4 Surprising Sources of Salt

During my crusade to live a healthier lifestyle, I've been taking note of the amount of sodium in food.
Photo Credit: Morguefile

Whether you're trying to reduce sodium in your diet to decrease water retention and risk of heart disease, or need add a salt to boost low blood pressure, check out this list of salty foods.

Soda or Pop 

That fizzy carbonated beverage some people simply refer to as a Coke can pack a big salty punch in your diet. 

If you cling to a bottle of Diet Coke or crave an afternoon Pepsi, take a peek at the label. One 16 ounce bottle of Diet Coke contains 60mg of sodium. If you down a six-pack a day, that's 360mg of sodium just from beverages.

Bread

Since salt is used as a preservative, it's commonly found in processed foods. To make bread last longer on grocery store shelves, sodium is added to the dough. A loaf of homemade bread starts to grow mold in just three to four days due to the small amount of salt and a lack of preservatives.

For example, two slices of Sara Lee 45 Calories and Delightful white bread -- which markets itself as a healthy option -- contains 240mg of salt. That's 10 percent of your daily intake of salt (based on a 2,000 calorie diet) in just two slices of plain bread!

Condiments

Sure, many foods taste better dipped in ketchup, barbeque sauce or salad dressing. But, condiments are one of the worst hidden sources of salt. For example, 2 tablespoons of Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing contain 260mg of sodium. If you're like most people, you use more than 2 tablespoons on an entree-size salad.

Other condiments high in salt include pickles, relish, packaged pasta sauces and soy sauce. To keep your sodium in check, stick to small portions and enjoy condiments as a treat, not an everyday indulgence.

Cheese 

Who knew cheese was full of salt? Since I'm actually trying to include salt in my diet, this was a positive finding since I love cheese. I like to top fresh fruit or a salad with cottage cheese or snack on a stick of string cheese. I learned that one stick of Crystal Farms Wisconsin Spiral String Cheese has 200mg of sodium -- a great snack to boost my low blood pressure.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

Note: This article was originally published on Yahoo Voices on April 11, 2012 by myself, Angela Tague.

2 comments:

  1. I knew bread, condiments, and cheese all had salt in them, but I didn't know soda/pop contained salt.

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    Replies
    1. Good for you! But then again, you're a very food savvy lady too!! Pop/soda is surprising, and I think most people have no idea it's full of sodium! Thanks for visiting! ~Angela

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