Surprisingly Salty Foods (2024)

by Vera SizenskyPublished: Mar 21, 2012

Danger: Hidden Salt

Salt is calorie-free, all natural, and you need about 180-500 mg a day for your nerves and muscles to function properly. But too much sodium increases your risk of developing serious issues like osteoporosis, kidney stones, or gastric ulcers. And

excess sodium is the chief cause of high blood pressure, which affects one in three U.S. adults.

Okay, so put down the salt shaker and you should be fine, right? It's a little trickier than that. Often, sodium is added during the production process—to help age cheese, tenderize meat, make dough less sticky—and the food's other flavors mask its taste. In fact, you may be surprised by some of the saltiest foods out there. Here are some of the worst offenders.

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Blended Coffee Drinks

As we move into the spring and summer months, iced coffee drinks will become all the rage. But the 220 mg of sodium lurking in your 16 oz Coffee Frappucino® from Starbucks will all but quench your thirst. Instead, try getting their 16 oz Iced Coffee with milk, which clocks in at only 30 mg of sodium.

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Tomato Sauce

Ever get really thirsty after eating a big, juicy slice of pizza? You probably blamed the cheese—which is definitely high in sodium—but its partner in crime, tomato sauce, is just as bad. Pour ¼ cup of Hunt's Canned Tomato Sauce on your food, and you’re adding 410 mg of sodium. The fix? Hunt's has a no-salt-added version of their sauce, which drops the sodium count down to 20 mg for the same serving size!

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Plain Bagels

People normally avoid bagels because of their high-carb count and not the 500 mg of sodium. Keep in mind, that's 500 mg of sodium for a plain bagel (no cream cheese)! Breads—in general—are pretty salty, but if you're craving carbs, reach for an English muffin, which has only 180 mg of sodium.

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Cereal

Some cereals have been in the nutritional hot seat for containing too much sugar. Well, sit back down, cereal. Eat only 1 cup of Fiber One's Honey Clusters cereal for breakfast, and you've consumed 230 mg of sodium. But before you ditch your bowl and spoon, know that there are excellent alternatives! Fiber One's Frosted Shredded Wheat has an impressive 0 mg of sodium in a 1-cup serving.

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Canned Vegetables

We all know that the best diet is one that incorporates lots of vegetables, but eating fresh veggies is sometimes not an option. Rather than opting for a ½ cup canned Green Giant green beans, which packs 400 mg of sodium into your meal, try the Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers frozen green beans for 0 mg of sodium!

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