Low-Sodium Roundup
Sodium is an electrolyte used by the human body for a multitude of purposes. It can be found in a wide variety of foods. In Haitian cuisine, it can be common to use ingredients that have a lot of sodium. However, too much sodium can be negative thing. In healthy people, excessive sodium intake can make the body start working harder. That puts people at risk of heart issues and lung/kidney issues. People with heart disease, high blood pressure, or kidney conditions have to avoid having too much sodium in their diet.
This is a list of all my favorite products that I prefer to use the low-sodium version of.
Low-Sodium V8 Juice
V8 vegetable juice is a cultural favorite. However, the sodium content in the original version is not ideal for a lot of the patients I work with. For comparison the original V8 has 920 mg of sodium per one can. The low-sodium version only has 95 mg. This is a great alternative for those with high blood pressure who do not have any kidney dysfunction.
Sodium-Free CHicken Bouillon
We love our chicken bouillon to help bring together the flavors of our food. However, it may not be the best option for those of us compared to the usual brands we use. For comparison, the usual brands have 1280 mg of sodium per 1/2 tablet and you know we love using the whole tablet. This one has 0 mg of sodium per packet. That being said, this would require an additional step to get you the results you would like. While you’re cooking, YOU have more control over the total amount of sodium that ends up with your food. So you have better control over your health.
No salt Added tomato Sauce
Most of the time we use tomato paste in our cooking. I was originally going to write about Hunt’s Tomato Paste and compare it to their no-added-salt version. However, I realized that there’s no difference worth writing about so I changed this paragraph to write about Hunt’s Tomato SAUCE instead. It helps that some people prefer to use tomato sauce as a preference so the rest of this paragraph is for them. Given how much we use it in our culture, it would be helpful to use the ones without the added salt. The original Hunt’s Tomato Sauce has 380 mg of sodium per 1/4 cup. For comparison, this one has 15 mg of sodium per 1/4 cup. Again, this give YOU control over how much sodium you want to add in your food.
Low-sodium Canned Beans
We all love our dried beans (contains no sodium) but sometimes we’re in a hurry and prefer to use canned beans instead. Many manufacturers add sodium during the canning process. Some brands have a low-sodium version of their products. In the case of Bush’s black beans, the original has 450 mg of sodium. For comparison, this one has 210 mg of sodium per 1/2 cup.
I just wanted to take the time to share some of my favorite products with you. This is what I had access too. You may not have access to the same things. Otherwise, you may have noticed a pattern. If you’re looking for what you have access to, keep in mind that the key words to look out for are “Low Sodium” or “No Added Salt” or “Reduced Sodium.” Happy eating!
