What can you eat on a low-sodium diet? Low-Sodium Foods to Enjoy
Fresh, frozen or dried fruits: Berries, apples, bananas, pears, etc. Grains and beans: Dried beans, brown rice, farro, quinoa and whole wheat pasta. Starchy vegetables: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and parsnips. Fresh or frozen meat and poultry: Chicken, turkey, beef or pork.
What foods should be avoided on a low-sodium diet?
Avoid
- Frozen, salted meat or fish.
- Processed meats like ham, corned beef, bacon, sausage, luncheon meats, hot dogs, spare ribs, salt pork, ham hocks, meat spreads.
- Canned meat or fish.
- Breaded meats.
- Canned beans like kidney, pinto, black-eyed peas, lentils.
- Frozen dinners or side dishes with salt.
How much sodium can you have on a low-sodium diet? When limiting sodium in your diet, a common target is to eat less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium per day.
What meat has lowest sodium?
Low-sodium, kidney-friendly meats, poultry, seafood and dairy
| Food type |
Average sodium amount per serving |
| Beef, no added salt |
45-65 mg (3 ounces) |
| Chicken, skinless and grilled, no added salt |
20-80 mg (3 ounces) |
| Egg whites, cooked |
55 mg (large) |
| Fish (catfish, cod, crab, halibut, shrimp, tuna) |
40-200 mg (3 ounces) |
1 more row
What can you eat on a low-sodium diet? – Additional Questions
What snacks have no salt?
10 of our favorite no salt snacks
- Apples and Peanut Butter Butter. Apples and peanut butter (or any nut butter, really) is a perfect no-salt snack for the kid at heart.
- Fresh fruit. Speaking of apples, any and all fruits can be part of your no salt snack routine.
- Dates and Nut Butter.
- Raw Nuts.
- Smoothies.
What are low-sodium breakfast foods?
Low Sodium Breakfast Ideas
- Grains. Grains supply fiber, which keeps you feeling full — and they’re also low in sodium.
- Eggs. Eggs are low in sodium and high in protein, and prepared correctly they are a low-sodium breakfast option.
- Fruits and Vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in sodium.
- Meat.
Does beef or chicken have more sodium?
A serving of chicken provides 64 mg of sodium. A serving of beef provides 35 mg of sodium. Both amounts are low compared with the 2,400-mg total upper intake the FDA recommends.
What meat has the highest sodium?
The bottom line
Processed meats — such as ham, cold cuts, jerky, hot dogs and sausage — are especially high in sodium. Even plain, frozen shrimp are often treated with sodium-rich additives.
Is pork higher in sodium than beef?
Fresh Meats
For example, 3 ounces of cooked lean beef contains about 55 milligrams of sodium, while fresh cooked pork and veal provide about 60 and 70 milligrams, respectively.
Is chicken low in sodium?
Natural chicken has only minimal amounts of sodium. A plain 3-ounce roasted chicken breast provides just 65 milligrams of sodium — less than 3 percent of the maximum amount of sodium you can have in a day. Darker meat is slightly higher in sodium. Broiled thigh meat offers roughly 75 milligrams in a 3-ounce portion.
What cheese is lowest in sodium?
Which cheese has the least amount of sodium? Swiss, brick, goat cheese, mozzarella and cream cheese have the least amount of sodium.
How can I flush salt out of my body overnight?
If your diet is high in salt and you feel bloated regularly, read on for our top tips to get rid of salt bloat overnight.
- Always stay hydrated to clear excess sodium.
- Increase your potassium intake with powders.
- Take a Magnesium Bath to remove excess salt.
- Sweating may help flush salt out of your body fast.
How do I start a low sodium diet?
Make healthy shifts.
Snack on unsalted nuts instead of salted pretzels or chips. Try cooking fresh or frozen chicken, lean meats, or seafood instead of buying deli meats or sausages. Go for fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables without sauce, or canned vegetables with lower sodium.
Do bananas reduce sodium?
Incorporate foods with potassium like sweet potatoes, potatoes, greens, tomatoes and lower-sodium tomato sauce, white beans, kidney beans, nonfat yogurt, oranges, bananas and cantaloupe. Potassium helps counter the effects of sodium and may help lower your blood pressure.
Can drinking water lower sodium levels?
Based on the fact that about two thirds of our bodies are comprised of water, it may seem obvious that consuming water is important for our health. But a new study finds that by increasing plain water consumption, we can control our weight and reduce intakes of sugar, sodium and saturated fat.
What happens if you stop eating salt for a week?
In severe cases, low sodium levels in the body can lead to muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting and dizziness. Eventually, lack of salt can lead to shock, coma and death. Severe salt loss is very unlikely to happen because our diets contain more than enough salt.
Will I lose weight if I cut out sodium?
Eating less salt does not really help you lose weight. The sodium in salt makes your body retain more water than it would otherwise; when you reduce salt consumption the body rids itself of this water weight but this does not lessen the body’s fat content.
Which fruit has high sodium?
What fruits and vegetables are high in sodium? A. Apples, guavas, avocado, papaya, mango, carambola, pineapple, banana, melons, and pears contain natural sodium ranging between 1-8 mg per 100 grams.
What are the symptoms of too much salt?
The immediate symptoms of eating too much salt include: Increased thirst. Swollen feet or hands. Headache (in some cases)
This is why, over time, eating too much salt comes with long-term health consequences, including:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Heart disease.
- Stroke.
- Kidney disease.
- Kidney stones.
How long does it take to flush sodium out of your system?
Excess sodium from a high-salt meal typically takes 2 to 4 days to leave the body. This time can be decreased by drinking extra water, exercising, sweating, cutting back on salt, and eating fruits and vegetables high in potassium.
What does a sodium headache feel like?
Your head is pounding. You might not think those salty chips you chowed down have anything to do with your throbbing headache. But research suggests otherwise: Adults who ate 3,500 mg of sodium per day had nearly a third more headaches than those who only took in 1,500 mg, found a study published in the BMJ.
