Salt adds flavor to foods, but too much can wreak havoc on your health. Watch out for these foods to avoid sodium overload.
Raw Chicken
Salt solutions are pumped into chicken parts to plump them up. Check the label for fine print that says something like "10% broth solution." That means you can expect as much as 60 mg sodium in one chicken breast. Look for chicken that doesn't come with an added broth solution.
Noodles
Italian pasta is fine. But plain Japanese somen noodles carry 280 mg sodium per cup, without the salted broth they're usually served in. Even worse: seasoned ramen noodles, at 1,434 mg per package. Switch to soba noodles, at only 68 mg per serving.
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Precooked Frozen Shrimp
It's just steamed shrimp, right? Wrong. Most cooked, frozen shellfish in stores was processed with salt. Expect about 222 mg sodium for 3 ounces. Buy yours at the fish counter; they'll even steam, peel, and devein the shrimp for you.
Frozen Dinners
A Swanson Hungry Man Meatloaf Dinner weighs in with 1,870 mg sodium. Even though it sounds innocuous, Uncle Ben's Spicy Beef & Broccoli Rice Bowl contains 1,550 mg, thanks mostly to soy sauce. If you insist on the convenience of Uncle Ben, try his Sweet & Sour Chicken Rice Bowl instead, at 620 mg, which is still rather high. Your best bet is to cook up your own stir-fry.
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Cornflakes
A big bowl (2 cups) of this all-American breakfast cereal has 532 mg sodium. Better options: whole-grain cereals. For example, a chunk of shredded wheat has only 6 mg; 2 cups of cooked oatmeal has less than 5 mg.
Ketchup and Mustard
Ketchup has 167 mg per tablespoon; mustard, 168 mg. Spread 'em thin.
Cottage Cheese
This popular protein source has 918 mg sodium per cup. Low-sodium versions contain just 29 mg. Or substitute hard cheese and some milk.
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Smoked Trout, Salmon, or Turkey
Smoke is what you taste, sodium is what you consume. Before they're smoked, these foods are soaked in a salty brine. Smoked salmon has more than 600 mg sodium in a 3-ounce serving. Limit the smoked stuff to special occasions.