Oh no! My doctor says I need to reduce my sodium intake.
Read on if you are struggling to reduce your sodium intake. I have been told to reduce my sodium intake to no more than 1500 mg per day. This is how I do it and enjoy it!
For this to work you must accept that you will need to make more of your meals. Eating out is a big contributor to excessive sodium intake. When you eat out you have limited control on how your food is prepared. And we often over indulge (too much bread, appetizers along with the main meal, salt shakers, etc).
If you need to eat out have a plan. For example I know the lowest sodium items to order at several restaurants that I enjoy. For Panera Bread it is a whole Salad Fuji Apple with Chicken. Here is a breakdown of how I make this work on a 1500 mg per day sodium limit:
Breakfast: Oatmeal, fruit, yogurt ~100mg (personally I can not eat eggs but many enjoy eggs with Signature Blend instead of salt)
Lunch: Panera Bread Salad Fuji Apple w/ salad dressing 740 mg
Snacks during the day: veggies w/ low sodium dip/peanut butter, fruit, maybe a protein bar ~200 mg
Dinner: ~500 mg left. Plenty of options with veggies, pasta, rice, meats. The key will be using salt free seasoning like Donna Marie's Salt Free spice blends. With this allocation sodium will primarily come from bread and cheese if you decide to include them. Sodium can also come from the meat or fish if it has been infused with sodium prior to your purchase. For example salmon usually contains ~100 to 200 mg of sodium per serving before seasoning. Read all of your labels.