Nutrition Corner: Watching Your Sodium Intake

Salt is sneaky!

You may have heard your doctor recommend you reduce your sodium or salt intake. This is important for keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level and protecting your heart health. We often start with removing table salt from our diet. However, table salt is not usually the main source of our salt intake. There are several foods we eat that have high amounts of salt that we may not expect. These sources can add up quickly and cause us to eat much more than the recommended 2,000mg of salt each day. Knowing which foods may have hidden salt and how to recognize it on the nutrition facts label is the best way to make better informed food decisions and to reduce your salt intake.

10 Foods Commonly High in Salt

1. Deli Meats
2. Breakfast Cereals
3. Vegetable juices
4. Canned soups and vegetables
5. Flavor packets and condiments
6. Frozen meals
7. Spaghetti sauce
8. Bread and tortillas
9. Dairy
10. Seafoods

How to Reduce Your Salt Intake

1. Check the label. Look for foods with less than 5% “Sodium”.
2. Look for products with “Reduced sodium” and “No Salt Added”.
3. Experiment with new flavors. Choose spice blends with no sodium, such as DASH seasoning.
4. Cook at home more often than you eat out. Restaurant foods are naturally higher in salt.

Recipe of the Month

Broccoli Salad {Microwave Meal}

Ingredients:

• 4 cups bite-size broccoli florets
• 4 cups bite-size cauliflower florets
• ½ cup water
• ⅓ cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ cup quartered pitted Kalamata olives
• ¼ cup chopped soft sun-dried tomatoes

Instructions:

• Place broccoli, cauliflower and water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and cook on High until just tender, about 4 minutes. (Alternatively, steam over 1 inch boiling water in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket until just tender, about 4 minutes.) Drain.
• Mix lemon juice, oil, garlic powder, oregano, sugar and salt in another large bowl. Add the vegetables and toss to combine. Let marinate in the refrigerator, stirring once or twice, for 20 minutes.
• Stir in olives and tomatoes. Serve, drizzling with any dressing left in the bowl.
• Optional: Add your preferred protein! Chicken, salmon, or tuna would pair nicely with this dish to take it from a side to an entree.