What You Should Know About Low Sodium Meals

We all know that eating too much sodium is not recommended if you are interested in protecting your heart health. Excess sodium consumption can raise your blood pressure, which in turn increases your risk for developing heart failure.

About 90% of Americans will experience high blood pressure at some point during their lifetimes, so it is important to understand the role sodium plays in your body and your health, and how to balance your salt intake. 

The role of sodium 

Sodium is actually an essential mineral, and is required for life. Sodium helps regulate our fluid and electrolyte balance. It also plays an important part in how our nerves and muscles function.

For example, sodium helps conduct nerve impulses (meaning it allows our neurons to communicate with each other) and it allows our muscles to contract and relax efficiently and as needed.

We get our sodium in the form of table salt, which is 40% sodium and 60% chloride. It is recommended that adults consume no more than 2300 milligrams of sodium per day, and the American Heart Association recommends just 1500 mg per day for optimum heart health. The average intake of sodium, however, is far above the recommendations at a whopping 3400 mg per day.

Here is a chart of how much sodium is in different measurements of table salt. This goes to show how easy it is to overdo it on sodium in a day! 

¼ tsp salt = 575 mg sodium

½ tsp salt = 1,150 mg sodium

¾ tsp salt = 1,735 mg sodium

1 tsp salt = 2,300 mg sodium

That’s right - an entire day’s recommendation for sodium is found in just one teaspoon of salt! 

We all know that eating too much sodium is not recommended if you are interested in protecting your heart health. Excess sodium consumption can raise your blood pressure, which in turn increases your risk for developing heart failure.

About 90% of Americans will experience high blood pressure at some point during their lifetimes, so it is important to understand the role sodium plays in your body and your health, and how to balance your salt intake. 

Where do we get all this sodium?

The Western diet is rich in restaurant, ready-to-eat, frozen, and pre-packaged meals, and these meals are where the bulk of our sodium intake comes from. In fact, reducing your intake of these meals may play a far more significant role in controlling your sodium intake than not using the salt shaker on home-cooked meals!

Salt is used as a flavor enhancer as well as a preservative, so it is added to certain foods in massive quantities to improve flavor and shelf life. Commercial food use of sodium means once healthy meals have the potential to turn unhealthy, with an entire day’s serving of sodium in one meal.

Studies show that the majority of our salt intake comes from pizza, sandwiches, breads and rolls, cold cuts and cured meats, burritos, tacos, and savory snacks like chips, crackers, and pretzels. Cheese, chicken, eggs, and omelets are also big sources of sodium, usually due to their preparation methods - especially in restaurants. Whole foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, nuts, and dairy foods are naturally low in sodium, and adding more of these foods to your diet can help you cut down on your sodium intake.

Healthy meals and making smart meal delivery service choices, like Pure Plates, can help you eat healthy while reducing your sodium intake.

Reducing Sodium 

Low-sodium meals are becoming increasingly popular thanks to the general public’s push for healthier, lower sodium options. One way to search for low sodium meals is to understand what different terminology means on packaged foods.

Different phrasing means different things, so it’s important to know what you’re actually reading and buying at the supermarket. Here are some common sodium-related phrases you may see on food packages, and what they mean. Keep in mind, sodium content in similar foods will vary by brand and in restaurants. 

• Sodium-free – There is less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving and no sodium chloride
• Very low sodium – 35 milligrams or less per serving
• Low sodium – 140 milligrams or less per serving
• Reduced (or less) sodium – At least 25 percent less sodium per serving than the usual sodium level
• Light (for sodium-reduced products) – If the food is “low calorie” and “low fat” and sodium is reduced by at least 50 percent per serving

Meal delivery and sodium

You may be wondering what all this means for your favorite meal delivery service. It makes sense to assume that because many meal delivery services fall under the category of prepared and packaged meals, they may be high in sodium.

When it comes to Pure Plates, our healthy meal philosophy includes monitoring sodium intake.

For example, we use Himalayan pink salt in our meals, which may have some benefits over regular table salt. For example, because the granules in Himalayan pink salt are larger and more coarse than table salt, a little bit goes a long way. Himalayan pink salt also contains slightly more trace elements such as iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Because Himalayan pink salt is not iodized like table salt is, we cannot recommend swapping your table salt completely for pink salt without finding another source of iodine; however, it may be a useful ingredient for reducing your overall sodium intake.

When you’re trying to eat healthy, watching your sodium intake can feel like just one more thing you need to worry about. We want to help you make healthy eating as easy as possible, which is why our low sodium meals are easy to find.

On our website menu, we have a “Low Sodium” filter under our Dietary Needs section, so you can easily find healthy meals without excess sodium.

While Americans are urged to reduce their sodium intake, you don’t need to worry about getting too little sodium. Sodium deficiency is rare and is not a public health concern in the United States. And because sodium is so important for our body’s, it is important that you consult your physician before making drastic changes to your sodium intake - those with heart disease, kidney disease, athletes, and older adults are especially susceptible to sodium-related issues.