What are some ways to avoid a high sodium diet?

Question

I'm wanting to cut as much sodium from my diet as possible but I'm not sure how since there seems to be so much salt in everything.
Is there a realistic way to do this without starving?

Thank You Jay and God bless you too!

Answer 1

God created our odies to function a certain way. This includes the use of sodium. While excess sodium may cause your body to retain fluid - no sodium will have an effect on your body as well. Everything in moderation.

There are some helpful sites that explain these type of things - try this one for example: http://www.gicare.com/pated/edtot21.htm

If you are afraid of all the sodium (because its use as a preservetive in almost everything) you can always go to scrath cooking using fresh vegies and meats that are not pre-packaged. This may take a little longer to prepare but the heakth consciencousness in you will put up with that for the advantages it brings to you life.

Besides - natural foods are the way God wanted us to eat anyway.

Answer 2

I'd like to know why you think all the food in the dining hall is packed with salt? Surely there are low salt options. Why are you worried about salt anyway? A high salt diet only affects some people, in others it doesn't really raise the blood pressure. Also, as far as your home food - you have a fridge and electricity right? Peanut butter is a good bet. Peanut butter on fruit is even better. Eating a handful of nuts (unsalted of course) is also an excellent snack. Now, onto the fridge... Milk, protein powder (plus a banana or other fruit) is a great lunch meal substitute. You can steam broccoli or other vegetables in your microwave. You could probably cook chicken breast decently in the microwave if your do a little research. Also, there are TONS of frozen dinners you can guy which aren't "packed with salt." You just aren't looking hard enough.

Answer 3

Yes. Don't eat restaurant food, first of all. Their design is to make your food taste good, not to be concerned with your health. Next, limit your canned food intake. Any processed food will be loaded with salt. Next stop with the sodas. Even diet sodas are loaded with sodium. Stop snacking. A candy bar has a bundle of salt. Buy yourself some healthy, raw food and learn to cook it yourself. Some meat, some veggies, some garlic, a little bit of salt, some olive oil. Cheerios and oatmeal for breakfast. As much fruit as you can fit in your fruit bowl. There is salt in almost every processed food you buy and there is no restaurant that survives more than a year without salt. The difference is that we use it like oxygen. You would be ASTOUNDED if you went inside a professional kitchen. Take your hand and grab as big a handfull of sand as you can. That is how much salt we put into one serving of pasta. You don't need to do that at home.

Answer 4

You will have to fix everything from scratch. The worst thing are packaged foods like hamburger helper or canned vegetables, they are filled with sodium. Just get fresh fruits and vegetables and start there. I make my own spice mixture, because the seasoned salts are way too salty. I put in garlic powder , onion powder, paprika, curry powder,pepper and just a little salt and mix it up and then put it back in my shaker and I love the way the food tastes. You can use it on chicken and in hamburger meat or any other food.
God bless you, and I hope to have been a little help ...Jay

Answer 5

Yes, there is.

One way is to look at the labels that is on the food that you buy. The sodium content is listed In reading these labels take into consideration the quantity of the item or **** serving size.

The other way is to know the salt content by reducing or eliminating food that does not have labels.

Copy and paste the site below in your browser for this information. Do not let it overwhelm you. Limit it of course to the foods that you usually consume. Don't bother with the ones that you never eat.

Good luck.

Answer 6

All excellent answers so far, and I agree, stay away from processed foods. This includes fast food, soda, boxed food, canned food, and most frozen foods (usually frozen veggies are ok as long as they aren't pre-seasoned, check labels). Basically anything that wasn't naturally grown in the ground or meat is laden with salt.

Another thing you should be wary if are salt substitutes. You see these in the baking and herb aisles in the grocery store. They're little canisters that look just like salt canisters. Be careful using these, they may taste like salt but it's loaded with potassium. High potassium can cause heart problems or make existing ones worse. I recommend using natural spices to flavor food, such as garlic and organic herbs. Also, I recommend switching to wheat pastas and flour.

Answer 7

Stop using processed foods and prepare your meals from basic natural ingredients. If you need to add salt for flavour then use a product called Lo-Salt that has only 33% of the sodium that is in normal table salt but tastes just the same.

Answer 8

A lot of good sound answers so far. The only other thing I can think of to add, off the top of my head is; that if you do use salt in your home cooking, always use sea salt, or kosher salt. You will find that you use less, because in measuring for recipes, the crystals are larger, and therefore you are adding less right from the getgo.

Answer 9

a diet devoid of processed foods is the easiest way to remove excess salt from the diet. processed foods are loaded with it, all natural foods are not.