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10 Most Tempting Salty Foods

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
WebMD Expert Column

If you're like most Americans, you're getting too much sodium from your diet. And the problem isn't your salt shaker.

More than three-quarters of the sodium in the typical American diet comes from salt/sodium added by food and drink manufacturers. Naturally occurring sodium accounts for only 12%.

You should get no more than 1,500 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day (about 2/3 of a teaspoon) if you are aged 51 or older, have high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease, or are African-American. That's half of the population.

We each have our own favorite salty foods and these are the 10 top salty temptations for my friends and I -- and some alternatives that will still satisfy.

Temptation #1: Pretzels

Pretzels have a reputation of being a healthier snack choice because they are naturally low in fat and you can even find some whole wheat options.

Trouble is, they can ratchet up the sodium fairly quickly, especially if you don’t stop at a 1-ounce serving. Pretzels usually contribute about 390 mg sodium per ounce.

Satisfying Alternative

Look for a larger-sized pretzel option with whole wheat flour as the first ingredient and about three grams of fiber per ounce. The added fiber will help make a 1-ounce serving more satisfying.

Some of the salt crystals added to the pretzels will end up in the bottom of the bag but you can decrease your salt intake even more by rubbing away some of the salt on the outside of the pretzels with your fingers before you eat them.

Temptation #2: Bottled Pasta Sauce

It’s super-convenient to open a bottle of marinara sauce and pour it into a saucepan or spread it on lasagna noodles or pizza crust. But canned or bottled pasta sauces are often shockingly high in sodium, often with more than 600 milligrams of sodium per 1/2 cup serving.

If you add any sausage or Parmesan to the sauce, the sodium total could quickly climb well past 1,000 milligrams.

Satisfying Alternative

You can make your own pasta sauce with a blender and vine-ripened tomatoes. Add onions, garlic, basil, oregano, black pepper, and olive oil to taste. If you do add salt, add the least amount possible (i.e. 1/4 teaspoon salt for 4 cups of chopped tomatoes). Heat the sauce in a saucepan over low heat for about 10 minutes.

This cuts the sodium to about 160 milligrams of sodium per serving.