Foods High in Sodium

Meat, Poultry, Fish and Meat Substitutes

• Luncheon and cured meats, including processed turkey or chicken, ham, bologna, salami, bacon, canadian bacon, corned beef, pastrami, liverwurst, frankfurters, sausages, dried meat and dried fish.
• Canned meats, including chicken, tuna, salmon, and shellfish such as shrimp, crab, clams, oysters, scallops and lobster.
• Soy protein products, including marinated tofu or miso.

Dairy

• Cheese, in particular processed cheeses such as American; blue cheese, Roquefort Parmesan cheese, feta cheese and cottage cheese.
• Milk-based drinks, including buttermilk, Dutch-processed cocoa and instant cocoa mixes.

Main Dish Items

• Commercially prepared main entrees, including most frozen dinners or frozen main entrees, pot pies, canned main entrees such as hash, stew and chili, and entrees with seasoning mixes, such as macaroni and cheese.
• Most Asian foods, including Chinese and Japanese foods made with teriyaki or soy sauce; and East Indian, Thai and Vietnamese foods, unless prepared without added sauces containing salt or sodium products.
• Most Mexican foods, including tacos, enchiladas, burritos and tamales.
• Pizza, lasagna, manicotti, ravioli, quiche, soufflés, blintzes and cheese rarebit.

Grains, Cereals, Soups and Snack Foods

• Cereals and instant hot cereals; cold cereals containing 200 mg or more of sodium per serving.
• Salted snack foods: salted pretzels, salted crackers and chips, and salted popcorn.
• Baked goods, including cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, sweet rolls, doughnuts, pancakes, waffles, biscuits and muffins.
• Rice, noodles or grains with seasoning packets and sauces, such as ramen, rice pilaf and stuffing mix.
• Soups, including canned or packaged.

Vegetables

• Canned vegetables, vegetable juices, vegetables with seasoned sauces, pickled vegetables, olives, pickles and sauerkraut.
• Canned beans, including kidney and garbanzo.
• Potatoes, including instant potatoes, au gratin potatoes, scalloped potatoes and potatoes packaged with sauces and seasoning mixes.

Spices, Condiments and Sauces

• Seasoning salts, such as garlic, onion and celery salt, meat tenderizers, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and bouillon.
• Sauces: soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, barbecue sauce, smoke-flavored sauces, gravies, marinades, pasta sauces like marinara and alfredo, chili sauce, cocktail sauce, tomato puree and tomato sauce.
• Condiments and dressings: pickle relish, ketchup, mayonnaise and commercial and packaged salad dressings.

Food Additives

Sodium is often added to food in other forms besides salt. Avoid:

• Monosodium glutamate (MSG): a flavor enhancer.
• Baking soda and baking powder: found in many baked goods.
• Disodium phosphate: found in quick-cooking cereals and processed cheeses.
• Sodium alginate: used in many chocolate milks and ice creams.
• Sodium benzoate: used as a preservative in many condiments.
• Sodium hydroxide: used for softening and loosening skins of olives and certain fruits and vegetables.
• Sodium nitrite: used in curing meats and sausages.
• Sodium propionate: used in pasteurized cheese and in some breads and cakes to inhibit mold.
• Sodium sulfite: used to bleach certain fruits such as maraschino cherries and glazed or crystallized fruits, and as a preservative in some dried fruits such as prunes.