Why are so many vegetarian foods loaded with sodium?

Question

I have decided to give vegetarianism a try for the apparent health benefits, but whenever I go to the local health food stores, I'm amazed at how much sodium many vegetarian and vegan products contain. I saw a package of vegan cheese yesterday that had 990mg of sodium per serving. With my high blood pressure, that one slice of cheese has exceeded my sodium intake for the entire day. I can understand common commercial foods having so much salt, but I thought vegetarians would be a little more concerned about such things.

Answer 1

so it will actually taste like something.good,likeable.

Answer 2

Vegetarians are not making the products most of the time. Any processed food usually has alot of sodium. Many vegetarians do not eat alot of that stuff though. Whole grains, beans, nuts, veggies and fruit dont have that sodium and that's what a health minded vegetarian eats.

Answer 3

You're right. Even diet foods like Lean Cuisine and more have tons of salt. The reason is that the salt brings out the flavor of an otherwise bland recipe.

If you serious about trying vegetarian, you should consider getting a vegetarian cook book (There are lots of them) and making it yourself.

Enjoy!

Answer 4

That's because the more processed something is the more sodium, preservatives, etc., it will contain. You should try leaving out the cheese and eating fresher foods like vegetables, fruits, grains and beans.

Answer 5

theres so much sodium so all the flavors are enhanced

Answer 6

Yeah, most vegetarians don't even know whats in it. They're just like, "AHHH MEAT! *run away and eat things filled with salt*
You need meat for protein.
Most vegetarians don't get all of the protein they need because they aren't educated on it. -_-