12 High Sodium Foods to Minimize or Avoid

Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

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.

  1. Imitation krab - a 3.5 ounce serving can have up to 1000 mg of sodium or more.

  2. Soy sauce - a tablespoon contains an average of 800 mg of sodium

  3. Barbecue sauce - a half cup contains 1400 mg of sodium

  4. Pickle - one large dill pickle contains about 800 mg of sodium

  5. Pizza - one slice contains over 600 mg of sodium

  6. Canned soup or broth - over 600 mg per cup but you can search out low-sodium versions that contain about 200 mg of sodium

  7. 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

  8. Frozen foods - most contain over 600 mg of sodium per serving and can go over 1000 mg per serving

  9. Deli meat or cured meat - often 440 mg per 2 slices

  10. Shrimp - can have over 600 mg per serving if it comes with sauce

  11. Ham - 400-500 mg for 2 slices

  12. 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.

Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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