It's Your Health!

Foods You Should Choose Most Often

• Bread, rolls, crackers or breadsticks, without salted tops
• Bagels, English muffins, most ready-to-eat cereals and cooked cereals
• Rice, noodles and pasta
• Low sodium vegetable juices and low sodium tomato and pasta sauces
• Regular tomato or vegetable juices
• Most fresh, frozen and canned fruits
• All fruit juices and milk
• Yogurt and/or reduced or low-sodium cheese
• Any fresh or frozen meat, poultry or fish
• Eggs and egg substitute
• Low sodium peanut butter and/or unsalted nuts
• Dry peas and beans
• Reduce sodium frozen dinners (less than 800mg sodium each)
• Low-sodium canned tuna
• Low-sodium or unsalted salad dressings, soy sauce, catsup and condiments
• Low-sodium bouillon and soups
• Pepper, herbs, vinegar, lemon or lime juice
• Coffee, tea, fruit drinks, powdered drink mixes and low-sodium carbonated beverages

Foods to Avoid

• Bread, rolls, crackers and breadsticks with salt
• Box mixes of quick breads and biscuits and instant hot cereals
• Seasoned box mixes of pasta, rice or stuffing
• Regular tomato and pasta sauces
• Sauerkraut, pickled vegetables and olives
• Commercial potato and vegetable mixes
• Frozen vegetables with sauces and fruits processed with salt or sodium
• Buttermilk, processed cheese, cheese spread, cheese sauces and natural cheeses
• Smoked, cured, salted or canned meat, poultry, fish or seafood, including ham, bacon, sausage, cold cuts, sardines
• Breaded frozen meat, fish or poultry items, salted nuts and pizza
• Salad dressings with more than 250mg sodium per 2 tablespoon serving
• Regular soups, broth, soup bases or bouillon cubes
• Gravies and sauces made from instant mixes or other high sodium ingredients
• Salted snack foods, softened water and sea salt
• Meat tenderizers and meat sauces and soy sauce (regular or reduced sodium)

Tips:

• Cook cereals, rice and pasta without adding salt
• You can omit salt or decrease salt in most recipes for baked goods
• Season vegetables with herbs, spices or lemon juice instead of salt, ham, bacon or salt pork
• Choose fresh or frozen more often because canned contain added sodium
• Dairy products have moderate amounts of sodium. Milk and yogurt are lower in sodium than most cheeses - natural cheeses are usually lower in sodium than processed
• Choose low-sodium reduced-sodium or salt-free foods and processed meats
• Prepare additional fresh meats to use in sandwiches
• Use herbs and spices, instead of salt to season your food
• Try air-popped popcorn with salt-free seasoning
• The following ingredients contain large amounts of sodium: Salt, brine, broth, pickled, smoked, soy sauce, barbecue sauce and monosodium glutamate (MSG)

If you have questions or concerns about your diet, or if you need a diet of 3,000mg sodium or lower, a diet instruction with a registered dietitian is necessary. The individualized diet instruction can provide:

• Label reading, shopping, food preparation and dining out
• Combining other diet restrictions if necessary
• Attention to personal preferences and ethnic and religious choices