Avoid High-Salt Fast and Processed Foods
Did you know that many Americans eat fast food every day? A lot of fast food is very high in salt—along with fat, trans fats, starch, and calories. It's cheap and tasty, but not good for you OR your kidneys. You can get a whole day's worth of salt, sugar, and fat with just one menu item! At restaurants where they cook to order, you can ask for food with no added salt, MSG, salty sauces, or cheese on top. This can help you control your blood pressure.
About ¾ of all salt in most people's diets comes from processed foods. These have been changed in some way—cooked, frozen, dehydrated. Soups often have a lot of sodium—look for low sodium soups. Most processed meats, like bacon, cold cuts, and salami have too much salt to be good choices.
Read ingredient lists on ALL meats. Some fresh meats are injected with salt or potassium. You don't want to see the word enhanced on the label. Avoid these. Condiments, like ketchup and soy sauce, have a lot of salt. Boxed side dishes and "helper" foods have too much salt. If you have high blood pressure, these are not a good choice. To learn more about salt in foods, visit the Nutrition Room.