A Loupe View of the Most Sodium-Rich Foods
Cut Down Intake of Processed Foods to Maintain Balanced
Sodium Levels
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When you feel that reducing salt usage in your daily cooking
can make a great change in your pressure levels, you are absolutely mistaken. The
real culprits are the foods given below as the salt used for cooking is
responsible for only 11% of the total sodium consumed by any individual.
Cold Cuts & Meats
Deli or packaged meats may contain as much as 1,050
milligrams of sodium per serving while the recommended sodium levels are only
1,500 milligrams for individuals with blood pressure and 2,300 for normal
individuals. Although sodium is needed to preserve the meats from getting
spoilt, it need not be this high. It is better to compare nutrition labels and
choose the one that contains a lower sodium value comparatively.
Cheesy Pizzas
We try to limit pizzas for their high calorie values. But a
slice of pizza can contain up to 760 milligrams of sodium and eating a few
slices can make you easily exceed the daily recommended levels too. Use more
veggies in your pizza with less cheese or you can even replace some of your
slices with a colorful bowl of salad. The best is to make a homemade pizza with
all the healthy ingredients of your choice. Healthy ingredients and whole-wheat
pizza bases are a great choice for which you can use the ideas given at www.firsteatright.com.
Soups
You get all the goodness when you finish off a bowl of soup
prepared by your loving mom/dad. One cup of canned chicken noodle soup
purchased from the supermarket can have up to 940 milligrams of sodium. Try to
prepare a big batch on your own and freeze the leftovers or if you don’t have
time to prepare the soup yourself, at least add frozen veggies to a
lower-sodium variety of canned soup to reduce the amount of sodium present in
each serving.
Breads and Rolls
Whole grain breads are preferred by most of us for a quick
breakfast or snack. But do you know that a single slice of bread can have as
much as 230 milligrams of sodium. Eating a toast for breakfast, veggie sandwich
for lunch and rolls for dinner can exceed the healthy sodium limits. Choose
bread loaves having thinner slices as they are said to contain fewer calories
and reduced sodium levels as well.
Chicken
Balanced portions of lean, skinless grilled chicken are good
for health. Chicken nuggets are loaded with added salt and even fresh poultry
is injected with sodium solutions. Only 85 grams (almost the size of your palm)
of frozen and breaded nuggets can contain up to 600 milligrams of sodium. Check
the label before buying poultry-the sodium content should not exceed 100
milligrams for a 113-gram serving of poultry.
Burritos and Tacos
It’s shocking to know that two teaspoons of taco seasoning
can have 411 mg of sodium. Best way to eat a yummy taco is to prepare our own
seasonings for better health and flavor. Combining ½ teaspoon each of cumin,
oregano, chili powder and garlic powder amounts to only 42 mg of sodium giving
you delicious and nutritious tacos.
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