless you add salt or high-sodium broths/sauces. The pre-cooked versions are typically high in sodium, as it is used to preserve the meat. Happy cooking!

Have you tried protein shakes? I get body fortress whey protein at walmart. It's about $15. I will use one scoop and put it in my blender with 1/2 cup milk, a banana (for potassium) and 1/2 cup frozen strawberries. I also put about 5 splenda packets in too. (It's a little bitter to me if I don't) I put about two handfuls of ice and blend it. I also will do 1 scoop of the protein powder, 2 tbsp sugar free smuckers chocolate syrup, 5 splenda packets, 1/2 cup milk, 2 handfuls of ice and blend it. It taste like the frappes from McDonalds (only with a lot less calories) I have that after my work out. I usually only need one a day and it has helped me on keeping my sodium down too. I also could not figure out how to stay under my sodium, but by doing this I am eating less meat and frozen dinners so it helps me stay under 1800. I don't do it every day but it's dessert to me.

use Mrs. Dash instead of salt to season your food. My trainer told me to stay away from deli meat!

All deli meat is going to have a lot of sodium in it.. the only way to have low sodium is to cook raw meat yourself.

Eggs are a terrific source of protein and they don't have much sodium. Greek yogurt is a great non-meat source of protein and it has the bonus of good calcium. It's the processed meats and microwave meals that are over the top with sodium.

I buy chicken breast whole and uncooked, then chop them up into 100g portions and grill them on my George Foreman grill. I do a bulk pack (1.5kg) once a week and keep half in the fridge and freeze the other half - they taste a bit fridge-y if left for the whole week!

I use them as a snack on their own, in wraps with other vegies, or in a salad.

The frozen raw meat has quite a bit of sodium too.

Some of the whole wheat bread and whole grain breads also have a lot of protein in them. I think it's the food lion whole wheat bread that I got that had 8 grams of protein per serving ...but check the label. I don't have it in front of me so I can't be sure that's the loaf that I bought that had high amounts of protein. More foods than you think give you protein other than meat.

Look up a No added salt diet.

That might be the problem. I eat these oscar meyer deli fresh meats that are prepackaged. Now that i think about it, they do taste pretty salty. Is it better to get the meat from a deli so its fresh?

It is better to prepare your own meats from fresh or frozen. Sometimes I double what I am fixing and freeze the rest in portions. Other times I spend a Saturday or Sunday cooking several meats on the grill and put them up in portions for later.

If you need to buy prepared foods, read the labels at the deli counter. Some are much lower in sodium than others. Ask the people who work there to show you the packages. You can also check the fat content. The more expensive meats might be less salty, but you have to check each one. Cheese is very high in sodium, but baby swiss and some of the other swisses, like Jarlsburg lite, have less than others.

Most frozen dinners and canned foods are loaded with sodium. Always check the labels and check for portion size. For example, my husband likes to take soup for lunch, but most have almost 800 mg. per serving. If you check the label, one can, which is what he would eat, is considered 2 or more servings.

Increase your fresh food intake. If at all possible, eat fresh fruits, veggies, and meats. Season with salt free seasoning blends, garlic, onions, peppers, herbs, spices, and balsamic vinegar. Once you get used to eating this way, you will find you really don't like the salty taste of packaged foods.

Good luck. Cut out things a little at a time. Make little changes. Surprisingly, things like chips and pretzelshave relatively little sodium. All the salt is on the surface, so it tastes very salty, but has less than other foods.