Hey there, viewers!
It doesn’t matter if you have high blood pressure or not.
You NEED to watch your sodium intake.
Americans already eat way too much of it.
On an average, they eat about 3400 milligrams of sodium per day.
Experts recommend ONLY 2300 milligrams of sodium per day.
That’s just one teaspoon.
Sodium is BAD for your health.
From hypertension to heart disease, it’s responsible for several chronic diseases.
In today’s video, we will be discussing foods high in sodium and what to eat instead.
From soups and hams to shrimp cocktails, we will be discussing all of this AND more...
Soup
Wait, what?
Wasn’t soup one of the healthiest foods to include in your diet?
The answer is both yes and no.
It really all depends on how you’re making it.
If you’re using packaged or canned soups, here’s news you might not like.
They’re loaded with sodium.
Some even contain sodium-rich flavor additives like MSG.
Restaurant soup isn’t better either.
So the healthiest way to have soup is to prepare it from scratch.
That way you’ll be able to control how much salt you are adding to your soup.
Speaking of soups, which is your favorite for the winter?
Tomato, chicken, or mushroom?
Have you tried pumpkin soup?
Share your preferences with the Bestie community in the comments below.
Ham
I hate to include everyone’s favorite hamburgers on the list.
But unfortunately, hams store lots of sodium.
Particularly because salt is used to cure and flavor the meat.
3 ounces of roasted ham meets 48% of your recommended daily salt intake.
So what should you eat if hams are off the plate?
There’s currently no sign of food companies controlling the amount of salt that goes into
making ham.
Your best bet is to eat this meat as little as you can.
Go for fresh kinds instead.
Shrimp
Do you love shrimp cocktails?
They taste great, don’t they?
But if you’re regularly opting for plain packaged frozen shrimp, you might want to
know this.
Packaged frozen shrimp contains added salt to enhance the flavor.
The preservatives are also high in sodium.
They’re added to minimize moisture loss during thawing.
You don’t need this salty treat to feel better.
There’s another way.
Freshly caught shrimp doesn’t have any added salt or preservatives.
3 ounces gives you just 4% of your recommended daily intake of sodium.
Certainly healthier AND tastier!
Fresh is the best.
Cottage cheese
How can cottage cheese be bad?
It has healthy fats and proteins, right?
That’s right but cottage cheese is also a bit high in salt.
Salt in cottage cheese acts as a preservative while also enhancing the texture and flavor.
You won’t find low sodium versions.
So what should you do?
Rinse it under running water for 15 minutes as it reduces sodium content by 63%!
Instant pudding
Ahh, this delicious dessert.
They’re easy to make thanks to instant pudding mixes available at the supermarket.
Being so sweet means they’re definitely not high in sodium, right?
WRONG!
Instant pudding tastes sweet, but still has a high amount of sodium hiding in it.
Sodium additives are added to the instant mix to thicken the pudding.
Besides that, preservatives are sodium rich too!
So what’s your option?
Go for regular pudding mixes instead of instant ones.
25 grams of instant pudding mix will give you 15% of your daily sodium.
While the same amount of regular pudding mix will give you just 6% of your daily sodium.
Salad dressing
This one is a bit obvious.
Salad dressings are indeed rich in sodium.
On average, salad dressings available in the US give 304 milligrams of sodium per two tablespoon.
You have two options if you want to stay off sodium from salad dressings.
Either read the labels and look for low sodium, or whip up your own salad dressing from scratch.
Trust me, it’s fun.
You can experiment with different flavors.
Extra virgin olive oil will feel like a lifesaver.
Vegetable juice
Oh no!
Vegetable juice made it on the list?
How?
I thought it was like a Holy Grail for healthy living.
Relax.
Vegetable juice is still a great way to get your veggies.
Just be careful of the type you’re choosing.
If you’re buying store bought vegetable juice, you need to read the labels.
Sodium is hiding in the additives like preservatives.
Some brands even add it to enhance flavor.
You can look for salt-free or low sodium versions.
But nothing matches freshly pressed vegetable juice or smoothies.
Grab some fresh veggies like cucumber, carrots, beetroot and celery.
Next, juice them.
There you have your healthy superdrink ready to go!
Pizza
This is no surprise.
Even if you’re choosing thin crust or multigrain, you’re still eating lots of sodium.
Pizza sauce, cheese and processed meat all contain a good amount of sodium.
Combine them in a pizza and you’re eating lots of sodium.
Just a couple slices will give you 765 milligrams of sodium.
If you’re limiting your sodium intake, do not eat more than one slice.
Complement it with low sodium foods like leafy green salad and low-sodium dressing.
Sandwiches
This is the most common food item that leads to overconsumption of sodium.
There are multiple ingredients that go into making them.
And all of them have a very high chance of being sodium rich.
For instance, the processed cheese that makes your sandwich yummy.
It has a high amount of sodium.
Processed meats like ham are loaded with salt.
Still difficult to believe?
How about this, a six inch submarine sandwich made using cold cuts gives you 1127 milligrams.
Scary, isn’t it?
You can make a low sodium sandwich by using unprocessed sandwich toppings.
Grilled chicken breast, cucumbers, tomatoes and avocados all are delicious sandwich fillings.
Before we move ahead, here is a video you might like.
Watch this video to learn more about the 7 signs of magnesium deficiency.
Pork rinds
Are you on a low carb diet?
The sound of crunchy pork rinds would surely send you drooling.
But wait before you gorge on these keto-friendly snacks.
They are low in carbs, high on protein but have another secret ingredient hiding in them.
SALT!
One ounce of pork rind gives you 515 milligrams of sodium.
Not very healthy now, are they?
If you’re craving something crunchy, go for unsalted nuts.
They’re healthy and good for snacking.
Boxed potato casserole
Cheesy and scalloped potatoes make for delicious side dishes.
You can eat them on their own as well.
It’s a great option for those bored afternoons.
But if you’re going for boxed potato casseroles, beware.
They pack a lot of salt.
MSG and preservatives are also sodium rich.
Just half a cup of dry scalloped potato mix will give you 450 milligrams of sodium.
So what are the alternatives?
Winter squash and baked sweet potatoes are healthier.
Go for them.
Broths and stocks
Do you use a lot of this in your cooking?
Then you should know that store-bought stocks used for soup base and stews are very high
in sodium.
Whether you’re going for chicken, beef or vegetable stock, they’re all notoriously
high in sodium.
8 ounces of beef broth will give you 782 milligrams.
So what do you do?
You can easily spot reduced sodium broth on store shelves.
It’s even better to prepare stock and broth on the weekend.
Store them in your refrigerator or use them during the week.
Tortillas
Tortillas are sodium mines thanks to the high amount of salt.
Baking powder and baking soda used while preparing them are also high in sodium.
An 8 inch tortilla made from flour gives you 391 milligrams of sodium.
You can opt for healthier versions by choosing whole grain tortillas.
Look for the ingredients list as well.
Jerky and dried meats
Jerky and other dried meats are good sources of protein.
But are they really healthy?
The answer is a flat NO.
They are notoriously high in sodium.
Salt is used to cure meat, boost flavor, and preserve it.
Just one ounce of beef jerky gives you 620 milligrams of sodium.
In case you really love jerkies and dried meats, look for meat from grass-fed or organically
raised animals.
As always, check the label for the full ingredients.
Pretzels
Another one of your favorite snacks that’s high in sodium.
And your first clue is the large salt crystals on top of them.
Just one ounce of pretzels will give you 322 milligrams of sodium.
Instead, go for unsalted pretzels.
But I highly recommend skipping them altogether.
They’re empty calories with zero nutrition.
Processed cheese
Whether it's a sandwich, burger or pizza, adding cheese makes it taste so much better.
But unfortunately, processed cheese, including everyone’s favorite American cheese, is
loaded with salt.
Cheese is made using emulsifying salts.
And all of them have sodium.
Salt is then added to enhance the taste.
One ounce of American cheese gives you 377 milligrams of sodium.
You don’t need to give up your cheese love though.
Natural cheese like mozzarella and Swiss are low in sodium.
Pickles
It’s not an exaggeration to say eating pickles is like swimming in sodium.
Too much?
How about this...
Just one ounce of dill pickle gives you a whopping 241 milligrams of sodium.
Pickles have a humongous amount of salt added for taste.
And of course it’s in preservatives.
Even a medium sized dill pickle gives 561 milligrams of sodium.
And who can eat just one?
You get addicted to it.
Pick small pickle sizes if you want to cut down on your sodium.
You can start reducing your sodium intake by choosing healthier, low-salt foods.
But how will you know if you’re still eating too much?
Are there warning signs?
Should you be worried about high blood pressure caused by sodium?
Here’s some videos you can watch...
Watch 7 Warning Signs You’re Eating Too Much Sodium
You can also try 9 Signs of High Blood Pressure You Should Never Ignore
Go ahead and click one.
Better yet, watch both.
Do you eat any of these high sodium foods?
Let us know in the comments below!