Foods High In Sodium
To maintain good health, if your doctor has recommended a low-salt diet, it's important that you avoid foods high in sodium. This is not always easy to do, but the FDA labels make it a bit easier to see how your favorite foods stack up.
Luncheon meat and processed meats are generally high in sodium. Some other meats to avoid include Canadian bacon, corned beef and sausage. Canned meats and fish are also on the do-not-use list, unless, in the case of foods like tuna, you can rinse them off before using them. Canned dinners, like Spam and chili, are too high in sodium to be suitable for a low salt diet. A good substitute for processed and canned meats is fresh meat or poultry or fish, and eggs or egg substitutes.
Processed cheese is a food to avoid, as it is another of foods high in sodium. Buttermilk is also not part of a low sodium diet, and neither is cocoa mix or Dutch process cocoa. Regular milk is a better choice, and you may also have yogurt, ice cream and ice milk.
Frozen dinners and frozen entrees are generally very high in sodium, and should not be eaten on a low-sodium diet. Most foods of Asian origin, including Japanese and Chinese, contain too much salt to be a healthy part of a low-salt diet. Substitute fresh meats and vegetables.
Pizza is on the list of foods high in sodium as well, and so are lasagna, ravioli and soufflés. Crackers, popcorn, nuts and chips, unless they are made without excess salt, are also on the list of foods to steer away from. You may use low sodium crackers or bread sticks in place of regular crackers.
Meals which have flavor packets like ramen noodles and mac and cheese, generally have too much salt to be included in your diet, as well. So do instant potatoes and stuffing mixes.
Vegetables are usually thought of as healthy foods, but be careful if they are seasoned or have sauces on or with them. Vegetables that are fresh or frozen and without sauces are good alternatives.
Condiments probably don't pop into your head as foods you have to be wary of, as far as staying away from foods high in sodium. But many sauces and salad dressings and the like have very high sodium content, and should be avoided. Sauces containing soy, teriyaki or worcestershire as a base are not suitable for low sodium diets. Pasta sauces like chili sauce, cocktail sauce and tomato sauce are also on the list of foods high in sodium.
A few more on the list of foods high in sodium include bottled salad dressings, salted butter or margarine and instant pudding. Go for their salt-free alternatives, most of which are just as tasty, since no-salt seasoning substitutes are widely used now.
Once you are used to a low-salt diet, it will become second nature to you to avoid foods high in sodium.