low-sodium foods? anyone?

[Manchimp]

Sup all. I've been off the forums for awhile. I couldnt even remember the last email address I used to help reset my password..

I'm trying to eat better, but it seems like everything that is low in calories is high in sodium.

Anyone know of food items that are minimal in terms of sodium?

Thanks in advance.

 

[surfsatwerk]

Processed foods are usually high in sodium. Eat real food and you should be fine.

 

[brikis98]

Processed foods are usually high in sodium. Eat real food and you should be fine.

This.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Pretty much anything that comes from the ground is low in sodium. Also, if you buy fresh meats from your local butcher, they're likely to be low in sodium as well (compared to the stuff in the stores loaded with sodium).

 

[Manchimp]

I'm buying what I can and eating it at work every day. So far I buy: carrots, apples, bananas, celery, oranges, canned salmon, soup, brocceli, chicken breasts, yogurt, and steamers (microwavable vegetable meals).

I just can't help but feel I'm missing a few things...

 

[InflatableBuddha]

I'm buying what I can and eating it at work every day. So far I buy: carrots, apples, bananas, celery, oranges, canned salmon, soup, brocceli, chicken breasts, yogurt, and steamers (microwavable vegetable meals).

I just can't help but feel I'm missing a few things...

Out of what you listed, most of those are pretty healthy options.

Canned salmon, tuna, etc. is low in sodium as long as you drain off the water it's packaged in. Eat it sparingly though, to avoid being exposed to too many heavy metals such as mercury.

Soups are notoriously high in sodium (even the reduced sodium versions). No idea about the "Steamers", but frozen vegetables are definitely low sodium, and a healthy option.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Out of what you listed, most of those are pretty healthy options.

Canned salmon, tuna, etc. is low in sodium as long as you drain off the water it's packaged in. Eat it sparingly though, to avoid being exposed to too many heavy metals such as mercury.

Soups are notoriously high in sodium (even the reduced sodium versions). No idea about the "Steamers", but frozen vegetables are definitely low sodium, and a healthy option.

Tuna is one to watch out because it's a dominant predatory fish (eats other small fish, accumulates mercury). However, salmon is quite different. It's much smaller so it doesn't acquire that many heavy metals. It's a low-risk fish.

 

[Kipper]

Is this low-sodium kick an attempt to lower blood pressure via diet?

If so, increase potassium intake (translation: fruits and vegetables). Doing that will go a lot further than trying to cut every single bit of sodium out of your diet. Of course, doing both is good.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Is this low-sodium kick an attempt to lower blood pressure via diet?

If so, increase potassium intake (translation: fruits and vegetables). Doing that will go a lot further than trying to cut every single bit of sodium out of your diet. Of course, doing both is good.

Besides avocados and bananas, which fruits/veggies are good sources of potassium? Hypertension runs in my family. I was nearly hypertensive at one point, but now I hang out around 110-115/75-80 since I've added a lot of plant-material into my diet.

 

[Kipper]

Besides avocados and bananas, which fruits/veggies are good sources of potassium? Hypertension runs in my family. I was nearly hypertensive at one point, but now I hang out around 110-115/75-80 since I've added a lot of plant-material into my diet.

Potatoes for one, but basically anything plant-based. Most fruits are high in potassium. Bananas get thrown around a lot, but oranges and most citrus, for example, is chock-full. Leafy greens are always a good bet.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Potatoes for one, but basically anything plant-based. Most fruits are high in potassium. Bananas get thrown around a lot, but oranges and most citrus, for example, is chock-full. Leafy greens are always a good bet.

Meh, after the potato study I was in, I'd rather not eat a potato for the rest of my life. The other sources work just fine for me. Thanks for the info.

 

[JellyBaby]

Generally, what the food industry does is make low fat/low calorie versions of products marketed as healthy but they raise the sodium and sugar content to make it more palatable.

The organic section of the store tends to have lower sodium items (but not always). Soups even organic are loaded with salt. Often with organic foods sea salt is used over sodium chloride (table salt). It's a bit less processed.

Hey SociallyChallenged, as far as mercury goes how does flounder and talipia fare?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Generally, what the food industry does is make low fat/low calorie versions of products marketed as healthy but they raise the sodium and sugar content to make it more palatable.

The organic section of the store tends to have lower sodium items (but not always). Soups even organic are loaded with salt. Often with organic foods sea salt is used over sodium chloride (table salt). It's a bit less processed.

Hey SociallyChallenged, as far as mercury goes how does flounder and talipia fare?

I think it's usually a function of size for many fish. The order from highest to lowest that comes to mind (and also has a size correlation) is: shark > swordfish > tuna > salmon. I'd say the smaller the fish, the better. To be perfectly honest, I'd be more worried where my flounder and tilapia came from (whether it be farm fish or wild fish). Farm fish has way fewer health benefits than wild fish. I'd spend a bit more money and go with the wild stuff every time. Hope I could help!

 

[Kipper]

Generally, what the food industry does is make low fat/low calorie versions of products marketed as healthy but they raise the sodium and sugar content to make it more palatable.

The organic section of the store tends to have lower sodium items (but not always). Soups even organic are loaded with salt. Often with organic foods sea salt is used over sodium chloride (table salt). It's a bit less processed.

Hey SociallyChallenged, as far as mercury goes how does flounder and talipia fare?

Sea salt is absolutely no different from table salt (except for the fact table salt contains iodine). Beyond a few trace minerals and a slight flavor difference, when you get to the lowest common denominator they are both sodium.

I personally would choose wild fish lower on the food chain. Lower concentration of mercury and far, far more sustainable.

 

[JellyBaby]

From what I understand, table salt goes through more processing that removes minerals using chemicals like sulfuric acid, chlorine and hydrochloric acid and then they extreme-heat cook it to dry it out so the stuff doesn't clump up and comes gracefully out of the salt shaker. The downside I believe when you consume table salt is it's easier to build-up too much iodine in your body which throws it out of balance.

For this reason, if I must choose a food with either, I'll opt for sea salt. But, yeah, salt is salt when it comes to watching sodium intake and avoiding the nasty health risks from getting too much. We get more than enough sodium from eating normal foods. There is never a reason to add salt, period. Definitely.

 

[Kipper]

From what I understand, table salt goes through more processing that removes minerals using chemicals like sulfuric acid, chlorine and hydrochloric acid and then they extreme-heat cook it to dry it out so the stuff doesn't clump up and comes gracefully out of the salt shaker. The downside I believe when you consume table salt is it's easier to build-up too much iodine in your body which throws it out of balance.

For this reason, if I must choose a food with either, I'll opt for sea salt. But, yeah, salt is salt when it comes to watching sodium intake and avoiding the nasty health risks from getting too much. We get more than enough sodium from eating normal foods. There is never a reason to add salt, period. Definitely.

I can't exactly comment on most of your rationale for choosing table salt over sea salt besides that purification using chemicals generally leaves behind less than trace amounts. You should know that sea salt also undergoes extensive processing as well to purify it. It ALSO has anti-clumping agents added. Simply choosing it because it is "from the sea" is a mistake. I see no problem with adding salt as long as it is reasonable. I do it all the time in cooking and it enhances the flavor of foods - as it was intended for.

You'd also need to salt your foods fairly heavily to exceed the upper limit for iodine intake (1.1 mg/day). I should note that iodine intake in the Japanese is very high due to the high proportion of ocean products in their diet, and iodine toxicity is not exactly rampant there.

 

[JellyBaby]

Some brands of sea salt (when purchased specifically) are unprocessed but you have to look. Others like you said are processed as well but I don't believe as much as that tube of Morton. All else equal, I'll give sea salt the nod over straight table salt but that's it.

I find added salt diminishes the flavor of food, actually. Salt's an acquired taste. It's in so much of our food supply we learned to crave it. Our bodies only need about 500mg a day (on average) for healthy living. Most people ingest 3400mg which is just crazy. Why add salt at all? You don't need it and too much can be harmful and that includes sea salt of course.