Introduction
After being diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy, your doctor may have told you to follow a low-sodium diet. You may feel like you already eat low-sodium foods because you do not add salt to them. This article reviews five low-sodium swaps for foods that can reduce your sodium and have nothing to do with the salt shaker.
Why a Low Sodium Diet
Regardless of a kidney disease diagnosis, people with blood pressure issues are typically encouraged to follow a low-sodium diet (1). The large majority of people with any type of kidney disease (including IgA Nephropathy) are also told to limit their sodium intake.
Sodium is a mineral contained in salt. We get most of our sodium from packaged foods and eating out or takeout foods (2).
5 Low Sodium Swaps
There are many ways to limit sodium in your diet. These 5 are a great place to get started. Reading food labels can be extremely helpful when understanding how much sodium you are eating. Check out the food labels of these recommendations below and see for yourself.
1. Low Sodium or No Added Salt Labeled Foods for Non-labeled Products
Often, we think of salty foods like chips, crackers, or salted nuts as high-sodium snacks; however many different foods can add to your total sodium intake in the day. Canned products like beans, veggies, broths, etc can be loaded with sodium. Additionally, condiments such as ketchup, soy sauce, or Worcestershire sauce can add to the amount of sodium you eat. Reading food labels and looking for branding such as No Salt Added or UnSalted can be great ways to lower your sodium without changing what you eat (3). You can still have your favorite foods; you just need to choose the “No Added Salt” version.
2. Fresh Meat for Deli Meat
Deli Meats have a large amount of sodium per serving, and the serving size of the package is small. You may not realize that you may be eating multiple servings of deli meat on your sandwich. Looking for lower sodium options can be good however, sometimes potassium is added to these products. If you are someone who needs to limit your potassium, this may not be the best choice for you. A simple way to reduce sodium is to use fresh cooked turkey or chicken leftovers on your sandwiches instead of deli meat. Fresh meats (not enhanced or preserved) are naturally low in sodium.
3. Fresh or Single-ingredient Ingredient Spices for Spice Blends
Spice blends such as taco, adobo, steak, and lemon pepper often contain salt. Looking for unsalted spice blends, cooking with fresh spices, or using multiple single spices in a dish is a great way to limit sodium. Consider looking through your spice cabinet and reading the ingredient lists on your spice blends for salt.
4. Veggies for Breads
Bread can add a significant amount of sodium to your meals. Switching out your bread for veggies can easily reduce your sodium intake. If you do still want to include bread in your meals, read the food label to determine the best choice for you and consider smaller sliced bread options like English muffins, which have lower sodium because of the serving size.
5. Dressing and Sauce on the Side for Mixed Into the Food
As mentioned above, condiments can add a lot of sodium to your meals. This includes salad dressings, BBQ sauces, dips and gravies. The next time you eat out, ask for your dressing, tomato sauce, etc on the side and add the amount you like. This will reduce the amount that would have been added to your meal.
Conclusion
Following a low-sodium diet does not need to be complicated or tasteless. Try these five simple swaps to reduce the sodium in your meals if you are looking for someone to help you, consider finding a Renal/Kidney Dietitian to help. The IgAN Foundation has a list of providers who understand your needs and consider becoming a member of the IgAN Foundation for more support.
References:
- Shaking the Salt Habit to Lower Blood Pressure. American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/changes-you-can-make-to-manage-high-blood-pressure/shaking-the-salt-habit-to-lower-high-blood-pressure
- Effects of Sodium and Potassium. Centers for Disease Control. https://www.cdc.gov/salt/sodium-potassium-health/index.html#:~:text=Most%20Americans%20eat%20too%20much,of%20a%20healthy%20eating%20pattern.
- Low Sodium Diet Guide. Cukebook.org. https://www.cukebook.org/guides/diet/low-sodium-diet/
