Low Sodium Diet

Sodium is a mineral found as a natural ingredient in many foods. The most common form of sodium is salt. The lowsodium diet allows you 1/8teaspoon of salt per day to use in food preparation or at the table. Salt substitutes use potassium instead of sodium. You may use them if your doctor approves. However, one should not use salt substitutes with some medications. Check with your doctor to be sure that you can use a salt substitute each time your medication changes.

Following is a list of foods recommended on a lowsodium diet, then a list of those to avoid.

Recommended Foods
Milk and dairy Products (limit to 2cups):
Whole, 2percent, 1percent, skim fluid, evaporated or powdered milk
Yogurt, chocolate milk as part of the milk allowances
Low sodium buttermilk. 1cup of milk equals 130mg sodium

Meat Group (limit four to six ounces daily):
Four to six ounces per day of cooked weight of any meat, poultry (beef, lamb, pork, veal, liver, chicken, duck or turkey) or fish prepared or preserved without salt or sodium
Canned tuna or salmon rinsed or lowsodium tuna and low sodium salmon
One egg daily or 1/3cup egg substitute daily, including that used in cooking
Low sodium peanut butter (2tablespoons equals 1ounce of meat) unsalted nuts, 1ounce low sodium cheese or you may substitute low sodium cottage cheese for 1ounce of meat
Canned kidney beans, rinsed, and frozen dinners with less than 500mg sodium

Vegetables:
Unlimited amounts of fresh, frozen (without salt or sodium added), or saltfree canned vegetables or vegetable juices without salt or sodium added
Include a good source of Vitamin A at least every other day such as a dark green or a deep yellow vegetable

Fruits:
Any kind of fruit or fruit juice, fresh, frozen, or canned except those listed in foods to avoid
Include a good source of Vitamin C daily such as citrus fruit or juice, strawberries, raw cabbage and cantaloupe.

Bread and Cereals:
Four slices of regular bread or equivalent per day (bread, rolls, crackers without salted tops)
Sandwich rolls equal two servings of bread.
One (3/4ounce) serving of dry cereal per day (250mg or less). Cereals cooked without added salt. You may use salt free bread, rolls, and crackers as desired.
Rice, macaroni, spaghetti, noodles, barley prepared without added salt.
Unsalted popcorn or pretzels.

Fats:
Four teaspoons per day of regular salted butter, margarine, mayonnaise or mayonnaise type salad dressing or lowsodium mayonnaise
Unsalted butter, margarine or salad dressing is not restricted
Cooking fat or oil
Low sodium salad dressings, cream, nondairy creamers, sour cream
Unsalted nuts, avocado

Soups:
Home made soups made without salt or restricted seasonings
Low sodium bouillon, broth and soups
Low sodium cream soups made from milk allowance and allowed foods

Beverages:
Coffee, decaffeinated coffee, tea, cereal beverages such as Postum
Sodium containing carbonated beverages limited to 24ounces per day
Alcoholic beverages with doctor's permission
Cocoa made with milk allowance without added salt

Desserts:
Gelatin desserts or diet gelatin as desired
Fruit ice; home made tapioca, rice and cornstarch pudding or custard made with allowed milk and egg allowance and without the addition of salt or sodium

Miscellaneous
Spices and herbs which do not contain sodium or salt compounds
Vinegar, lemon, fresh horse radish without added salt, baking powder and baking soda for allowed baked products only, cream of tartar, Tabasco sauce, VegIt, Mrs. Dash, yeast, lowsodium catsup, lowsodium baking powder, lowsodium baking soda, low sodium chili sauce
You may use a salt substitute or seasoned salt substitute blend containing no sodium with your doctor's approval.

Foods to Avoid
Milk and dairy Products (limit to 2cups):
Avoid more than 2cups per day
Buttermilk, malted milk, milk shakes, chocolate milk

Meat Group (limit four to six ounces daily):
Any salted, smoked, cured, pickled, dried or canned meat, fish or poultry such as bacon, bacon bits, turkey bacon, bologna, chipped or corned beef, breaded meats, frankfurters, bratwurst, ham, meats koshered by salting, luncheon meats, salt pork, sausage, anchovies, caviar, pickled herring, sardines
Regular peanut butter, salted nuts
Regular cottage cheese and all other cheese except those listed on the allowed list
Canned baked beans
Canned, packaged and frozen dinners with more than 500mg sodium

Vegetables:
Sauerkraut, pickles, olives and other vegetables prepared in a brine; canned and frozen vegetables if processed with salt or sodium
Salted potato chips, instant potatoes or potato mixes
Regular vegetables or tomato juice

Fruits:
Crystallized or glazed fruit

Bread and Cereals:
Not more than four slices per day of sodium containing breads or rolls; not more than 13/4 cup serving daily of dry cereal
Breads, rolls and crackers with salted tops
Pretzels and other salted snack foods
Selfrising flour, mixes containing salt or sodium, biscuit mixes, instant cooked cereals, avoid those with added salt or sodium compounds
Cornbread and commercial mixes (i.e., pancake, waffle, rice or pasta mixes, biscuit, etc.) unless low in sodium
Stuffing mixes, regular bread crumbs or cracker crumbs

Fats:
Sodiumcontaining salad dressings, bacon and bacon fat, tartar sauce and salted nuts
Gravies made with mixes or bouillon cubes
Cream cheese
Snack dips made with instant soup mixes or processed cheese

Soups:
Regular canned and dehydrated package soups, broth's, bouillon and consomm

Beverages:
Instant cocoa mixes
Water with softening equipment

Desserts:
Other desserts with less than 125mg sodium
More than one serving per day of regular cake, cookies, pie, sherbet, custard, ice cream and ice milk
Instant pudding, whipped topping

Miscellaneous
Salt, flavored salts, monosodium glutamate (MSG), prepared horseradish, prepared mustard, catsup, meat sauces, chili sauce, barbeque sauces, meat tenderizers, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, tartar sauce, Worcestershire sauce, flavored vinegar, relish, olives, pickles, salted snack foods, satled snack foods, salted nuts, cooking wine, Dutch processed cocoa or chocolate
Read labels on mixed spices to be sure there is not an addition of salt
Sea salt, lite salt (Morton's), Kitchen Bouquet, Butter Buds
Prepared package mix gravy

Reading Labels
If a product changed to a lower sodium level, you may see these various terms alerting you to the changes:
*Reduced or less sodium: At least 35percent less sodium than the original version of the product
*Light in Sodium: At least 50percent less sodium than the original version of the product
*Low Sodium: 140mg of sodium (or less) per serving
Sodium Free: Less than 5mg of sodium per serving

Dining Out:
When dining out, you can reduce the sodium content of a meal by trying these simple suggestions:
Use pepper, lemon juice, or bring your own salt free seasoning for flavor
Go easy on condiments and sauces. Mustards, catsup, salad dressings, sauces and gravy substantially increase the amount of sodium in your meal
Request that food is prepared without added salt and ask for sauces, salad dressing and gravy be served on the side
Recognize words that indicate a high sodium content; marinated, pickled, smoked, au jus, teriyaki, soy sauce or in broth
Keep it simple. Often special sauces and toppings add extra sodium to foods. Ordering a broiled cut of meat or fish is a better choice than entrees covered with special sauces. Plain meattype sandwiches are lower in sodium than chicken, egg or tuna salad sandwiches.

Other useful Diets information: Makers diet | Liquid diet | Dash diet | Graham diet | Food Pyramid diet | Sonoma diet | Fit for Life | Low Glycemic diet | Juice Fasts diet | Sparkpeople diet

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