11 Common Grocery Items That Are Secretly Loaded with Salt

Some foods are sirens of sodium—you know as soon as you see them that they're loaded with salt. Pickles, salted nuts, bacon, and fried foods all stand out as obvious sodium bombshells. With other foods, though, sodium content isn't so immediately clear. Unless you're a diligent label reader, you might not realize that multiple common grocery items are sneakily high in this nutrient.

Going unaware of your sodium intake can have some serious consequences. A high-sodium diet can put you at risk of heart disease, kidney disease, headaches, kidney stones, stroke, high blood pressure, an enlarged heart muscle, and more. And since nine in 10 Americans eats more than the recommended intake of salt, we could all stand to get more sodium-savvy.

Want to keep your salt in check? Check out these 11 high-sodium groceries that pack more of it than you may realize. And for heart-healthy options when you're dining out, don't miss 20 Best Low-Sodium Fast-Food Orders, According to Dietitians.

The Most Common High-Sodium Foods

• Cottage Cheese
• Bread
• Frozen Chicken Nuggets
• Tortillas
• Vegetable Juice
• Cheese
• Salad Dressing
• Frozen Pizza
• Deli Meats
• Canned Soups
• Chips & Pretzels

Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese gets well-deserved praise for its high protein content and minimal processing. In general, it's a healthy choice as a snack, pasta filling, or dip. But a heads up: it's no angel when it comes to salt. A half-cup serving packs 17% of the Daily Value of sodium. Stick to low-sodium versions like Friendship Dairies' No Salt Added Cottage Cheese to keep salt content low.

 7 Healthiest Cottage Cheese Brands—and 4 To Skip

Bread

Bet you'll never guess which food is listed as number one on the American Heart Association's "Salty Six" (the six foods that add the most sodium to the American diet). Bread! Your daily toast or sandwich can be a serious source. A sandwich on two slices of Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White packs 20% of the Daily Value of sodium.

 The 10 Unhealthiest Breads on Grocery Shelves

Frozen Chicken Nuggets

Even before you get to the dipping sauces, chicken nuggets can be shockingly heavy on sodium. If their batter has flavoring baked into it, you're especially likely to get ultra-salty nuggs.

That's definitely the case with Pilgrim's Zesty Ranch Mini Nuggets, which contain a whopping 870 milligrams per seven pieces. Be sure to read labels to spot chicken bites with lower sodium, like Simple Truth's Organic Gluten-Free Breaded Nuggets.

Tortillas

It's not just what you put into a burrito that can elevate its salt content—it's the tortilla itself. Mission's Burrito Restaurant Style Flour Tortillas are one example of an surprisingly salty wrap for Mexican meals. Each flour-based tortilla takes up 23% of your daily sodium allotment.

Don't worry, though. You're not doomed to a burrito-less life! Tortillas like Food For Life's Sprouted Grain Low Sodium Tortillas offer a better option for all your favorite fillings.

 6 Healthiest Tortillas & Wraps, According to a Nutritionist

Vegetable Juice

When it comes to nutrition, vegetable juices like V8's Original are a mixed bag. Do they contain a host of veggies, like beets, tomatoes, carrots, and spinach? You bet. Do they also contain an alarming amount of sodium? Yes on that count, too. Better to get your veggies from real, whole produce than to drink them with added salt. Research shows that fruit and vegetable consumption lowers the risk of hypertension—but the same isn't necessarily true of savory veggie juices.

Cheese

Salt is an important component in cheesemaking, adding flavor, managing acid production, and assisting with preservation. In other words, you wouldn't want a cheese with no salt at all. Just choose your cheese wisely, based on sodium content. One to avoid: Kraft's Ultra Thick American Cheese. It's rife with 310 milligrams per slice.

 8 Healthiest Cheeses You Can Eat, According to a Dietitian

Salad Dressing

Salad dressings may not taste salty, but don't be fooled. Especially when you use more than a 2-tablespoon serving size, you could unwittingly add a whole lotta salt to your salad. Olive Garden's Signature Italian Dressing is a shocker of a sodium bomb at 540 milligrams (23% of the Daily Value) per serving. That's more than a serving of pepperoni!

 13 Healthiest Salad Dressings To Buy, According to a Dietitian

Frozen Pizza

With a combo of salty crust, cheese, and cured meats like pepperoni and sausage, it's no wonder frozen pizza is such an offender in the sodium department. Take Screamin' Sicilian's Bacon Lovers, for example. One serving of this meaty frozen entrée provides 45% of your daily sodium recommendation. On pizza night, keep portions moderate and look for toppings likely to be lower in salt, like bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, basil, and onions.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Deli Meats

Deli meats are the ultimate in convenience for sandwich-making—so we wish we had better news about their sodium content. Cold cuts also make it onto the AHA's Salty Six, since they tend to be preserved with high levels of salt. This option from Carl Buddig will set you back 25% of the Daily Value in a two-ounce serving.

Instead, try filling your sandwich with a lower-sodium deli meat or canned tuna. And don't forget the veggies! Potassium, which is abundant in many fresh vegetables, can help counteract the effects of sodium on blood pressure.

 25 Unhealthiest Deli Meats—Ranked by Sodium

Canned Soups

Canned soups' reputation for harboring sodium galore is, unfortunately, well deserved. These shelf-stable foods often get loaded with salt for flavor and preservation. Gardein's Plant-Based Be'f & Vegetable Soup is a particular culprit with 1,130 milligrams of sodium per can. Pair that with a side of store-bought bread and you'll quickly land in the salt stratosphere.

 25 Unhealthiest Canned Soups—Ranked by Sodium

Chips & Pretzels

 

If you favor salty snacks, you'll want to select your munchies carefully. Chips and pretzels satisfy your crunchy craving, but are high-sodium groceries.

Takis' Fuego flavor is among the worst options on grocery shelves, packing 11% of the Daily Value of sodium per 18-chip serving. To keep things in check, reach for low-sodium chips like Lay's Lightly Salted Potato Chips, or opt for crunchy snacks that are naturally low in salt, like roasted nuts.