More and more people are aware that eating too much salt is harmful to health, potentially inducing high blood pressure, stroke, and also affecting bone density loss in the hip bones of menopausal women. Besides reducing salt intake, avoiding "hidden salt" in food is also crucial. Today, I'll list for you 10 types of high-salt foods in life.
1. Pizza
In the crust, sauce, and cheese, there is a considerable amount of salt. A single slice of a regular-sized pizza can contain up to 600 milligrams of sodium. Therefore, Akem suggests choosing pizzas with more vegetables, limiting to no more than two slices per meal, and avoiding frequent consumption.
2. White Bread
Two and a half slices of white bread contain over 600 milligrams of sodium. If you add peanut butter, it's hard not to exceed the limit. Moreover, breads like chocolate bread, pineapple bread, and cream bread contain more sodium the richer the cream. Solution: You might consider whole grain bread. Although it has high sodium content, it's also rich in potassium and other excellent nutrients like fiber and phytochemicals.
3. Breakfast Cereal
Breakfast cereal is considered a healthy breakfast by many. A survey found that half of the 14 breakfast cereal varieties on the market meet the UK's high-salt standard, with some reaching as high as 1030 milligrams. Solution: Check the label when buying, as some brands have significantly lower sodium content, with a difference of over 10 times.
4. Lemon Cream Sandwich Cookies
Due to additives during the manufacturing process, every 100 grams contains over 700 milligrams of sodium. Chocolate cream sandwich cookies also have over 500 milligrams. Solution: Fruits, boiled corn, or yogurt are healthier snacks, and raisins or cranberries can also be considered.
5. Sports Drinks
One 600ml can of sports drink can contain 252 milligrams of sodium. Solution: Unless you are exercising for a long time or sweating a lot, there's no need for sports drinks.
6. Fruit and Vegetable Juice
Some fruit and vegetable juices are salted during processing to enhance flavor, with one bottle possibly containing 162 milligrams of sodium. Solution: Plain water is the best drink, or you can choose low-sodium beverages.
7. Bouillon Cubes
Every 100 grams of pork bone broth contains 7.3 grams of sodium, while every 100 grams of creamy fish soup and old hen broth contain 6.5 grams and 5.9 grams of sodium, respectively. "The salt content is extremely high; one packet can exceed the daily salt limit." If you must use bouillon cubes, it's recommended to add more water and more vegetables to the soup while drinking less. This is because most of the sodium dissolves in the soup water.
8. Sauces for Mixed Rice/Noodles
When eating mixed rice or noodles, many sauces are usually added, making it easy to consume excessive sodium. Solution: It's best to eat less mixed rice or noodles with oil and salt to avoid developing a preference for strong flavors.
9. Cold Noodles
According to a survey by the health department, many cold noodles on the market almost always add baking soda to increase their elasticity. Baking soda is high in sodium, and sesame paste itself is also very high in sodium, leading to one bowl of cold noodles containing half of the daily sodium intake. Solution: When cooking noodles that need to be more chewy, you can cook them for a longer time to allow sodium to leach out. Also, reduce the amount of sesame paste by half.
10. Cold Cuts
This includes processed meats like ham, cured meat, as well as Western-style bacon, smoked meat, and salted meat, with an unbelievably high salt content. 90 grams of cold cuts (about 3 slices) can contain 450 milligrams to 1 gram of sodium. Therefore, the best way is to avoid buying processed meats and make them at home to better control the salt content.