3 Easy Low Sodium Diet Hacks

Feeling a little salty? Looking for a way to cut down on your sodium intake? Well look no further! Did you know that nine out of ten Americans consume more sodium than the recommended daily amount? This can lead to high blood pressure, dramatically increasing one’s chances of having heart disease or a stroke. It’s never too late to make a change, though! And lucky for you, our team here at Nutré has put together a few hacks aimed at doing just that.

Get a Little Picky

When your health is concerned, it’s okay to get a little picky! And positive changes in one’s diet start with smart choices while shopping. Common grocery store picks such as canned food, deli meats and frozen meals are loaded with added salt! It’s important to go after low sodium meals when you can, and read those labels when you’re unsure. If you are looking at picking up processed items, choose the ones that have a sodium content less than or equal to the total amount of calories per serving in the meal. Training yourself to recognize too much sodium vs. just enough on labels is an important tool to have under your belt.

You can train your tastebuds to do the same, too! A study referenced by Harvard Health found that those who eat low sodium foods enjoy them nearly the same amount as they enjoy high sodium content foods. Your taste buds can be conditioned overtime to enjoy low sodium foods. With all of this in mind, we suggest you start checking those labels and tasting that food with a new sodium-picky mindset!

Make a Sodium Budget

Get those math brains ready, it’s time to budget! Budgeting, or choosing your salt amount wisely, can help you to keep track of your daily intake! According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, the average healthy person, fourteen years old and older, should limit their sodium intake to 2,300 mg a day. Let’s start keeping our salt in check, with what we’re calling a Sodium Allowance. Having an allowance means wanting to spend it wisely! So skip the salty snacks and processed foods, and start adding small amounts of salt to low sodium foods such as unsalted nuts, whole grains, granola and other tasty bites. For those who have high blood pressure, it is recommended to limit your sodium intake to 1,500 mg a day. Cutting out high sodium foods and adding small amounts of salt to healthier, unsalted foods can get you on the right track to being a salt budgeting boss.

Become a Master Salt Catcher

Sodium is a sneaky thing, especially in the diets of Americans. Most people wouldn’t even know salty foods when they had them! A few of the highest sodium foods in the average American’s diet are processed cheeses, white bread, deli meats, hot dogs, rice, tortillas and even a few types of pizza! Keeping a close eye on the salt content of these foods and applying that sodium budget to keep you eating them rarely will dramatically help reduce your intake. With all of that in mind, it can be hard to pause and stop yourself from divulging in a little salty goodness, especially when eating out at restaurants! Many chain restaurants, fast food especially, can have as much as 6,000 mg of salt per serving! Do the math there for a moment and you will find that that much salt is several times the daily recommended amount! Portion control and choosing less salty dishes will keep that from happening as often. And remember, don’t be afraid to get a little picky and ask your waiter/waitress about the salt content in your food! Once you get used to spotting these things, you’ll become a master of regulating your sodium in no time.

To wrap up, remember to keep your daily sodium intake in mind, budget how much salt you have a day, and get good at spotting hidden sodium! We hope these few tips will help you reach your goal of living a happier, healthier, more nutritious life! So get out there and get a little picky with your salt! It’s the Nutré way.