Hey McKinley!

Before I get to the list of foods and their sodium content, there are a few rules you can follow to help make your quest a little easier.

1. Buy fresh or frozen fruits and veggies and avoid the canned veggies
2. Avoid packaged pastas or rice with seasoning or sauces (such as ramen noodles, hamburger helper)
3. If you are going to buy canned veggies, lentils or beans, buy the ones that have “no salt added” on the label
4. Fried foods all have a high sodium content…avoid them

Some packaged foods won’t have a ridiculously high amount of sodium but most do so just be sure to read the label carefully and pay attention to the serving size as well 🙂

This is only a partial list of the most common foods and is meant to give you an idea of the sodium that is currently in your diet.  If you have a specific food you want to know the sodium content of you can email me and I will add it to the list which will be found on the Grapevine under “Sodium Content Food List”.

(Fresh : Canned or packaged)

1 medium tomato ~ 7mg : 153mg
Fresh fruit ~ 5mg or less
1 medium avocado ~ 14mg
1/2 cup chopped carrots ~ 44mg : 295mg
1 stalk of celery ~ 88mg
1 cup of spinach ~ 24mg : 746mg
1 cup chopped Kale ~ 29mg
1/2 cup sliced cucumber ~ 1mg
1 dill pickle spear ~ 306mg
1 large red, green or yellow pepper ~ 4mg
1 can red hot chili peppers ~ 856mg
1 cup chopped broccoli ~ 30mg
1 cup chopped cauliflower ~ 30mg
1 cup chopped onion ~ 8mg
1 large potato ~ 22mg
10 frozen crinkle cut french fries ~ 294mg
2 slices of cold cuts/lunch meat ~ depending on the meat they range between 450-800mg
1 cup uncooked pasta ~ 1mg
1 cup cooked plain long grain rice ~ 1mg
1 large egg ~ 70mg
1 slice cheddar cheese ~ 174mg
1 slice mozzerella ~ 220mg
1 slice whole grain bread ~ 200mg
1 whole grain bagel ~ 450mg
1/4 lb of lean ground beef ~ 72mg
1 grilled chicken breast, no skin or bone ~ 65mg
1/4 pound of lean ground chicken ~ 64mg
1/4 pound of lean ground turkey ~ 80mg
1/4 pound of grilled wild salmon ~ 63mg
1/4 pound of grilled white fish ~ 119mg
1 can of tuna packed in water, no salt ~ 88mg
1 tbsp of Ketchup ~ 160mg
1 tsp of mustard ~ 55mg
1 tbsp of mayo ~ 75mg
1 tbsp of miracle whip ~ 75mg
1/4 cup of cashews, almonds, pistachios or walnuts ~ .5mg

 

Common Drinks and their sodium content:

8 fl oz of water ~ 0mg
8 fl oz of mineral water ~ 10mg
8 fl oz of club soda ~ 65 mg
8 fl oz of tonic water ~ 35mg
8 fl oz of Coke ~ 33mg
8 fl oz of Diet Coke ~ 33mg
6 fl oz of black coffee ~ 5mg
1 can of Monster Ultra Zero ~ 360mg
6 fl oz of green tea ~ 0mg
8 fl oz of 2% cow’s milk ~ 125mg
8 fl oz of coconut water ~ 75mg
8 fl oz of coconut milk ~ 15mg
8 fl oz LOW SODIUM V8 Juice ~ 140mg
8 fl oz V8 Juice ~ 433mg (Big Difference)
8 fl oz of Gatorade ~ 110mg
12 fl oz of beer ~ 15mg
6 fl oz of Red or White Wine ~ 7mg

 

Here are some low sodium ways to season your food from www.webmd.com:

~ use fresh garlic, onion and olive oil to season potatoes, pasta, rice and meat
~ Marinate chicken breasts or pork chops in lemon juice, orange juice, or wine
~ Roll fish in sesame seeds before baking
~ Spice up beef with a mixture of onion, peppers, sage, and thyme
~ Toss in a few fruits and vegetables, such as dried apricots, raisins, red pepper, or yellow pepper for extra flavor
~ Simmer carrots in cinnamon and nutmeg
~ Sprinkle some dill and parsley onto potatoes before roasting
~ Add a dash of chili powder to corn
~ Replace salted butter with unsalted butter
~ When cooking with cheese, opt for fresh mozzarella or cheeses labeled “low-sodium”
~ Try a commercial salt-free seasoning blend (such as Mrs. Dash), or make your own mix with this recipe from the American Heart Association:

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon mace, ground 1 teaspoon basil, ground 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon black pepper, ground, 1 teaspoon thyme, ground 1 teaspoon sage, ground, 1 teaspoon parsley, dry flakes 1 teaspoon marjoram, 1 teaspoon savory, ground.

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith