Five Surprising Foods That Are High in Salt

Are you trying to cut back on foods that are high in salt? This is a smart move since most Americans eat a diet that’s far too high in sodium which can increase the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. Surprisingly, most dietary sodium doesn’t come from shaking the salt shaker, but rather from the myriad of processed foods that are loaded with salt. You probably already realize that a bag of chips or pretzels is not low in sodium, but there other sources of salt that may surprise you – including some foods that are considered to be healthy. Here are some foods high in salt that might just surprise you.

Cottage Cheese

Who would have thought that so much sodium could be hidden in a carton of cottage cheese? Sodium counts in a serving of cottage cheese range from 350 milligrams all the way up to a whopping 900 milligrams. Some companies do make a low sodium version with 140 milligrams of sodium or less, although it can be difficult to find in some areas.

Soup Mixes

Those little powdered packets of soup mix may be convenient, but they’re a high sodium nightmare. Some dehydrated onion soup mixes have more than a day’s supply of sodium in one packet. After you finish that bowl of onion soup, better make an appointment with your cardiologist! Fortunately, there are low sodium soup mixes available online. If you don’t want to make soup from scratch, get one of these low sodium versions instead.

Condiments

By the time you load a hot dog bun up with ketchup, mustard, and relish, you’ve added more sodium than the hot dog itself which isn’t low in sodium to begin with. Heinz makes a low salt ketchup; but it can be more challenging to find low sodium mustard, pickles, and relishes. You can’t even win when it comes to spaghetti since most spaghetti sauces are loaded with sodium. One option is to make your own mustard and spaghetti sauce at home. There are a variety of recipes available online.

Frozen Dinners

Frozen dinner companies have made great strides in offering low fat, low calorie frozen meals, but they’re lagging behind when it comes to sodium. The sodium content of some frozen dinners can be as high as 1,800 milligrams. Do yourself a favor and make freshly prepared meals and freeze them to serve on nights you’re too busy to cook. It may save you the trauma of a triple bypass.

Deli Meats

You may feel good when you buy low fat deli meats, but the sodium could still kill you. The good news is some companies, such as Sara Lee, have introduced lower sodium deli meats for people who don’t want the added sodium. Be sure to read the label carefully. Lower sodium doesn’t necessarily mean low sodium.

The bottom line? Do your homework and read labels carefully before buying packaged or processed food products. Companies often use sodium to make lower fat, “healthier” products more appealing. Don’t let those extra grams of sodium sneak up on you!