Tips For a Low Sodium Diet
Food Fitness
Sodium is a mineral found as a natural ingredient in many foods. The most common form of sodium is salt. The low-sodium diet allows you 1/8-teaspoon of salt per day to use in food preparation or at the table.
Salt substitutes use potassium instead of sodium. You may use them if your doctor approves. However, one should not use salt substitutes with some medications. Check with your doctor to be sure that you can use a salt substitute each time your medication changes.
Following is a list of foods recommended on a low-sodium diet, then a list of those to avoid.
Recommended Foods
Meat Group (limit 4 to 6 ounces daily):
Four to six ounces per day of cooked weight of any meat, poultry (beef, lamb, pork, veal, liver, chicken, duck or turkey) or fish prepared or preserved without salt or sodium
Canned tuna or salmon rinsed or low-sodium tuna and low sodium salmon
One egg daily or 1/3-cup egg substitute daily, including that used in cooking
Low sodium peanut butter (2-tablespoons equals 1-ounce of meat) unsalted nuts, 1-ounce low sodium cheese or you may substitute low sodium cottage cheese for 1-ounce of meat
Canned kidney beans, rinsed, and frozen dinners with less than 500mg sodium
Vegetables:
Unlimited amounts of fresh, frozen (without salt or sodium added), or salt-free canned vegetables or vegetable juices without salt or sodium added
Include a good source of Vitamin A at least every other day such as a dark green or a deep yellow vegetable
Ketchup!
Keep your blood pressure out of the danger zone with Heinz or Hunt's No Salt Added Tomato Ketchup. Each has ZERO sodium but contain the usual ketchup ingredients: Tomatoes, vinegar, corn syrup, spices, etc. Heinz replaces the salt (sodium choloride) with potassium chloride, which tastes somewhat like salt, but helps lower blood pressure. Hunt's skips the potassium chloride.
Without salt, the ketchups' sweetness registers more clearly on your tastebuds, and the no-salt added have no more calories than the regulars (about 20 calories per tablespoon), which basically makes their addition a freebie.
Fruits:
Any kind of fruit or fruit juice, fresh, frozen, or canned except those listed in foods to avoid
Include a good source of Vitamin C daily such as citrus fruit or juice, strawberries, raw cabbage and cantaloupe.
Bread and Cereals:
Four slices of regular bread or equivalent per day (bread, rolls, crackers without salted tops)
Sandwich rolls equal two servings of bread.
One (3/4-ounce) serving of dry cereal per day (250mg or less). Cereals cooked without added salt. You may use salt free bread, rolls, and crackers as desired.
Rice, macaroni, spaghetti, noodles, barley prepared without added salt.
Unsalted popcorn or pretzels.
Fats:
Four teaspoons per day of regular salted butter, margarine, mayonnaise or mayonnaise type salad dressing or low-sodium mayonnaise
Unsalted butter, margarine or salad dressing is not restricted
Cooking fat or oil
Low sodium salad dressings, cream, non-dairy creamers, sour cream
Unsalted nuts, avocado
Soups:
Home made soups made without salt or restricted seasonings
Low sodium bouillon, broth and soups
Low sodium cream soups made from milk allowance and allowed foods
Beverages:
Coffee, decaffeinated coffee, tea, cereal beverages such as Postum
Sodium containing carbonated beverages limited to 24-ounces per day
Alcoholic beverages with doctor's permission
Cocoa made with milk allowance without added salt
Desserts:
Gelatin desserts or diet gelatin as desired
Fruit ice; home made tapioca, rice and cornstarch pudding or custard made with allowed milk and egg allowance and without the addition of salt or sodium
Miscellaneous
Spices and herbs which do not contain sodium or salt compounds
Vinegar, lemon, fresh horse radish without added salt, baking powder and baking soda for allowed baked products only, cream of tartar, Tabasco sauce, Veg-It, Mrs. Dash, yeast, low-sodium catsup, low-sodium baking powder, low-sodium baking soda, low sodium chili sauce
You may use a salt substitute or seasoned salt substitute blend containing no sodium with your doctor's approval.
Foods to Avoid
Milk and dairy Products (limit to 2-cups):
Avoid more than 2-cups per day
Buttermilk, malted milk, milk shakes, chocolate milk
Meat Group (limit four to six ounces daily):
Any salted, smoked, cured, pickled, dried or canned meat, fish or poultry such as bacon, bacon bits, turkey bacon, bologna, chipped or corned beef, breaded meats, frankfurters, bratwurst, ham, meats koshered by salting, luncheon meats, salt pork, sausage, anchovies, caviar, pickled herring, sardines
Regular peanut butter, salted nuts
Regular cottage cheese and all other cheese except those listed on the allowed list
Canned baked beans
Canned, packaged and frozen dinners with more than 500mg sodium
Vegetables:
Sauerkraut, pickles, olives and other vegetables prepared in a brine; canned and frozen vegetables if processed with salt or sodium
Salted potato chips, instant potatoes or potato mixes
Regular vegetables or tomato juice
Fruits:
Crystallized or glazed fruit
Bread and Cereals:
Not more than four slices per day of sodium containing breads or rolls; not more than 1-3/4 cup serving daily of dry cereal
Breads, rolls and crackers with salted tops
Pretzels and other salted snack foods
Self-rising flour, mixes containing salt or sodium, biscuit mixes, instant cooked cereals, avoid those with added salt or sodium compounds
Cornbread and commercial mixes (i.e., pancake, waffle, rice or pasta mixes, biscuit, etc.) unless low in sodium
Stuffing mixes, regular bread crumbs or cracker crumbs
Fats:
Sodium-containing salad dressings, bacon and bacon fat, tartar sauce and salted nuts
Gravies made with mixes or bouillon cubes
Cream cheese
Snack dips made with instant soup mixes or processed cheese
Soups:
Regular canned and dehydrated package soups, broth's, bouillon and consomme
Beverages:
Instant cocoa mixes
Water with softening equipment
Desserts:
Other desserts with less than 125mg sodium
More than one serving per day of regular cake, cookies, pie, sherbet, custard, ice cream and ice milk
Instant pudding, whipped topping
Miscellaneous
Salt, flavored salts, mono-sodium glutamate (MSG), prepared horseradish, prepared mustard, catsup, meat sauces, chili sauce, barbeque sauces, meat tenderizers, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, tartar sauce, Worcestershire sauce, flavored vinegar, relish, olives, pickles, salted snack foods, satled snack foods, salted nuts, cooking wine, Dutch processed cocoa or chocolate
Read labels on mixed spices to be sure there is not an addition of salt
Sea salt, lite salt (Morton's), Kitchen Bouquet, Butter Buds
Prepared package mix gravy
Reading Labels
If a product changed to a lower sodium level, you may see these various terms alerting you to the changes:
- Reduced or less sodium: At least 35-percent less sodium than the original version of the product
- Light in Sodium: At least 50-percent less sodium than the original version of the product
- Low Sodium: 140mg of sodium (or less) per serving
- Sodium Free: Less than 5mg of sodium per serving
Dining Out:
When dining out, you can reduce the sodium content of a meal by trying these simple suggestions:
- Use pepper, lemon juice, or bring your own salt free seasoning for flavor
- Go easy on condiments and sauces. Mustards, catsup, salad dressings, sauces and gravy substantially increase the amount of sodium in your meal
- Request that food is prepared without added salt and ask for sauces, salad dressing and gravy be served on the side
- Recognize words that indicate a high sodium content; marinated, pickled, smoked, au jus, teriyaki, soy sauce or in broth
- Keep it simple. Often special sauces and toppings add extra sodium to foods. Ordering a broiled cut of meat or fish is a better choice than entrees covered with special sauces. Plain meat-type sandwiches are lower in sodium than chicken, egg or tuna salad sandwiches.
See also:
Sodium Diet Guidelines
Americans and Salt
Salt and Diabetics
Changing Your Salt Habit
Salt Sense
Sea Salt
Low Salt/Sodium Recipes
Low Salt Diet Can Decrease Blood Pressure
