How to Avoid Salt in Your Diet

High Sodium Foods & How to Avoid Salt in Your Diet If you eat too much salt or sodium in your diet, then you may develop some health conditions. You should know what are high sodium foods and how to avoid salt in your diet. High Sodium Intake & Health Conditions The sodium level in our body is mainly regulated by our kidneys. Too much sodium can cause many health conditions as given below. high blood pressure. "Of the estimated one billion people living with hypertension, about 30% can attribute it to excess salt intake," says Dr. Ken Flegel and Dr. Peter Magner. Heart failure Kidney problems and kidney stones Stroke Gastric cancer Oedema Left ventricular hypertrophy Osteoporosis: A high level of salt intake increases the amount of calcium excreted in the urine. This may lead to osteoporosis. Muscle cramps do not need salt but water. Muscle cramps are due to lack of adequate amount of water or dehydration in your body. A reduction in salt consumption even by 1g in diet daily may help decrease the incidences of death, say University of California-San Francisco researchers at the American Heart Association's 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. The researchers say that a 3g a day reduction in salt intake could result in 6% fewer cases of new heart disease, 8% fewer heart attacks, and 3% fewer deaths in US. High Sodium Foods Many foods naturally contain only traces of sodium, while processed foods contain a lot of salt. Foods with a high sodium content (more than 900mg/serving) include: Most fast foods and take away foods, such as pizza and cheeseburger. Most snack foods, such as potato chips, pretzels and corn chips. Processed meats, such as sausages (900-1000mg sodium/100g), bacon (about 2000mg sodium/100g , ham, salami, hot dog, smoked salmon, corned meats (1000-1600mg sodium/100g), and luncheon meats. Note that most fresh meats are low in sodium, 60-90mg sodium/100g. Canned vegetables and canned vegetable juice Dehydrated or packet foods, such as instant pasta or soups Soups, sauces and condiments such as soy sauce and tomato sauce, ketchup and most processed tomato products. Soups are one of the worst culprits for hidden salt. People who regularly eat soup could be raising their risk of stomach cancer, warns Dr Rachel Thompson, science programme manager for the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). Cracker biscuits, breads and breakfast cereals. Two slices of most breads have 250 to 480mg sodium. An average serving of breakfast cereal can have up to 500mg of sodium. Look for low sodium variety of breads and cereals. In India, some salt is added to the flour when making the dough for rotis or chapattis. This adds extra salt to your body and can be avoided. Salted nuts are high in salt but if you rub the nuts with fingers, then most of the salt falls off. Salted butter, margarine and mayonnaise. Salted butter and margarine have about 140mg in one tablespoon. A bowl of cornflakes has about the same amount of salt as a small packet of plain chips. Slide Show An Insatiable Demand Graphic The Presence of Salt in Packaged Foods How to reduce the sodium intake in diet? How do you know if you are getting too much sodium? "If you eat fast food even once a week, you are probably eating 2 to 3 times as much salt as you need," says Jill Minette, R.D., assistant director of clinical nutrition at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Check nutritional information on  food labels before you buy a product. Look for the amount of salt (sodium, Na), monosodium glutamate (MSG), baking soda or soda (sodium bicarbonate), baking powder, sodium benzoate, sodium sulfite, sodium nitrite, etc. present in the product. Understand the meaning of the label: Low sodium/salt: Less than 120mg sodium/100g of food or not more than half the sodium content of the regular food (whichever is less). Reduced sodium/salt: Up to 75% of the sodium content of the regular food. Lightly salted: At least 90mg sodium/100g of food less than regular food and less than 600mg of sodium/100g. Do not keep saltshaker on the dining table. Choose fruits and vegetables as snacks, rather than salty snack foods. Choose fresh, frozen or canned food items without added salts or of reduced salt variety. There are many products available with reduced levels of salt or with no added salt. Select unsalted nuts or seeds. Eat less salty foods like chips, pretzels, crisps, salted nuts, salty cheeses, soy sauce, pickles, Bikaneri bhujia, ham, bacon, chicken broth, processed meat and fish. Buy fresh, (plain) frozen or canned vegetables without added salt. Rinse canned vegetables to eliminate some of the added salt. Select unsalted, fat-free broths, bouillons or soups. Select fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese with low sodium. Add spices, herb, garlic and lemon juice in cooking instead of salt to enhance the taste and flavor of your food. Use only half the amount of salt recommended in a recipe. Reduce eating pickles, they are high in salt. Buy ready to eat meals with reduced salt. Do not buy packaged foods that contain less than 120mg of sodium per serving. Avoid using sauces, such as mayonnaise and ketchup, as these are often high in salt. Choose fresh or frozen fish, shellfish, poultry and meat most often. They are lower in salt than most canned and processed options. Some drugs contain high amounts of sodium. Look for it. Salt Content of Common Food Items Look at the table below. You will notice that fast foods contain high amount of sodium and salt, while vegetables and fruits are very low in salt content. Sodium Content of Common Foods Food Weight (g) Portion Sodium (mg) Sodium Content of Eggs Egg, hard-boiled 50 1 large 62 Egg, fresh 44 1 medium 55 Egg, fresh 1 small 47 Egg, fresh 50 1 large 63 Egg, white 1 large 55 Egg, yolk 1 large 12 Egg substitute, liquid 62.75 1/4 cup 111 Sodium Content of Butter, Cheese & Cream Butter with salt 14.2 1 Tbsp 117 Butter without salt 14.2 1 Tbsp 2 Peanut butter, chunk with salt 16 1 Tbsp 78 Peanut butter, smooth with salt 16 1 Tbsp 75 Margarine with salt added 14.1 1 Tbsp 133 Cheddar Cheese 28.35 1 oz 176 Cheddar Cheese, low fat 28.35 1 oz 174 Cottage Cheese,1% milk fat 226 1 cup 918 Feta Cheese 28.35 1 oz 316 Mozzarella Cheese 28.35 1 oz 150 Parmesan Cheese 5 1 Tbsp 93 Ricotta Cheese 246 1 cup 308 Swiss Cheese 28.35 1 oz 74 Cream 14.5 1 Tbsp 43 Sour Cream 12 1 Tbsp 6 Whipped Cream 3 1 Tbsp 4 Sodium Content in Fish and Shellfish & Seafood Catfish, raw 85 3 oz 51 Clam, raw 85 3 oz 48 Cod, Atlantic, canned 85 3 oz 185 Crab, Alaska king 85 3 oz 715 Lobster, northern, cooked 85 3 oz 323 Lobster, raw, uncooked 85 3 oz 179 Haddock, cooked 85 3 oz 74 Oyster, eastern, raw 84 6 medium 177 Salmon, canned 85 3 oz 471 Salmon, sockeye, cooked 85 3 oz 56 Sardine, Atlantic, canned in oil 85.05 3 oz 430 Shrimp, canned 85.05 3 oz 144 Swordfish, raw 85 3 oz 46 Trout, brook, raw 85 3 oz 40 Trout, rainbow, raw 85 3 oz 69 Tuna, albacore, raw 85 3 oz 34 Tuna, white, canned in water 85 3 oz 320 Tuna, yellowfin, raw 3 oz 31 Meat & Poultry Beef stew, canned 232 1 cup 947 Beef, cured, dried beef 28.35 1 oz 984 Beef, ground, extra lean,broiled 85 3 oz 60 Bologna, beef and pork 56.7 2 slices 578 Chicken pot pie, frozen 217 1 small pie 857 Chicken breast, meat only, roasted 86 1/2 breast 64 Chicken drumstick, meat only, roasted 44 1 drumstick 42 Chicken, broilers or fryers, wing, meat and skin, cooked, fried, batter 49 1 wing 157 Frankfurter, beef 45 1 frank 462 Frankfurter, chicken 45 1 frank 617 Ham, sliced, extra lean 56.7 2 slices 810 Lamb, loin, separable lean only, cooked, broiled 85 3 oz 71 Pasta with meatballs in tomato sauce 252 1 cup 1,053 Pork sausage, fresh, cooked 26 2 links 336 Pork sausage, fresh, cooked 27 1 patty 349 Pork, fresh, leg (ham), whole, separable lean only, roasted 85 3 oz 54 Pork, fresh, loin, center loin (chops), cooked, broiled 85 3 oz 51 Salami, cooked, beef and pork 56.7 2 slices 604 Sandwiches, cheeseburger, large, single meat patty, with bacon and condiments 195 1 sandwich 1,043 Cheeseburger, regular, single meat patty, plain 102 1 sandwich 500 Hamburger, single meat patty vegetables 218 1 sandwich 824 Turkey, roasted 84 3 oz 66 Sodium Content of Fast foods, Sandwich, Burgers, Pizza Burrito with beans and meat 115.5 1 burrito 668 Cheeseburger, single meat patty 102 1 sandwich 500 Cheeseburger, large, single patty, with vegetables 219 1 sandwich 1,108 Cheeseburger, single meat patty with bacon 195 1sandwich 1,043 Cheeseburger, regular, double patty, plain 155 1 sandwich 636 Hamburger, large, single meat patty 218 1 sandwich 824 Submarine sandwich with roast beef 216 1 sandwich, 6" roll 845 Fish sandwich, with sauce and cheese 183 1 sandwich 939 Roast beef sandwich, plain 139 1 sandwich 792 Chicken fillet sandwich, plain 182 1 sandwich 957 Chicken, breaded and fried, boneless pieces 106 6 pieces 513 Croissant, with egg, cheese, bacon 129 1 croissant 889 English muffin, with egg, cheese, bacon 137 1 muffin 729 Hot dog 98 1 sandwich 670 Nachos with cheese 113 6-8 nachos 816 Pancake with butter and syrup 232 2 pancakes 1,104 Pizza with cheese, meat and vegetables 79 1 slice 382 French fries 85 1 small 168 French fries 169 1 large 335 Taco salad 198 1-1/2 cups 762 Breads & Cereals Bagels, plain 71 3-1/2" bagel 379 Bread, whole-wheat 28 1 slice 148 Bread, whole-gran, 7 grains 26 1 slice 127 Bread, oatmeal 27 1 slice 162 Bread, rye 32 1 slice 211 Bread, rye, toasted 24 1 slice 174 Cereals Cheerios 30 1 cup 284 Corn flakes Kelloggs 28 1 cup 298 Kellogg's Special K cereal 31 1 cup 250 Kellogg's Nutri-grain cereal bar 37 1 bar 110 Wheat germ, toasted 7.1 1 Tbsp 0 Wheat crackers 8 4 crackers 64 Whole-wheat crackers 16 4 crackers 105 Croissants, butter 57 1 croissant 424 English muffins, toasted 52 1 muffin 262 Muffins, oat bran 57 1 muffin 224 Pasta & Noodles Noodles, chow mien 45 1 cup 198 Noodles, egg, cooked 160 1 cup 11 Spaghetti, cooked, without added salt 140 1 cup 1 Spaghetti, whole-wheat, cooked 140 1 cup 4 Pasta with meatballs in tomato sauce 252 1 cup 1,053 Rice, brown, cooked 195 1 cup 10 Rice, white, long-grain, raw 185 1 cup 9 Snacks Corn chips, barbecue-flavor 28.35 1 oz 216 Potato chips, barbecue-flavor 28.35 1 oz 213 Potato chips, plain, salted 28.35 1 oz 168 Potato chips, plain, unsalted 28.35 1 oz 2 Pretzels, hard, plain, salted 60 10 pretzels 1,029 Tortilla chips 28.35 1 oz 150 Tortillas, ready-to-bake, corn 26 1 tortilla 42 Tortillas, ready-to-bake, flour 32 1 tortilla 153 Taco shells, baked 13.3 1 medium 49 Legumes & Lentils Beans, baked, canned 254 1 cup 1,008 Beans, baked, canned, with pork and tomato sauce 253 1 cup 1,113 Kidney beans, canned 256 1 cup 873 Navy beans, boiled, without salt 182 1 cup 2 Chickpeas (Chole, Garbanzo beans, Bengal gram), canned 240 1 cup 718 Chickpeas cooked, without salt 164 1 cup 11 Lentils, cooked, without salt 198 1 cup 4 Sodium in Nuts and Seeds Almonds 28.35 1 oz 0 Cashew nuts, roasted and salted 28.35 1 oz 181 Mixed nuts, roasted andsalted 28.35 1 oz 190 Peanuts, roasted and salted 28.35 1 oz 230 Pecans 28.35 1 oz 0 Walnuts 28.35 1 oz 1 Pumpkin and squash seeds, roasted and salted 28.35 1 oz (142 seeds) 163 Sunflower seeds, roasted and salted 32 1/4 cup 250 Soups & Sauces Barbecue sauce 15.75 1 Tbsp 128 Cheese sauce, 63 1/4 cup 522 Pasta sauce 250 1 cup 1,030 Salsa sauce 16 1 Tbsp 69 Tomato sauce 245 1 cup 1,482 Soy sauce 16 1 Tbsp 914 Tomato paste, without salt added 262 1 cup 231 Cream of mushroom soup, canned 248 1 cup 918 Onion soup, dehydrated 39 1 packet 3,493 Tomato soup, canned 244 1 cup 695 Vegetable soup, canned 241 1 cup 822 Gravy, beef, canned 58.25 1/4 cup 326 Gravy, turkey, canned 59.6 1/4 cup 344 Cake, prepared by dry mix, 50 1 piece 255 Cake, pound, fat-free 28 1 slice 95 Danish pastry, cheese 71 1 Danish 320 Puddings, vanilla 113 4 oz 153 Doughnuts, plain 47 1 medium 257 Pie, apple 155 1 piece 327 Pie, blueberry 147 1 piece 272 Pie, cherry 180 1 piece 344 Pie, pumpkin 155 1 piece 349 Sugars, granulated 4.2 1 tspn 0 Sodium Content of Vegetables Asparagus, boiled 60 4 spears 7 Beans,boiled 125 1 cup 4 Beet greens, boiled 144 1 cup 347 Beets, boiled 170 1 cup 131 Broccoli, raw 88 1 cup 24 Brussels sprouts, frozen, boiled 155 1 cup 36 Cabbage, raw 70 1 cup 13 Carrots, raw 110 1 cup 39 Cauliflower, raw 100 1 cup 30 Celery, raw 120 1 cup 104 Sweet Corn, boiled 77 1 ear 13 Cucumber, raw 104 1 cup 2 Eggplant, boiled 99 1 cup 3 Lettuce, iceberg, raw 55 1 cup 5 Lettuce, raw 56 1 cup 5 Lima beans, canned 241 1 cup 810 Mushrooms, raw 70 1 cup 3 Onions, raw 160 1 cup 5 Onions, spring, raw 15 1 whole 2 Peas, green, canned 170 1 cup 428 Peas, green, frozen, boiled 160 1 cup 139 Peppers, green, raw 149 1 cup 3 Potatoes, baked 156 1 potato 8 Potatoes, boiled 156 1 cup 8 French fries, frozen, without salt 50 10 strips 15 Radishes, raw 4.5 1 radish 1 Spinach, canned 214 1 cup 58 Spinach, raw 30 1 cup 24 Squash, summer, raw 113 1 cup 2 Squash, winter, baked 205 1 cup 2 Sweet potato, cooked 105 1 piece 74 Tomatoes, red 180 1 cup 16 Tomatoes, sun-dried 2 1 piece 42 Turnip greens, boiled, without salt 144 1 cup 42 Turnips, boiled, without salt 156 1 cup 78 Vegetables, mixed, canned 163 1 cup 243 Sauerkraut, canned 236 1 cup 1,560 Sodium Content in Fruits Apples 138 1 apples 0 Avocado, California 28.35 1 oz 3 Banana 118 1 1 banana Blueberries, fresh 145 1 cup 9 Blueberries, frozen, sweetened 230 1 cup 2 Cherries in syrup 68 10 cherries 0 Cranberries 1cup 1 Figs 1 medium 1 Gooseberry 1 1 Grapefruit 123 half 0 Grapes, red or green, seedless 50 10 grapes 3 Kiwi fruit 1 medium 4 Cantaloupe melon 69 1/8 melon 6 Guavas, fresh 1 2 Honeydew melon 170 1 cup 17 Kiwi fruit 1 3 Lemon 1 1 Lemon, fresh 1 1 Lime, fresh 1 1 Litchi, fresh 1 1 Nectarines 136 1 nectarine 0 Olives, canned 22 5 large 192 Oranges 131 1 orange 0 Passion fruit 1 5 Papayas 140 1 cup 4 Peaches, fresh 98 1 peach 0 Peaches, canned 248 1 cup 10 Pears 166 1 pear 0 Pineapple, canned 249 1 cup 2 Pineapple 155 1 cup 2 Plums 66 1 plum 0 Pomegranates, fresh 1 medium 5 Quince, fresh 1 medium 4 Prunes, dried 42 5 prunes 2 Pumpkin, boiled without salt 245 1 cup 2 Raisins 145 1 cup 17 Raspberries, fresh 123 1 cup 0 Raspberries, frozen, sweetened 250 1 cup 3 Strawberries, fresh 166 1 cup 2 Strawberries, frozen, sweetened 255 1 cup 8 Tomatoes, fresh 1 4 Watermelon 152 1 cup 3 Sodium in Juice & Beverages Beer, regular 355 12 fl oz 18 Wine, red 103 3.5 fl oz 5 Club soda 355 12 fl oz 75 Apple juice, unsweetened 248 1 cup 7 Grapefruit juice, canned, sweetened 250 1 cup 5 Grapefruit juice 247 1 cup 2 Lemon juice, fresh 47 1 lemon 0 Lemon juice, bottled 15.2 1 Tbsp 3 Orange juice 248 1 cup 2 Tomato juice, canned with salt added 243 1 cup 877 Vegetable juice cocktail, canned 242 1 cup 653 Sodium Contnet of Milk & Ice Cream Condensed milk, sweetened 306 1 cup 389 Evaporated milk, non-fat 256 1 cup 294 Chocolate milk, low-fat 250 1 cup 153 Milk shake, vanilla 313 11 fl oz 297 Soy milk 245 1 cup 29 Ice cream, vanilla 66 1/2 cup 53 Sodium Content in Oils & Fats Canola oil 14 1 Tbsp 0 Corn oil 13.6 1 Tbsp 0 Olive oil 13.5 1 Tbsp 0 Soybean oil 13.6 1 Tbsp 0 Sunflower oil 13.6 1 Tbsp 0 Salt in Miscellaneous Food items Yeast, baker's, dry 7 1 pkg 4 Mustard, prepared, yellow 5 1 tspn or 1 packet 56 Pickles, cucumber, dill 65 1 pickle 833 Salt, table 6 1 tspn 2,325 Baking powder, sodium aluminum sulfate 4.6 1 tspn 488 Baking powder, straight phosphate 4.6 1 tspn 363 Baking soda 4.6 1 tspn 1,259 Cider vinegar 15 1 Tbsp 0 Popcorn, air-popped 8 1 cup 0 Popcorn, oil-popped 11 1 cup 97 Tofu, firm, prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride 81 1/4 block 6 Tofu, soft, prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride 120 1 piece 10 Water, tap 237 8 fl oz 7 Wheat flour, self-raising 125 1 cup 1,588 Daily Salt Intake Recommendation Interesting facts on Sodium: Sodium intake per day in daily diet Salt is Sodium Chloride (NaCl), a compound of sodium and chlorine. Our body needs some sodium to regulate the balance of fluid in and around each cell. Common table salt contains about 40% sodium by weight. Food labels list the sodium content of food rather than the salt content. Health authorities also recommend the safe level of sodium in diet rather than that of salt. There is no sodium intake recommended or Recommended Daily Allowance for sodium or salt. However, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association recommend 2300mg of sodium daily for adults. This is about 1 teaspoon of sodium chloride (salt). However, most people take more than the recommended amount a day in diet, almost double the value. So how much sodium is in a teaspoon of salt? It depends on the type of salt. Roughly, about 6g of salt makes one teaspoonful and approximately 2.4g sodium. 1 teaspoon salt = 6,200mg (6.2g) sodium chloride                           = 2,400mg (2.4g) sodium 1 teaspoon baking soda = 1000mg sodium Note that the salt crystals and sea salt contain the same amount of sodium. Salt or Sodium intake for babies and children? The adults do not need more than 1 tsp of salt. Babies and children need a very small amount of salt as given below:  Age of Child/Baby : Daily salt (sodium) 0-12 month* : 1g (400mg sodium) or 1/6 tsp salt 1-3 year : 2g (0.8g sodium) or 1/3 tsp salt 4-6 year : 3g (1.2g sodium) or 1/2 tsp salt 7-10 year : 5g (2.0 g sodium) or 5/6 tsp salt Above 11 year : 6g (2.4g sodium) or 1 tsp salt * Breastfed babies get the right amount of salt through breast milk. Infant Formula milk contains a right amount of salt. List of Low Sodium Foods Fresh foods contain a small amount of sodium and can meet the body's requirement of sodium for most people. You should always buy low salt (less than 120mg/100g) or salt-free options of commonly used foods, if available. Fresh fruits and vegetables Milk, yogurt (yoghurt) Cooking oils Cereals such as rice, pasta, rolled oats, couscous and other grains have very low sodium content. Cottage, Ricotta, mozzarella and Swiss cheeses are lower in salt than other cheeses. Most fresh meats are low in sodium, 60-90mg sodium/100g. It is the cooking method that makes meat saslty. Low sodium diet and health conditions The body loses salt through urine, perspiration, diarrhea and vomiting. If too much salt is lost, the level of fluid in the blood will drop. If the sodium in our blood falls below the normal range, it can be dangerous if not treated. Low sodium levels or sodium deficiency in the body can lead to muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting and dizziness. Lack of salt for a long period of time can lead to shock, coma and death. Your doctor may recommend you a low salt diet if you have high blood pressure or other condition. Maintaining a sodium intake below 2000 mg/day requires considerable effort because majority of foods available in supermarkets and restaurants are salted.