These High Sodium Foods May Surprise You
By Sara Butler
There are some foods you know are high in sodium without even looking. Ham, canned soups, and french fries are just a few. But salt is added to a lot of things you wouldn't suspect in order to boost flavor. The American Heart Association suggests you don't have more than 2,300 milligrams of salt per day. Think you're eating nowhere near that much? Well, a few of these high-sodium foods may surprise you -- and they might be helping you blow through your daily sodium intake.
Bagels With Cream Cheese
A bagel loaded up with cream cheese may seem innocent enough, but that bagel can have up to 450 milligrams of sodium in it, which is about 20 percent of your daily intake. Add cream cheese and you also add about 50 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon. That's one salty morning!
Chicken Breast
Chicken breast doesn't have to be cooked to be a surprising source of sodium. Some brands of chicken add a sodium solution to it during packaging that can have about 800 milligrams of sodium per medium chicken breast. They do this to help it stay juicy, but it's a lot of sodium you may not have been counting on. Pay attention to the labels while buying chicken breast to find the least amount of sodium you can and be careful not to add even more salt during the cooking process. Opt for herbs and spices instead.
Vegetable Juice
Sodium is added to vegetable juice to help add flavor, but it adds up quick. One small can of vegetable juice can have upwards of 450 milligrams of sodium. Considering that it's a drink, that's quite a lot. You're better off getting your nutrients another way.
Spaghetti Sauce
Store-bought jars of spaghetti sauce are loaded with sodium. One half-cup serving has about 480 milligrams of sodium, so don't go adding more to it when you sit down to eat! If you want to add flavor to your spaghetti, you're better off doing it with spices and herbs instead of salt.
Veggie Burgers
You may think that veggie burgers are better than their meaty counterparts in almost every way, but at 540 milligrams of sodium in just the patty, they're not a great option in the sodium department. The brands differ in how salty they are, which is why it's important to read the nutritional info before you buy.
It's important to keep tabs on how much sodium you eat for your health. Always check the nutritional labels!
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