Pasta sauce
Typical pasta sauce ingredients – tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, and spices – seem pretty healthy, but most store-bought varieties can put a big dent in your sodium budget. Look for lower-sodium varieties or sprinkle in some Italian seasoning mix instead. (You won’t even miss the salt!)
Bread
Yeast, flour, sugar, oil, and a bit of salt is what your grandmother’s homemade bread calls for, but when you go store-bought, you can double, triple, or even quadruple the salt. “Some breads have upwards of 325 mg of sodium per slice,” says dietitian Bobby Maknoon. Even if the numbers are lower on the nutrition label, be mindful of the serving size. “Most folks eat two slices of bread at a time, but manufacturers often list the serving size as one slice,” Maknoon says.
Salad dressing
Sugar and fat often get the blame for salad dressing’s bad reputation while salt sneaks by, but many dressings definitely qualify as foods that are high in sodium. “Some salad dressings have more than 200 mg of sodium per serving, which is usually just two tablespoons,” says Maknoon. Beware of ‘low-fat’ and ‘light’ varieties, as they usually have extra sodium to compensate for the lower-fat content. Since sodium is used to preserve the salad dressings we buy at the store, you can make your own lower-salt version at home: Maknoon suggests mixing a tablespoon each of olive oil, vinegar, or citrus juice; add your favourite fresh or dried herbs and finely chopped garlic or shallots.
