READER REQUEST
At Cook’n we sincerely try to meet our readers’ needs and interests, so it’s always great hearing from you. This week's reader Paul Mattson wrote:
“Just wondering if we will see any low-sodium recipes highlighted on the DVO web site?”
Thanks for asking Paul, and because you asked, we’ll be seeing low-sodium recipes on a regular basis! First, let’s talk about sodium (salt) and why it’s a good idea to pay attention to it:
Salty food may seem like the least of your worries, especially if you're among the 40% who mindlessly salt every dish. An extra dash here, a few sprinkles there--what's the big deal?
LOTS, considering the fact that a mere teaspoon of the stuff contains all 2,300 milligrams (mg) of your recommended daily allotment. Yet daily U.S. salt consumption is on the rise—from 2,300 mg in the 1970s to more than 3,300 mg today. And according to Monell Chemical Senses Center researchers, 77% of that sodium intake comes from processed-food purveyors and restaurants. Their logic: Pile on the salt so we don't miss natural flavors and fresh ingredients.
So what’s the problem? With ever-expanding portion sizes, supersalty foods are displacing potassium-rich fresh fruits and vegetables. And a 1:2 ratio of dietary salt to potassium is critical for health. Studies show a high-sodium, low-potassium diet is linked to a host of maladies, including high blood pressure, stroke, osteoporosis, and exercise-induced asthma.
To help you protect your heart, bones, muscles, and tastebuds, we share the scoop on the 20 saltiest foods in offered in America’s restaurants and grocery stores with their better alternatives suggested:
20: Saltiest Side Dish
Honey Smoked Ham, grilled slice: 1,700 mg sodium, 85 calories: Calorie for calorie, it’s America’s saltiest dish—steeped in salty brine before it's smoked, soaking up 70% of our daily sodium intake.
19: Saltiest Dessert
Raspberry Scone: 1,750 mg sodium, 360 calories: This fruit scone packs the same sodium load as seven servings of bacon. If you need a sweet fix, opt instead for their pumpkin bread, which has a tenth of the sodium (160 mg).
18: Saltiest Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup: 2,760 mg sodium, 320 calories: Soup and salt are nearly synonymous in the food world, but Baja takes it to the extreme, sinking more than a day's worth of sodium into a single serving. Choose their stewed black beans with fresh salsa instead; a serving has 26 grams (g) of fiber, with less than half the salt of the soup!
17: Saltiest Burger
2/3 lb Monster Thickburger: 2,770 mg sodium, 1,420 calories, 108 g fat: More than 100% of our daily sodium allowance lays on this burger's bun. And the three slices of processed American cheese ooze with 780 mg sodium. Try the Low-Carb Thickburger--you'll shave 1,000 calories and 1,700 mg sodium.
16: Saltiest "Healthy" Food
Guiltless Grill Chicken Platter: 2,780 mg sodium, 590 calories, 85 g carbs: Beware the bait and switch. Many restaurants and packaged-food producers say their dishes are low in calories and fat, only to jack up sugar and salt content. Case in point: This platter actually has more sodium than their 1,890-calorie Country Fried Steak with sides, toast, and gravy. Stick with the Guiltless Salmon, the best choice on Chili's sometimes-healthy special menu.
15: Saltiest Pasta
Rigatoni Romano: 3,180 mg sodium, 1,090 calories, 54 g fat, 101 g carbs: Salt is one of the top ingredients in Italian sausage, meat sauce, and mozzarella cheese, the three items that serve as this dish's backbone. Simply order noodles topped with marinara sauce and peppery chicken. The chicken has just 1 g fat and less sodium than other pasta toppings.
14: Saltiest Chinese Entrée
Beef with Broccoli: 3,752 mg sodium, 1,120 calories, 65 g fat: This ubiquitous entrée sounds deceptively healthy. Like many Chinese dishes, this meal is swimming in a murky brown sauce made mostly of soy sauce and oil. Skip fried rice (it can contain up to 2,700 mg sodium on its own) and send out an SOS ("sauce on the side") to your server.
13: Saltiest Breakfast
Sausage Gravy Biscuit: 3,754 mg sodium, 961 calories: Yes, cured meat and lard-riddled biscuits are a problem, but the coat of gravy carries 2,600 mg sodium on its own, making it the primary offender.
12: Saltiest Beef Entrée
Steak Tips and Noodles: 4,131 mg sodium, 822 calories, 43 g fat : Bob drowns this dish in a huge ladleful of salty gravy. Try your steak without the salt bath: The regular sirloin has half the calories and 638 mg sodium.
11: Saltiest Frozen Dinner
Swanson Hungry-Man XXL Roasted Carved Turkey: 4,480 mg sodium, 1,360 calories, 70 g fat. Yes, the nutrition data on the back suggests the package contains two servings, but really, how many guys are going to share their frozen dinner?
10: Saltiest Bread
Salt Bagel: 4,520 mg sodium, 320 calories, 62 g carbs: This bagel is more like a giant salt-encrusted pretzel, delivering 188 percent of your recommended daily sodium intake.
9: Saltiest Sandwich
Turkey Bacon Guacamole Large Sub w/Cheese & Reduced-Fat Ranch Dressing: 4,670 mg sodium, 1,120 calories, 49 g fat, 116 g carbs: First, skip the large choice. At Quiznos, few come in under 1,000 calories and 3,000 mg sodium. Next, abandon mozzarella for Swiss, which has 1/10 the sodium. Finally, choose one of the low-calorie subs—the Tuscan Turkey, or better yet, the Honey Bourbon Chicken.
8: Saltiest Pizza
Meat Lover's Stuffed Crust Pizza (3 slices of the 14'' large): 5,070 mg sodium, 1,560 calories, 87 g fat, 114 g carbs: A good rule: Never order pizza with more than one meat topping—if the calories don't get you, the salt will. This problematic pie has six meats and 4,000 mg sodium!
7: Saltiest Comfort Food
Meat Loaf Dinner (with Mashed Potatoes and Corn): 5,080 mg sodium, 1,210 calories, 69 g fat, 97 g carbs: There's no comfort in a dinner that carries the same sodium load as 27 strips of bacon. Trade the for the Steakhouse Strip Dinner—just 460 mg sodium and 390 calories (before sides).
6: Saltiest Salad
Chicken Florentine: 5,460 mg sodium, 840 calories, 53 g fat: Salads can big blood-pressure boosters, since innocent leaves host briny toppings and dangerous dressings. Here, salt-laden olives, capers, and Parmesan collide with massive portions and too much salt. The only reasonable insalata on the menu: Mozzarella alla Caprese, with 450 calories and 760 mg sodium.
5: Saltiest Mexican Entrée
Buffalo Chicken Fajitas: 5,690 mg sodium, 1,730 calories, 107 g fat, 143 g carbs: The fried chicken, Buffalo sauce, blue cheese, smoked bacon, ranch dressing, and sour cream make this the sodium equivalent of three and a half baskets of Chili's bottomless tostada chips. Add rice and beans and you've eaten 3 days' worth of sodium and an entire day of calories. If you're salt-sensitive, avoid fajitas--any kind--at all costs.
4: Saltiest Kids' Meal
Kid’s Pepperoni Pizza: 6,405 mg sodium, 1,901 calories, 93 g fat, 190 g carbs: Kids under 13 should max out at 1,900 to 2,200 mg sodium a day, according to American Heart Association. This pizza offers nearly three times that, plus a full day's worth of calories. You could feed your child 50 turkey sandwiches at Cosi for the same sodium price tag. (But stick to just one.)
3: Saltiest Seafood Entrée
Grilled Teriyaki Salmon: 6,590 mg sodium, 1,230 calories, 74 g fat, 79 g carbs: You’re not playing it smart by opting for this fish. The teriyaki (highly sweetened soy sauce in concentrated form), sinks that strategy fast. The grilled halibut, topped with fresh tomato-basil relish instead, has just ¼ the sodium.
2: Saltiest Appetizer
Cheesesticks with Buffalo Sauce: 6,700 mg sodium, 2,605 calories, 113 g fat, 296 g carbs: If you split this with two friends, you'd still be close to downing your daily sodium allowance before you even reach for the pizza. Each stick packs the same amount of sodium as a small slice of cheese pizza, and that's without dipping. Best bet? Cheese pizza. Thin crust.
1: The Saltiest Dish in America
Chicken Portobello: 7,300 mg sodium, 1,020 calories, 66 g fat : With three items on our top 20 list, plus a slew of dishonorable mentions, Macaroni Grill earns its title as America's saltiest chain restaurant. But why is this the saltiest dish in America? One word: demi-glace, French for the viscous salt slick that blankets this disaster. Plan to eat 32 cups of potassium-rich broccoli to compensate for this sodium avalanche!
Contribute to the Cook'n Club!
DVO would love to publish your article, prose, photography and art as well as your cooking, kitchen and nutrition tips, tricks and secrets. Visit the Newsletter Submission / Win Win for All section in our Forum for more information and details.
