If you're trying to reduce your sodium intake, you're doing the right thing. A low-salt diet can drop your blood pressure by a few points and benefit your cardiovascular system.
On average, you should consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. In general, foods with 200 mg of sodium or more per serving are considered high-sodium; foods with less than 140 mg per serving are categorized as low-sodium. Check labels to verify the salt content of your favorite foods and shake off added salt with these tips:
|High-Sodium Foods and Their Substitutes|
|Food||Serving||Sodium (mg)||Substitute||Substitute's Sodium (mg)|
|Deli meat||1 ounce||396 or more||Low-sodium or reduced-sodium deli meats||275 or less|
|Packaged pudding mix||1/2 cup serving, made with milk||470||Swiss Miss prepared pudding cups||196|
|Ketchup||1 tbsp||167||Light ketchup||95|
|Soy sauce||1 tbsp||1,029||Reduced-sodium or light soy sauce||575|