By: Elisa Bosley
Processed foods pack the biggest sodium punch, so cut back by going natural (fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and lean meats). Most important: Read labels, and look for items that contain 5 percent (115 mg) or less of the maximum daily-recommended intake per serving.
To Lower Your Salt Intake:
1 ounce of beef jerkey (637 mg) 2 ounces of raw almonds and raisins (3 mg) or
1 ounce of trail mix (65mg)
8 ounces vegetable juice cocktail (540 mg) 8 ounces fresh orange juice (2mg)
7 inch flour tortilla (234 mg) 6 inch corn tortilla (3 mg)
2 tablespoons Italian dressing (231 mg) 2 tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice (0 mg)
8 ounces club soda (50 mg) 8 ounces seltzer water (10 mg)
1 cup rice pilaf mix (710 mg) ¼ cup of brown rice (0 mg)
1 ounce sour dough pretzels (400 mg) 3 cups microwave light butter popcorn (38 mg)
1) Celtic Salt- Hand-harvested from the Celtic Sea and solar dried using an ancient Celtic method. Mellow, sweet0salty taste favored by gourmet chefs. This is also a natural-salt choice.
2) Fleur De Sel- Specialty salt made from crystals that form atop salt marshes. Delicate (and expensive); use sparingly to add a finishing touch to fine foods.
3) Kosher Salt- Coarse- grain and additive-free; otherwise the same, nutritionally, as other natural salts. Often preferred by chefs for its easy-to-pinch texture and authentic flavor.
4) Sea Salt- Made from evaporated sea water, lauded by cooks for its slightly grainier texture and purity. Buy unrefined sea salt, which is additive-free.
5) Table Salt- Refined and stripped of trace minerals; treated with anti-caking
agents and often iodine. Useful when precise measurements are needed.