Snacks and Chips

Let's talk reality, none of us, low sodium or not, should really be eating snacks and chips to begin with. We should all be eating fruit and vegetables as snacks, with some lite popcorn as a treat. But here is my reality, and probably yours. We all crave a snack out of a bag every once in a while (or maybe more often than that!) If we are going to "cheat" and eat snacks, let's at least pick something that won't kill our sodium efforts for the day. And we all know we will cheat, it's just a matter of when.

The best low sodium snack choices (fruit and vegetables aside!) are ones you make from scratch yourself. And who can argue with a homemade chocolate chip or other homemade cookie? You can bake low sodium, and there are low sodium baking options out there. But we don't always have the time or the ability to do this. No one is baking on vacation, and sometimes when you are stuck in an airport, or in the car, you need a quick snack that you can buy.

Bagged snacks and chips are often the biggest offenders when it comes to sodium. Every snack seems to have "Sea Salt" -- as if that makes it have less sodium? I guess it makes it sound more healthy to unsuspecting consumers. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, sea salt and table salt contain comparable amounts of sodium by weight. Here in low sodium world, we are savvier than that. Although it is difficult to find snacks low in sodium, do not fear -- it's not impossible!

Below are some suggestions for low sodium snacks. There are others out there that most of us would not consider "low sodium," but when you look at the actual label, are not so bad. The biggest caveat here is that you MUST limit yourself to the actual serving size. If you don't, they will become a sodium fest in no time at all. For example, when I think of Pepperidge Farm, Stella D'oro or Oreo Cookies, low sodium does not exactly come to mind. But if you look closely at these labels, some of them are doable as an occasional thrill in place of something else that day. I wouldn't do this every day, but if you are traveling and need a snack, it is possible.

Let's take a look at some actual numbers:

If you really want to stick to true low sodium options from a bag, here are some other potential options that you can eat without the guilt of an Oreo cookie (or three):