Tips for Choosing Low Sodium Foods

Remember that unprocessed fresh foods like fruits and vegetables contain lots of nutrients and are naturally low in sodium.
Choose products with less than 200 mg of sodium per serving, or less than 10% Daily Value.
Avoid products with more than 400 mg of sodium per serving. Limit products that contain between 200-400 mg of sodium per serving.
Pay attention to serving size. How big is the portion in comparison to how many servings you will actually eat? For example, breads and cereals are a significant source of sodium in our diets because we consume many servings a day.
All salts (table, Kosher, rock, sea, Himalayan) contain approximately 100% sodium chloride. One teaspoon of salt is about 2300 mg of sodium. The Hypertension Guidelines recommend reducing sodium intake to less than 2000 mg each day.
In restaurants, ask about lower sodium options and request no salt be added if possible. Be wary of soups made with salty broths and salads with lots of toppings and dressing.
Think about how you can prepare traditionally salty foods with less sodium. For example, kosher meat contains more salt than non-kosher meat. To reduce the amount of sodium you get from eating kosher meat you may consider:
- soaking kosher meat overnight in water before cooking
- not adding extra salt to other foods eaten at the same meal as kosher meat
- eating kosher meat less often