Low-Sodium Diet – How To Limit Sodium And Prevent Health Complications

Sodium (Na) is an essential nutrient that is commonly found in table salt (1). Sodium helps maintain normal cellular homeostasis, electrolyte balance, and blood pressure and regulates fluid balance (2). But too much of it can cause hypertension, altered kidney function, arterial stiffness, and stroke and damage brain function (2), (3). That’s why the WHO highly recommends a low-sodium diet (4). If you are thinking that cutting out table salt from your diet is the answer, you are wrong. READ ON to know various other high-sodium foods that you must avoid, foods to eat, what to order when eating out, and lifestyle tips. Let’s get started!

What Happens When You Consume Too Much Sodium/Salt?

• When you consume too much sodium, the fluid balance in your body gets disrupted. The high sodium content pulls in water from the bloodstream to your blood vessels. And that increases blood volume, causing high blood pressure (5).
• Scientists have found that high blood pressure or hypertension is directly proportional to the risk of cardiovascular diseases (6).
• Too much sodium can cause water retention in the body and lead to chronic renal (kidney) failure by increasing filtration fraction and glomerular (kidney filter) pressure (7).
• Consuming too much salt can lead to insulin resistance, obesity, leptin resistance, fatty liver, and metabolic disorders (8), (9), (10).
• Scientists have found that consuming high-sodium foods may decrease regional cerebral blood flow and reduce retention of spatial memory in mice (11), (12).

This brings us to the most common question – how much sodium to consume? Find out next.

How Much Sodium Should You Consume?

The American Heart Association recommends consuming about 1500 mg – 2300 mg “iodized” salt per day (13).

But most of us consume about 3400 mg sodium per day! This is way too much than the recommended amount.

But isn’t it perplexing that even after consuming less salt, the sodium levels in your blood are so high?

That’s because there are many other sources of salt/sodium in your diet. Take a look at the following basic guidelines to get a glimpse of salty foods that may not taste salty at all!

Guidelines To Limit Sodium Intake

• Avoid using too much salt in your food.
• Do not add extra salt from the salt shaker.
• When using soy sauce for cooking or as salad dressing, avoid adding salt to your food.
• Avoid using lime salt, onion salt, garlic salt, broth cubes, kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut, barbeque sauce, ketchup, noodle tastemaker, and store-bought teriyaki sauce.
• Always use fresh ingredients to cook your food.
• Use lime, lemon, or orange as a meat tenderizer.
• Read the labels of canned or packaged foods. Look at the sodium content per serving size. Any number below 140 mg or less per serving is good to go in your shopping bag.
• Avoid consuming ready-to-eat soups.
• Look for sodium content in seasoning mixes, pasta seasonings, and spices.
• Do not use salt substitutes.
• Be aware of the “salty six” – bread and rolls, pizza, sandwiches, cold cut and cured meats, soup, and burritos and tacos.

Here’s a table containing sodium content of foods. It will help you decide what and how much of each of these foods to consume and keep the sodium intake within the allowed range. Take a look.

Sodium Content Of Foods

Vegetables

Fruits

Protein

Dairy

Grains & Breads

Others

So, you see, a lot of fresh produce is lower in sodium as compared to canned and frozen ones. If you are not sure how to get the required sodium without overdoing it, take a look at the next section.

Low-Sodium Diet – What And How Much To Eat

Vegetables And Fruits

• 5 servings of 4-5 different types of vegetables per day
• 3 servings of 3 different fruits per day
• ½ cup of chopped fruit per serving
• 1 chopped, frozen, or cooked vegetable per serving
• You may consume 1 serving of low-sodium tomato sauce.

Protein

• A serving of protein with every meal
• You may consume 2-3 ounces of fish, shrimp, or chicken per day.
• You may consume ½ cup of low-sodium canned fish.
• You may consume 1 egg.
• ½ cup cooked legumes per day

Dairy

• 1-2 servings of dairy per day
• 1 cup milk per day
• 2-3 oz low-sodium cheese per day
• ½ cup cottage cheese per day
• 1 cup soy milk

Grains And Breads

• 1 slice of low-sodium bread per day
• 1 low-sodium bagel per day
• ½ cup rice per day
• 1 serving of low-sodium crackers per day

Fats, Oils, And Condiments

Use

• Vinegar
• Lime juice
• Lemon juice
• Herbs and spices
• Rice bran oil, olive oil, and avocado oil

Limit

• Low-sodium butter
• Low-sodium salad dressing
• Low-sodium soup
• Low-sodium mustard
• Low-sodium sauces

Snacks And Sweets

• ½ cup low-sodium potato chips, popcorn, pretzels, and other snacks
• 2.5 oz unsalted nuts
• 1 tablespoon jelly
• 8-10 jelly beans

Now, let me take you through a sample low-sodium diet.

Low-Sodium Diet Chart

So, what happens when you go out to eat? Do you toss your low-sodium diet out the window? No. Here are “eating-out strategies” to your rescue. Scroll down.

What To Choose While Eating At A Restaurant

Here’s what you’ve got to choose while eating at a restaurant:

Appetizers

• Avoid soups or broths.
• Avoid bread baskets.
• Have fresh fruits or a glass of freshly pressed fruit juice.

Main

• Consume garden-fresh salads.
• Avoid consuming kimchi, pickled veggies, and sauerkraut.
• Request the chef to make “light-dressing” instead of using a concoction of high-sodium sauces.
• Choose broiled, grilled, or roasted poultry, fish, and shellfish.
• Request the chef to cook without garlic salt, lime salt, and onion salt.
• Avoid going to buffets.
• Avoid fast-food joints.
• Avoid consuming casseroles and one-pot dishes.

Desserts

• Choose fresh fruits with ice cream or gelatin.
• Choose low-sodium cakes.

When you are on a low-sodium diet, you also have to change your lifestyle. Here are a few lifestyle changes that you must make.

Lifestyle Changes

• Stick to your low-sodium diet plan.
• Avoid eating out as much as possible.
• Take your medicines regularly.
• Workout regularly with your doctor’s permission.
• Take less stress, practice yoga, and learn a new skill.

Conclusion

A low-sodium diet will help improve your health in innumerable ways. And you will start to experience the difference in just a few days. So, give it your best shot and live a happier life. Cheers!

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Reviewer Author

Temple StewartRD, LDN

   

Temple Stewart is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Personal Trainer in St. Petersburg, FL. She sees clients all over the world through virtual nutrition services. Her passion is to teach her clients how to experience a healthier life by using effective nutrition education and counseling.

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Charushila BiswasHealth & Wellness Writer

 

Charushila is an ISSA certified Fitness Nutritionist and a Physical Exercise Therapist. Over a span of 6 years, she has authored more than 400 articles on diet, lifestyle, exercises, healthy food, and fitness equipment. She strives to inform, educate, and motivate her readers via authentic, straightforward, and fact-checked information.

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