One of the most common phrases I get when seeing clients is “I actually eat very well.”
Here’s a newsflash: everyone thinks they eat well. But what eating well means to some people is drastically different to others. Some think eating well means that they don’t eat very much each day- a couple small snacks and then just one big meal. Others think eating well means that they took the bun off their burger before eating it.
Although I could dive into all of these ‘eating well’ ideas, and I most likely will at some point, today I want to focus on one of my favorites:
“I eat very well and can’t figure out why I have high blood pressure. I never salt my food.”
Now, obviously high blood pressure can be caused by more than eating a lot of salt (genetics, stress, lack of exercise, etc), but everyone knows one of the first things a doctor will tell you is to cut down on your sodium intake. To many, this means no sprinkling salt on eggs or vegetables.
And people usually do stop salting their food, but they usually overlook or are unaware of how much salt the foods they eat contain. Keep in mind that most experts recommend you keep sodium below 2300mg per day.
Most of us know these usual suspects: frozen meals, soups, canned vegetables, etc, but here are some other surprisingly salty foods to keep an eye on:
COTTAGE CHEESE
a 1/2 cup serving contains 360mg
HEINZ KETCHUP
1 Tbsp contains 190mg.
And when is the last time you just used 1 Tbsp?
PREGO HEART SMART TRADITIONAL ITALIAN SAUCE
1/2 cup contains 430mg
And yes, it says heart smart on it. Surprising, no?
BOARS HEAD SALSALITO TURKEY
only 2oz contains 480mg of sodium
KELLOGG’S RAISIN BRAN
1 cup contains 350 mg
Raisin Bran has more than double the sodium of Cheerios and Special K
It’s not that any of these foods should be labeled “bad”, but it is important to be aware of what is in the food you’re eating, even when it is marketed as ‘heart healthy’.
The easiest way to avoid excess sodium is to up your intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, unsalted nuts and dried beans and lentils. Make things at home instead of eating out and you’ll also save yourself a lot of unnecessary sodium bloat.
What is your favorite sodium-cutting advice?
Melissa @ Be Not Simply Good says
Great post! I wasn’t aware that these items were particularly high in sodium. I think many of us (me included) have trained our tastebuds to expect a relatively high level of sugar and salt in our foods. Eating fewer processed foods and cooking more often from scratch allowed me to notice.
christina says
so crazy that raisin bran has that much sodium in it. i always look for reduced-sodium or no-salt added products. it’s so important!
Carly says
I know I am guilty of ‘over-salting’. Unfortunately, I always prefer salty food to sweet. The easiest tip for me, (because I eat a lot of sushi) is switch to low-sodium soy sauce. I know it’s still super salty, but it helps a little!
Maria @ Oh Healthy Day says
I try to avoid foods in packages as much as possible. If I do use them in a pinch, Healthy Valley soups are so low in sodium, that they are bland, and then I add my own spices to them.
The hardest thing was switching from salted nuts to unsalted. Still getting used to that one 🙂
Christina @ Food.Fun.Fabulous. says
Loved this post! I’m very aware of sodium content since high blood pressure runs in my family. I usually look for no-salt-added on things like Francesco Rinaldi’s tomato sauce and I get Teddie’s unsalted peanut butter. Plus I load up on fresh fruit and veggies!
Jenn L @ Peas and Crayons says
heart smart my butt! woah! very eye opening! =)
alex says
thanks for posting this!!! I used to eat that type of turkey way back in the day!
Kristin says
Since it’s hard to always buy fresh (my menu-planning skills need some work), I’ve been making sure to buy the “no salt added” versions of canned beans, diced tomatoes, etc.
Melissa says
Eating less processed real foods that are made at home is the way to go. I also choose reduced sodium goods whenever possible.
Caree @ Fit-Mama says
Sodium is sooo hard to avoid when it comes to processed foods. And especially those frozen meals are so high in sodium yet they are advertised as being healthy! Crazy!
Kelly says
Your advice is the exact same ones I would give. I do salt my food, but typically only when I have made it myself and have not put enough salt in it to begin with. I tend to ere on the side of putting just a little bit of salt in home cooked meals because you can always add more but can’t take it away. I’ve heard of a low-sodium cottage cheese (Friendly’s I think it’s called), but I’ve never been able to find it.
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen says
SO funny because my roommate and I were JUST discussig this yesterday when she accidentally bought “no salt added” cottage cheese and we both didn’t like it. 🙂
I never add salt to my food, and I do try to buy “low sodium” options, but it really does sneak up on you!
[Also a surprise? Kellogg’s Raisin Bran has HCFS!]
Jess @atasteofconfidence says
Raisin Bran- geez!
I try to stay away from canned soups with high salt, too.
Alyssa @ Life of bLyss says
wow, why have I never even known that about ketchup and cottage cheese? maaan! thanks for the tip. 🙂
Corey @ the runner's cookie says
“Everyone thinks they eat well” <– great point! I've noticed this too. So often unhealthy foods are marketed as healthy, which I think really adds to the confusion. A lot of people think fat free and high fiber = healthy (in fact, those were main principles of the previous weight watchers program).
I don't know all that much about sodium, but I do try to keep it in check daily by looking at the labels and not adding much salt to my food. Products can be unexpectedly loaded with it!
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
Gah, everything is loaded with sodium!! It’s crazy…honestly, I undertstand it helps with keeping meats or what not but I don’t see why they have t oload cereal or cottage cheese with sodium.
Kelly says
Commenting again because I just gave you a blogger award on my last post. 🙂
Jane says
Great info Brittany! Label reading is so important, if you eat processed foods. This was a surprise to me…most pizza is loaded with sodium. Two slices of Domino’s veggie pizza contains 1370 mg of sodium.
Cortney says
Love this post! My fiance and I were talking about this the other day! It’s so frustrating that do many packages say “healthy” etc, but no one really knows what that means.I also love how you address that peoples ideas of _healthy” can be completely different. With all of the different resources what do you recommend using as a guideline for making healthy choices?
Samantha @ Health, Happiness & Skinny Jeans says
Lowering my intake of prepackaged food is a great way to cut back on sodium. Like you suggested I try to eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables and make most of my meals at home.
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