12 High Sodium Foods to Minimize or Avoid
After years of writing and analyzing recipes, we have made a list of very high sodium foods that we try to minimize in any recipes we create. They often surprised us so we thought we should share! Keep in mind that numbers can vary according to manufacturer but these are strong averages based on several brands.
Imitation krab - a 3.5 ounce serving can have up to 1000 mg of sodium or more.
Soy sauce - a tablespoon contains an average of 800 mg of sodium
Barbecue sauce - a half cup contains 1400 mg of sodium
Pickle - one large dill pickle contains about 800 mg of sodium
Pizza - one slice contains over 600 mg of sodium
Canned soup or broth - over 600 mg per cup but you can search out low-sodium versions that contain about 200 mg of sodium
Boxed rice or pasta dinners or stuffing mixes - often over 800 mg of sodium per serving and most people would want to eat more than one serving
Frozen foods - most contain over 600 mg of sodium per serving and can go over 1000 mg per serving
Deli meat or cured meat - often 440 mg per 2 slices
Shrimp - can have over 600 mg per serving if it comes with sauce
Ham - 400-500 mg for 2 slices
Vegetable juice - 640 mg per 8 ounce cup
Many more foods can be added to this list like processed cheese, bread, stuffing, condiments, gravy, mustard, and restaurant meals. Always read the label while shopping or research online if you like to go out to eat.
The average person should limit sodium to 1500 to 2300 mg per day depending on age, health status, and risk factors. If you think about it you eat 3 meals a day so you should try to limit each meal to no more than 500 mg of sodium or keep the mg of sodium about the same as the calories they contain to help guide you.
By increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat, along with beans, legumes, and grains cooked from scratch, you will increase the quality of your diet while lowering the sodium content. This will help you keep your blood pressure lower and your cardiovascular system healthier.
