How to cut sodium intake?

I'm consistently going over the recommended 2,400mg of sodium per day. What are some ways I can cut down on sodium?

A regular day is like this:

Breakfast: Fruit or NutriGrain bar with 100% fruit juice box

Lunch: Chicken and bread or pasta, vegetable, fruit sometimes

After workout: Soy Protein shake with milk

Dinner: One of: Pizza/Chicken/Lunchmeat sandwich/burger, sometimes vegetable or fruit.

I don't have a lot of time to cook, so I usually cook one thing on Monday and eat it for Lunch/Dinner the rest of the week.

The way that makes the most sense, is to cut out your packaged food intake and start eating whole, natural foods and add your own salt so you have total control over your sodium intake.   If you insist on eating packaged foods, you have to become a label whore, reading all labels diligently and figuring out sodium content, portion sizes etc.    You will find that with almost all packaged foods, it's impossible to avoid sodium altogether, and almost impossible in a packaged food diet, to stay under 2.5 g of sodium per day.

I've already cut back on packaged stuff dramatically, no more hot pockets, only occasional tuna helper, lot less pickles too.

Maybe it's from the meat I eat? Chicken, Tuna, Burgers?

I check all my labels and nothing is above 10% DV except those sometimes.

In general, anything prepackaged contains a hefty amount of sodium...it's a preservative.  Try clean eating....take the time to make chicken breast.  Make it once a week and put it in your fridge if you wish.  Clean eating will help you cut the sodium.  Anything with lunchmeat or pizza, a burger from a place...all that ads to your sodium.  Really analyze what you eat and when you add it to your food diary, take a look at the sodium contents.

I will echo that clean eating is the way to go. It looks like your dinner is where you may be having problems - pizza and lunchmeat can be very salty.

I appreciate that you are busy, but there are plenty of things that you can cook in advance that are low in sodium (and higher in veggies which you could do with!) eg. you could cook a big pot of vegetable and lentil/chickpea curry on Monday and eat that over the week. The spices mean that you don't have to add much salt as it is already well flavoured. Another option is throwing together things that take very little time to cook each night e.g. throw a sweet potato in the microwave and top with tuna and avocado and veggies on the side - dinner made in probably under 10 mins!

Use spices/lemon juice/pepper/herbs to flavour your food instead of salt

Original Post by kitkatnoe:

I've already cut back on packaged stuff dramatically, no more hot pockets, only occasional tuna helper, lot less pickles too.

Maybe it's from the meat I eat? Chicken, Tuna, Burgers?

I check all my labels and nothing is above 10% DV except those sometimes.

I hate to break this to you kitkat, but in the example you gave above, almost everything was a packaged/processed/convenience food

Nutrigrain bar

Juice box

Bread

Pasta

Pizza/chicken/lunchmeat

Sandwich/burger

Those are all processed foods and most of them contain sodium, especially burgers and lunch meat which are just saturated in it.   Instead of vegetable/fruit sometimes it should be vegetable/fruit/whole grain/legumes all the time!!! and the other stuff never if possible, or made at home would be even better, not just for sodium content but overall nutritional content and to avoid all the other stuff they put in processed foods...

What everyone else said.  Packaged food always has LOTS of added salt.  Boiling your own pasta instead of buying it tinned or in a tuna helper box will reduce your salt intake and only takes 10-15 min.  Cooking chicken breast takes only 30 min in the oven and 10-15 on the stovetop, and will keep for a week in the fridge once it's cooked.  Pasta + cooked chicken + salad dressing = pasta salad for lunch.

Making your own burgers is very easy.  Lean ground beef shaped into a patty and cooked on the stovetop for 10 min.  Zero sodium in the meat, very little in the store-bought bun.  Just stay away from the cheese and pickles and use ketchup and/or BBQ sauce sparingly.  You can even spice up the patty if you stay away from the onion soup mix and other powdered processed flavorings.  Spices like garlic (NOT garlic salt), ginger, cumin, italian seasonings or liquid smoke add lots of flavor and no/almost no salt.

Cook a beef, pork, chicken or turkey roast on Sunday and you can make meals from it all week long.  Slice it thin for sandwiches.  Cut it into strips for stirfry's (another quick 10-15 min stopetop dish).  Make soups and stews or fried rice with what's left.  Freeze your leftovers into meal-sized tupperware containers and take it in for lunch the next day (assuming you have access to a microwave).

Read labels and check out the serving size while you are at it.  Don't look so much at the % recommended daily allowance.  Look instead at the actual amount (in miligrams).  You should have less than 2000 mg of sodium per day, ideally 1600 or so.

I *love* homemade burgers.  We always include finely diced onion as well as Worcestershire sauce (which, yes, contains sodium, but only 100mg or so divided between four burgers) and garlic powder.  My favourite topping for burgers these days is whole grain mustard along with thinly sliced onion and tomato.  When I'm feeling really healthy, I have one on top of a bed of spinach instead of a bun.  The spinach wilts nicely, and the meat juice works as a "dressing".

I don't see why you'd have to stay away from pickles as long as you don't overdose on them.  Yes, they're salty, but they're a condiment so it's not like you'd be having a ton of them - I'd say try to stay under 200mg sodium worth of pickles and you'll be fine.

Could you copy and paste a day from your food log?  It would be easier to pinpoint if I saw the specifics.  I "previewed" a day of mine, and the links were active.  From other posts, I think yours would be too so we could see the sodium for each item.  Recipes worked too.

Chicken is fine so long as you as you are not adding a salted rub or salted breadcrumbs or barbecue sauce (check the package).

I agree with another poster, the lunchmeat and pizza are likely culprits.  Also canned or jarred pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce, if you are making English muffin pizza.  Clairelaine would be a good person to e-mail because she is a moderator and a person living on a 1500 mg sodium diet.  She is also known for her cooking and can be found on the Recipe/Food message forum.  She would probably have some suggestion for the lunch meat.  Perhaps making some meat spreads?  Switching to low-sodium cheese?

I disagree with another poster about the juice and the NutriGrain bars as being culprits for sodium.  Sugar is another story, but one problem at a time.

I am curious about what is in your soy protein shake.  Posting that link, if it is true enough to the product you consume, would be helpful.  Just copy and paste the blue on your food log, even if it is a user-entered food.

You can look this up, but as I recall, Nutrigrain bars contain almost 1 mg of sodium per calorie.  In other words, based on a 2000 calorie diet, you'd consume a little under 2000 mg of sodium in nutrigrain bars.    For someone who has an issue with sodium that's much to high.  If the rest of kitkat's diet were good fresh raw fruit and vegetables, seeds, grains, unsalted nuts, ...then have at the nutrigrain bars.   But kitkat's diet is full of processed food, processed food is usually loaded with sodium and 1 mg per calories is too high I believe. 

Hi KitKatNoe,

I also have a lot of trouble finding low sodium processed food sources but I have been able to find a few very low sodium or no sodium processed food items.  If you are interested in knowing what they are, let me know and I'll post the items, the sodium content, the brand name and the chain stores where at least I can buy them.

Good luck

You don't have to do all of these to cut your sodium intake, but here are some ideas:

• Buy raw chicken breasts from your local supermarket and freeze them. When you want a chicken sandwich, thaw one out several hours in advance and grill/bake/etc it yourself with spices. Avoid cooking it with salt. Same goes for the burger, but with buying a different kind of meat.
• Invest in a bread maker and make your own bread.
• Skip the Nutrigrain bar and have fruit preserves on some whole-wheat toast. 
• Buy fresh fruit and make juice yourself with a juicer. 
• Skip the soy protein shake and make a smoothie with greek yogurt and fruit. 
• Make your own spaghetti sauce. It's fairly easy. Or buy sauce with no sodium added and mix in your own spices.
• Go to your local deli and look for low-sodium lunch meats. 
• If you are really up for it, you could even make your own pizza.

The comment about Nutrigrain bars is correct about 1 mg sodium per calorie (120 mg sodium per 140 cals), but so what?  120 mg of sodium is a mere 5% of her daily allotment.   Big deal.  It is not even flagged by C-C as high sodium, and neither is commercial whole wheat bread.  Don't make things so complicated for her, including suggesting she bakes her own bread.  She clearly stated she does not have time to cook.

The comment about using fresh chicken is correct.  If you buy the bulk bags of pre-frozen, they have added salt, but you could buy a value-pack of fresh and fresh one or two breasts together on your own with no added salt, that is fine.  I just learned frozen pre-cooked shrimp is the same deal after I logged them, so I will no longer buy them that way.

She would like to be on the RDA for sodium.  She need not go to the extremes you guys are suggesting.  I think changes to her pizza, lunch meat and cheese, should bring her down to the RDA alone.  There is much good to her current diet and it only needs some minor adjustments.

An all-processed foods day, except for my beverages. This clocked in at 1900 mg of sodium and was low fat and high in fiber. Only faults for the day would be low on protein (carbs high at 77%), deficient on Vitamin C and calcium for the day. Just pick low sodium processed foods when you can.  Add a potassium salt substitute if you have not been advised to watch you potassium (e.g. kidney disease.) or medications. Potassium offsets the effects of sodium on your blood pressure, and I cannot tell the difference when I taste it.

Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats, Maple and Brown Sugar A 52 190 Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats, Maple and Brown Sugar A 26 95 Milk, Lowfat, Fluid, 1% Milkfat - With Added Vitamin A A- 203 85 Cocoa, lowfat milk, Equal, 1/2 tsp extract B 218 113 Tea with 1% milk, honey and 1/2 pkt Equal B+ 276 42 Dinner Original Baked Beans - Baked Beans B 254 274 Keebler Club Multi Grain crackers, 4 ct D+ 14 70 Keebler Club Multi Grain crackers, 4 ct D+ 14 70 Keebler Club Multi Grain crackers, 4 ct D+ 14Keebler Club Multi Grain crackers, 4 ct D+ 14 70 Snacks Mariani Harvest Medley dried fruit B- 40 130 Mariani Harvest Medley dried fruit B- 40 130 Mariani Harvest Medley dried fruit B- 34 110 Total Calories Consumed 1,449

Christina, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by going to extremes...lol.  I don't think I've ever heard of trying to encourage people to cut out processed and packaged foods and eat fresh fruits and vegetables, real whole grains, legumes, lean meat and fish as extreme. I thought that was the goal...lol. 

I would think that trying to eat a diet that is solely comprised of foods that are processed through machines and spit out of factorys by the truckful, with added sodium, artificial flavour and colours and shelf lives that rival the half life of uranium, would be considered extreme.

Let me just clarify for everyone that this is NOT a major health issue for me. I am only 21 years old and I'm trying to reduce my sodium as part of living a healthier lifestyle, NOT because I've been told to by a doctor as necessary for my health. I'm trying to avoid possible problems for 20-30 years in the future.

I exercise 4 days a week (trying to get in shape for wedding day), so I'm sure I'm sweating out enough sodium for it to not be a huge issue if I get up to 2600-3000mg one or maybe even two days out of the week. The most I've ever had on a log was 3400mg, once.

My concern was that I had ALREADY cut back on packaged stuff so dramatically and I was still seeing the occasional over 2500mg day, eating more or less the same things.

-> @ susieque: one dill pickle spear = 4 cals, 263 mg sodium, 11% DV

-> @ christinavt: not gonna post a whole log, but here's my soy protein (directly from the label). Also, I hadn't thought about the BBQ sauce I put on my chicken sandwich, thanks!

-> @ johnnypenso: Your point about nutrigrain bars is valid, though I'm not getting 2000 calories from that alone. They are part of a bigger problem, and perhaps I'll have an apple instead a few days a week.

-> @ coilman: I'd love to know the foods you've found. Please post them or send me a message.

-> @ mars_0112: I don't have the time (nor space) to use frozen raw chicken breasts. I already bake my own wheat bread every weekend that uses one tsp of salt for two loaves. Also, what is greek yogurt? I've never seen it.

Thank you everybody for helping me! I agree, I definitely need to add more vegetables, and I'm looking for more ways to do that. Right now it's mostly canned (no salt added) french cut green beans and spinach with my chicken or pasta. I also love squash and zucchini, but they are not in season right now.

Mmm, nice bread. 

Someone above mentioned cooking the chicken breasts on a free day and refridgerating them for the week I think. I usually get packs that have 4 breast halves so they don't take up so much space in my fridge/freezer. I don't know if that helps or not... 

Greek yogurt is yogurt that is really thick and creamy and high in protein. I think it's made by straining? There are a few brands I know of that make it. Fage http://www.fageusa.com/index.html#/products/c lassic/ and Okios http://www.oikosyogurt.com/

I have a simple fast way of cooking chicken and you can divide it up and then microwave as much as you want for various other types of meals.

I purchase fresh chicken in meat packs and cut each individual breast into small chunks using kitchen scissors.  This boils up real fast within 5 minutes. Drain and them divide up into seperate portions. It is just me and my husband and my college son comes home on weekends.

Here is a list of the meals I make:  Chicken pot pie, chicken curry, chicken salad, oven baked chicken with noodles and a little added paremsean cheese, chicken BBQ. using sparingly the bbq sauce (dilute with some water).  Just thought these were some fast simple menu planning meals.  They freeze real nice in freezer bags, making it easier to store in the freezer.

As a diabetic I try to maintain a sodium level of 1600mg. Jem599 and Clairelaine are two good sources to get menu items from and ideas. 

I wish you the best of luck and you will do fine on what you are doing now.  You would be surprised what simple modifications can be made and make huge improvements. I know you have the desire you just need a little help.  Sounds like you are on the right track so keep up the good work.  Boxed foods are yes, diaster for sodium, but I believe everyone has some guilt in that with their cooking and if not with their cooking with their dining out. So chin up.

Take care and God Bless

Your soy protein shake should flag as high sodium for 190 mg of sodium in 42 g of product.  I wonder why it did not get a grade.  Everything appeared to be filled in.  Hmmm...

When I logged it, it had 300 mg of potassium, which is good.

If, and it might be a big if, you can find a soy shake powder with less sodium, and at least the same amount of potassium or more, that you like, that is one switch you can make.

I really don't think the NutriGrain bar, with 1/3 less sodium than the soy powder, is a big deal.  Of course, if you agree with subbing that with one extra piece of fruit, that is a better option.

I understood kitkat's point of view as a person looking to make small changes in her diet, on a tight personal schedule, to get under 2300 mg of sodium a day.  I really thought johnnypenso was going overboard with telling her throw out her entire meal plan and starting everything from scratch.  Not necessary.  I have had some days where I am eating out of boxes and did not blow my sodium, so I know it can be done.

As a guide from the National Heart Lung and Blood Instititute, this is what people should aim for on a DASH diet.  Even though your blood pressure is in the normal range, I had a prof who gave the advice of there being no lower limit for healthy young adults.  Whatever you can do bring your blood pressure down is a plus, so long as you can stand up without getting dizzy (orthostatic hypotension).

the DASH Studies
(for a 2,100 Calorie Eating Plan)

Total fat 27% of calories Sodium 2,300 mg*
Saturated fat 6% of calories Potassium 4,700 mg
Protein 18% of calories Calcium 1,250 mg
Carbohydrate 55% of calories Magnesium 500 mg
Cholesterol 150 mg Fiber 30 g

* 1,500 mg sodium was a lower goal tested and found to be even better for
lowering blood pressure. It was particularly effective for middle-aged and older
individuals, African Americans, and those who already had high blood pressure.
g = grams; mg = milligrams

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/ hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf

(from page 11 of 64 pages, but large print and lots of pictures)