YoNaturals Vending Against Junk Food in Schools

Monitors of sodium intake, take heed. The element lurks in many of the meats, dairy products, and vegetables that are found in your kitchen. Even your breakfast cereal is not exempt from becoming a source of harm. Many people like to believe that “natural” foods are more healthful than their highly processed counterparts, and it is true to a degree. But don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that just because something is healthy that it can do no harm. Indeed, many foods that are usually considered healthy can actually be unhealthy in larger quantities. The following food items are high in sodium, and you should be mindful of that fact when deciding how much to eat.

Meats, Poultry, Fish, and Meat Substitutes

-Lunch meats and cured meats: These include the obvious choices such as dried fish, salami, sausages, and ham.

-Canned meats: Many canned vegetable products are high in sodium, as you may be aware. Be on alert when you are choosing canned meat products as well.

-Soy (protein) products: This is an example of a food that many people would probably write off as “healthy” without first checking the sodium content on the nutrition label. Marinated tofu and miso are two of the offenders found in this category.

Dairy

-Cheese: The processed cheese varieties are the obvious member of this category, but also keep an eye on blue cheeses, Parmesan cheese, feta cheese, and cottage cheese that you find in the grocery store.

-Milk-based drinks: Hot chocolate mixes are a good example of the things to watch out for in this category.
Grains and Cereals

-Cereals: Both cold and hot cereals can give you an overload of sodium at the beginning of your day. Watch out for products that contain more than 200 mg per serving.

-Grains: Be mindful of eating too much prepackaged rice or noodles that are prepared using a seasoning packet.
Those are a few of the things to monitor in the grocery store, but what about when you don’t have access to a nutrition label? There are some other snacks that sound healthy in theory, but in reality they can quickly spike your sodium intake. These include things like cheese pizza, chicken noodle soup (from a can), low fat potato chips, yogurt covered raisins, and bagel sandwiches. All of those food items can be hidden sources of sodium in a person’s diet. In general, it’s a good idea to check the nutrition label of a product or research its health impact before you eat it, but this is especially true for people who are monitoring their sodium levels. Otherwise you may never know never know.