Milly Gaines
It can be challenging to reduce sodium in your diet without making significant changes, as sodium is present in many foods that we regularly consume. Excess sodium intake is linked to elevated blood pressure, a key factor in cardiovascular disease, so it is important to monitor your sodium intake. While it may be difficult to avoid sodium-rich foods, there are some simple ways to reduce your sodium intake without drastically changing your diet.
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What You'll Learn
Choose fresh, natural foods over processed foods
Choosing fresh, natural foods over processed foods is a great way to reduce sodium in your diet without making significant changes. This is because most of the sodium in our diet comes from packaged and prepared foods, not from the salt we add during cooking or at the table.
When shopping, opt for fresh meat, poultry, and seafood instead of processed varieties. Check the packaging to ensure that salt water or saline hasn't been added. For example, when buying poultry, look for fresh or frozen options that haven't been injected with a sodium solution. Similarly, when buying canned goods, look for products labelled "no salt added" or "low sodium." Rinsing canned foods like beans, tuna, and vegetables before eating can also help reduce sodium intake.
In addition to canned goods, many frozen foods are also loaded with sodium. Avoid frozen breaded meats and dinners, such as burritos and pizza, as these often contain added salt and sodium-rich preservatives. Instead, opt for fresh or frozen options without sauce or seasoning.
When it comes to snacks, choose low-sodium or no-salt-added options. Instead of reaching for pretzels or chips, try carrot or celery sticks. If you're a fan of jerky, look for meat from grass-fed or organically raised animals, as these tend to have simpler ingredient lists and less sodium.
By making these simple swaps and choosing fresh, natural foods over processed options, you can significantly reduce the amount of sodium in your diet without compromising on taste or convenience.
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Avoid fast food and snacks
Fast food and snacks are often loaded with sodium, calories, fat, and salt. They are usually highly processed, high in energy, and low in nutrients. Despite being enjoyable to eat, it is easy to overeat when you snack on these foods. Eating out at restaurants or ordering takeaways can also be a significant source of sodium in your diet.
- Plan your meals and snacks in advance: If you have a healthy meal and snacks packed and ready for you at lunchtime and in the afternoon, you are far less likely to grab fast food or order takeaways.
- Keep healthy snacks on hand: Always have fruits like apples, bananas, and oranges, or a handful of mixed nuts, or yogurt, or some crackers and cheese in your bag or the fridge (at home or work) to stop you from grabbing something less healthy.
- Eat fruits and vegetables: When you crave fast food, eat fruits like apples and bananas to satisfy your sweet tooth.
- Drink water: Replace soda with water to help manage your cravings. Drinking enough water each day will help you stay hydrated and prevent misplaced feelings of hunger.
- Get enough sleep: Lack of sleep is thought to play a role in junk food cravings. A recent study showed that sleep restriction resulted in more hunger and less ability to control intake.
- Be mindful: Identify your trigger foods and avoid them as much as possible. The less you expose yourself to your trigger foods, the less you'll be tempted to eat fast food.
- Shop smart: When you go shopping, try to purchase items only from the produce, dairy, meat, and fish sections. If a food item has more than a few ingredients on the label (or ones you can’t pronounce), don’t buy it.
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Read food labels and choose low-sodium options
The majority of sodium in our diets comes from packaged and restaurant food, not the salt shaker. So, it's important to read food labels and choose low-sodium options to reduce sodium intake.
When reading food labels, low sodium is defined as 140 mg of sodium per serving. Items with 400 mg or more of sodium are high in sodium. The %DV (Daily Value) on the Nutrition Facts label is a good tool to determine if a serving of food is high or low in sodium. As a general guide, 5% DV or less of sodium per serving is considered low, and 20% DV or more of sodium per serving is considered high. The Daily Value for sodium is less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day.
When buying canned or frozen vegetables, look for those with "no salt added" or "low sodium" on the label. You can also buy fresh and frozen poultry that hasn't been injected with a sodium solution. Check the ingredients list for terms like "broth," "saline," or "sodium solution."
For condiments, choose those with low or no sodium. Soy sauce, bottled salad dressings, ketchup, jarred salsa, capers, mustard, pickles, olives, and relish can be high in sodium. Instead of these, you can use spices, herbs, lemon, garlic, vinegar, and pepper to season your food.
In addition to reading food labels, you can also prepare more home-cooked meals. Foods cooked from scratch are naturally lower in sodium than most instant and boxed mixes.
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Reduce sodium intake from condiments and cheese
Condiments are often loaded with sodium. Soy sauce, bottled salad dressings, dips, ketchup, jarred salsas, capers, mustard, pickles, olives, and relish are some examples of condiments that contain high levels of sodium. To reduce sodium intake from condiments, opt for reduced-sodium or lower-sodium versions of these products. For example, you can use low-sodium canned beans and top your meals with vegetables and salsa. You can also use citrus juice, vinegar, yogurt, or higher-acid ingredients to add flavor to your food.
When it comes to cheese, the amount of sodium can vary widely, even within the same varieties. Feta and blue cheese are among the saltiest types of cheese, while goat cheese and ricotta have lower sodium content. To reduce sodium intake from cheese, opt for low-sodium cheese or natural cheeses such as Swiss or mozzarella, which tend to have lower sodium levels than processed cheeses. You can also try using finely grated savory hard cheeses such as Parmesan or Romano, as a small amount can go a long way in adding flavor to your dishes. Additionally, rinsing salty cheeses like cottage cheese under running water can help reduce their sodium content.
In general, when trying to reduce sodium intake, it's important to read nutrition labels and choose products with lower sodium content. Different brands of the same food can have varying sodium levels. Also, be mindful of high-sodium food preparation methods such as pickling, brining, barbecuing, curing, and smoking. Opt for steamed, baked, grilled, poached, or roasted foods whenever possible, as these methods may result in lower sodium content.
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Use salt alternatives and flavourful ingredients
It is important to note that more than 70% of the sodium we consume comes from packaged and prepared foods, rather than from the salt we add to our food during cooking or before eating. This makes it difficult to control how much sodium we consume. Therefore, it is important to be mindful of the packaged and prepared foods we buy.
When shopping for packaged and prepared foods, it is a good idea to compare labels and opt for products with lower sodium content. Different brands of the same food can have varying sodium levels. For instance, unseasoned fresh meats have around 100 milligrams or less of sodium per 4-ounce serving, whereas a serving of prepared rotisserie chicken can have up to 400 mg of sodium. Similarly, an 8-inch white flour tortilla has about 400 mg of sodium, whereas a whole-grain corn tortilla has just 5 mg.
When it comes to condiments, be mindful that some options like soy sauce, bottled salad dressings, ketchup, jarred salsas, capers, mustard, pickles, olives, and relish can be loaded with sodium. Instead, opt for reduced-sodium or lower-sodium versions of these condiments. For example, you can use light or reduced-sodium salad dressings, or add oil and vinegar to your salads instead of bottled dressings.
In addition to choosing lower-sodium options, you can also enhance the flavour of your food with ingredients like herbs and spices. For instance, when cooking at home, you can use herbs and spices instead of salt to add flavour to your meals.
There are also salt substitutes available that replace some or all of the sodium with potassium. However, it is important to note that these substitutes may not be suitable for everyone. While most people can try potassium salt, those with certain medical conditions like kidney disease or those taking certain medications may need to be cautious as it can affect their potassium levels.
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Frequently asked questions
You can make some simple swaps to reduce your sodium intake without having to give up the foods you love. For example, if you love pizza, you can make your own using a whole-wheat base, low-sodium sauce and slivers of light cheese. You can also swap out salty snacks like chips for their low-sodium alternatives.
It can be difficult to identify which foods are high in sodium as it's often hidden. However, you can check the nutrition labels on packaging to identify sodium levels. In the US, sodium information is provided in milligrams per serving and as a per cent daily value. In the UK, low sodium is defined as 140mg of sodium per serving.
You can use herbs, spices, lemon, lime, vinegar, garlic, ginger and pepper to season your food instead of salt. There are also salt substitutes on the market that replace sodium with potassium, but you should check with your doctor before using these if you are on a low-potassium diet.
