SALT: Also known as sodium

The below question and answer set describes the dangers of eating
too much salt, how much salt is recommended to consume in one day,
and which foods are high and low in salt.


Question: Answer:
Why should I limit my salt? Eating a lot of salt can lead to high blood pressure.
High blood pressure can lead to a stroke or heart attack.
How much salt should I eat in one day?
Shoot for 2400 mg (milligrams) per day

What is considered a high-salt food?
A single food is considered high in salt if it has 400 mg per serving or more of salt
Which foods are high in salt?
Canned foods 
  • Soup 
  • Canned vegetables
  • Spaghetti sauce
  • Chicken broth (even if it’s in a box)
.
Processed meats 
  • Smoked turkey 
  • Sausage (Polish, Braunschweiger, smoked link, Vienna sausage, etc.)
  • Processed lunch meats
.
Prepared foods (meals in a box) 
  • Macaroni and cheese 
  • Frozen “TV” dinners
.
Dairy products 
  • Sour cream 
  • Cottage cheese
  • Cheese, ice cream
.
Snack foods
  • Crackers
  • Chips, pretzels
.
Salt!
  • 1 teaspoon of salt has 2400 mg of sodium
Which foods are low in salt?
Anything fresh 
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Fresh, unprocessed meat and fish
.
Foods which normally aren’t processed with a lot of salt
  • Pasta, rice, bread
.
Low-sodium/salt products or unsalted products (many more than what is listed)
  • Low-sodium tomatoes
  • Low-sodium cheese
  • Unsalted peanuts
  • Low-salt canned tuna fish
  • Low-salt crackers
  • Low-salt chicken broth
  • Low-salt frozen dinners

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