Vegetables and Fruits Any fresh vegetables, like spinach, carrots, or broccoli. Frozen vegetables without added butter or sauce. Canned vegetables that are low in sodium or have no salt added — you can rinse them off to remove some of the sodium. Low-sodium vegetable juice.
When reading food labels, low sodium is defined as 140 mg of sodium per serving.
Pear, Turkey, and Cheese Sandwich
Using low- or reduced-sodium deli meat is a great way to make sure your sandwich isn't packed with salt. USA Pears' pear, turkey, and cheese sandwich, via The Oregon Dairy Council, has 190 calories, 4 grams of fat, 480 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of protein, and 7 grams of fiber.
The Bottom Line
Cooking Light Nutrition Editor Lisa Valente, MS, RD, says, “Sprouted grain breads tend to be lower in sodium and they're whole grain to boot. I love Ezekiel Sprouted Whole Grain Bread (just 75 mg of sodium per slice). Trader Joe's also sells a few varieties of sprouted grain bread.
Sodium in Bread
One slice of most types of bread contains 100 to 172 milligrams of sodium. At the lower end, that means you'll get 7 percent of the recommended daily intake from one slice of bread. A slice that has 172 milligrams of sodium supplies almost 12 percent of your daily intake.
Drink Plenty of Water
This is because water helps the body flush out excess sodium. Not only is hydration important for managing sodium levels, but it is also important for overall health. When you drink plenty of water, your body can flush the excess sodium in your body.
Natural chicken has only minimal amounts of sodium. A plain 3-ounce roasted chicken breast provides just 65 milligrams of sodium — less than 3 percent of the maximum amount of sodium you can have in a day. Darker meat is slightly higher in sodium. Broiled thigh meat offers roughly 75 milligrams in a 3-ounce portion.
Potatoes and potassium
Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes are naturally low in sodium and high in potassium, Gloede says. Tavel adds that if your diet is high in potassium, you don't need to trim as much sodium from your diet (although you probably should).
Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in sodium. Eat a serving of fresh berries, melon, apples, oranges or grapefruit as a low-sodium breakfast idea. Puree the fruit with low-fat yogurt and 100 percent fruit juice for a smoothie that supplies fiber, potassium and vitamin C.
Plain pasta is not high in sodium, but filled varieties can be. For those with high blood pressure or at risk of heart disease, reducing sodium intake is important: do read the nutrition information panel.
Potassium helps counteract sodium. Foods like bananas, white beans, leafy greens, and potatoes are all great sources of potassium. Horton says, "Eating high-potassium foods is good because they are usually whole foods that are also naturally lower in sodium.
Sodium Content
According to the National Labeling and Education Act, eggs can be considered a low-sodium food because they contain fewer than 140 milligrams of sodium in every serving.
Some foods naturally contain sodium. These include all vegetables and dairy products, meat, and shellfish. While these foods don't have an abundance of sodium, eating them does add to your overall body sodium content. For example, 1 cup (237 milliliters) of low-fat milk has about 100 mg of sodium.
Mozzarella and Ricotta are two cheeses that do not require salt.
Instead, choose a veggie-filled appetizer, like spring rolls, lettuce wraps, or steamed dumplings, to keep sodium down. Stick to steamed instead of fried choices to keep sodium levels down. Breaded and batter-fried items, in particular, are often higher in sodium.
Bananas, like most fruits and vegetables, are high in potassium and low in sodium.
Buy fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables with no salt or sauce added. Choose packaged foods labeled “low sodium,” “reduced sodium,” or “no salt added” when available. Compare the amount of sodium in different products by reading Nutrition Facts labels. Choose the options with the lowest amounts of sodium.
Fresh or frozen meat (beef, veal, lamb, pork), poultry, fish or shellfish. Low-sodium canned meat or fish.
Cow, nut, or hemp — most milks and milk alternatives will contribute over 100mg of sodium per cup to your morning drinks and daily meals. Coconut milk, though, often has less than 15mg of sodium per serving and can be found in both canned and carton form. Talk about convenient!
As breakfast cereals go, Weet-Bix is low in sugars, sodium and saturated fat, while being high in fibre.