Wellness Tuesday: How do I cut sodium from my diet?

I’ve been taking you on my journey to learn about sodium.  We’ve discussed what it is, how it affects us and where it is found.   So, now let’s take a look at how to cut it from our diet.

Nutrition labels share the amount of sodium in a food

Nutrition labels share the amount of sodium in a food

  1. Read the nutrition facts—when shopping read the labels on the package. Remember, no more than 2,300 mg of sodium
  2. Cooking more foods at home—however we should be cooking more from scratch and less from “instant” products {is that as hard for you as it is for me?}
  3. Buy fresh—this includes meats, vegetables and fruits
  4. Avoid large portions of baked goods
  5. When eating at restaurants ask that salt not be added to food and do not salt prepared foods
  6. Add flavor without salting—this includes herbs and spices or no-salt seasoning
  7. Rinse the sodium away—rinse canned foods. This at least gets rid of some of the sodium
  8. Healthier Choices—choose nuts, seeds and other no-salt-added snacks
  9. Reduce portion size—the less food we eat the less sodium
  10. Watch the condiments—choose light or reduced sodium options, don’t use the entire packet and choose oil and vinegar over bottled dressings.

 

Some foods that are heavy in sodium include:

Soups are one food that can be high in sodium

Soups are one food that can be high in sodium

 

Ø  Foods made in brine (pickles, olives, sauerkraut)
Ø  Salty and Smoked Meats (bologna, corned beef, bacon, ham, sausage, lunch meats)
Ø  Salty and Smoke Fish (anchovies, caviar, dried fish, smoked salmon, sardines, herring)
Ø  Snack/Junk Food (potato chips, pretzels, popcorn, salted nuts, crackers)
Ø  Condiments (season salts, Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, ketchup, mustard, teriyaki, mustard)
Ø  Cheese
Ø  Salad Dressing
Ø  Soups (canned or instant)

Ø  Tomato Sauce

Ø  Microwave Dinners

 

What foods do you enjoy that are high in sodium?

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