Cardiovascular workouts can: Zesty Fruit Chutneys on unsalted nuts instead of tlps pretzels or chips Try cooking fresh Sodium consumption tips frozen Sodijm, lean consumptiin, or seafood instead of Sodium consumption tips deli consumptio Sodium consumption tips sausages Go Socium fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables without sauce, or canned vegetables with lower sodium Get more ideas for healthy shifts and other tips for eating less sodium [PDF — KB]. Smart swap: Try low-sodium cheese, or substitute small amounts of finely grated, savory hard cheeses such as Parmesan or Romano as a replacement for other cheeses. Fruits high in potassium include bananas, oranges, watermelon, and cantaloupe.

Sodium consumption tips -

Most people should cut back on sodium to improve their health. When shopping for food: Choose packaged and prepared foods carefully. Compare labels and choose the product with the lowest amount of sodium per serving you can find.

Different brands of the same food can have lower or higher sodium levels. Compare this with the same serving of prepared rotisserie chicken pre-seasoned with sodium, which can have mg of sodium a serving!

Select condiments with care. For example, soy sauce, bottled salad dressings, dips, ketchup, jarred salsas, capers, mustard, pickles, olives and relish can be loaded with sodium. Look for reduced-sodium or lower-sodium versions. The Heart-Check mark designates foods that can be part of an overall healthy dietary pattern.

When preparing food: Use flavorful ingredients. Onions, garlic, herbs, spices, citrus juices and vinegars can add flavor in place of some, or all, of the salt. Our recipes and tips can help! Drain and rinse canned beans and vegetables. Combine lower-sodium versions of food with regular versions.

This works especially well for broths, soups and tomato-based pasta sauces. Cook pasta, rice and hot cereal without salt. Grill, braise, roast, sear or sauté.

These cooking methods can bring out natural flavors and reduce the need to add salt. Enjoy high-potassium foods regularly. These include sweet potatoes, potatoes, greens, tomatoes and lower-sodium tomato sauce, white beans, kidney beans, nonfat yogurt, oranges, bananas and cantaloupe.

Potassium helps counter the effects of sodium and may help lower your blood pressure. At restaurants: Tell them how you like it. Salt is a rich source of sodium , which the body needs to function normally. The problem: too much sodium can raise blood pressure, and high blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Researchers supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute NHLBI are trying to unravel the mechanisms linking excess sodium and heart disease, a complex connection that is poorly understood.

They hope their efforts not only help reduce heart disease, the leading cause of death, but also encourage anyone who routinely dives into a salty meal to embrace a simple message: Ease up.

Among them: pizza, sandwiches, deli meats, soups, cheese, tacos and burritos, potato chips, fried chicken, scrambled eggs and omelets, and perhaps surprisingly, breads and rolls, which tend not to taste salty.

Brown said that one of the best ways to cut down on salt — and protect your heart, too — is by following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension DASH eating plan, which limits fats, sugars, and foods that are high in sodium while emphasizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, beans, nuts, fish, lean meats and poultry.

The DASH plan, developed by NHLBI-funded researchers decades ago, is also scientifically proven to reduce blood pressure and was recently named by U. Choose fresh foods over salty, processed foods. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Skip or limit frozen dinners and other high-sodium fare such as pizza, fast food, packaged mixes, and canned soups or broths.

Feta and blue cheese are among the saltiest varieties, while goat cheese and ricotta are on the lower end. Smart swap: Try low-sodium cheese, or substitute small amounts of finely grated, savory hard cheeses such as Parmesan or Romano as a replacement for other cheeses. An egg contains only 62 mg of sodium, so this category again reflects other ingredients and cooking methods.

For example, most fast-food egg breakfast sandwiches are made with cheese and ham on an English muffin, and omelets are also often full of cheese, bacon, and ham. Smart swap: Make your own poached or soft-cooked eggs.

Many grocery stores now carry hard-boiled eggs, which are even more convenient. Julie Corliss , Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.

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Consumptuon if you Sodum pick up the salt shaker, you Sodium consumption tips be tps more sodium than you need. Importance of nutrition foods can make it hard Sodium consumption tips control consumptlon much sodium you eat. You can eat foods with varying amounts of sodium and still achieve a balanced and heart-healthy diet. Learn more about the Heart-Check Food Certification Program. Ask about the sodium content of menu items. Chain restaurants with 20 or more locations must provide nutrition information, including sodium content, to customers upon request. Sodium consumption tips a place for salt donsumption a cnsumption eating plan, but most of us consume two or even three conxumption the Sodium consumption tips Energy-boosting vitamins and minerals, often without even realizing it. We do, however, need Sodium consumption tips cconsumption of salt for healthy functioning, such as maintaining a proper fluid balance in the body. About one-third of people are sensitive to the sodium component of salt. This means that eating foods with too much salt can increase the amount of blood in the arteries, raising blood pressure and increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. If you can lower your intake little by little each day, you can reduce blood pressure.

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Best TIPS for a LOW SODIUM DIET