Are You On a No-Salt Diet? Consult This List of Foods Without Salt to Make Planning Easy

Quick Take

Cutting excess sodium from the diet helps prevent hypertension, swelling and other medical problems. Consult this list of foods without salt to find out how you can cut sodium from your daily diet.

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Grain Products

It’s common to find high levels of salt in processed baked goods and cereals. However, there are plenty of grain-based foods that, at least in their natural state, do not contain any salt. If you are trying to stick to a low sodium diet, you would be better off to use these products in your own recipes, instead of purchasing ready-made products. Here is a list of foods without salt for grain products that contain 0 mg, or close to 0 mg, of sodium:

Flaxseeds (3 tablespoons)

White unbleached, whole wheat or whole grain flour (1 cup)

Corn grits (1/4 cup)

Old fashioned or quick oatmeal (1/2 cup)

Puffed rice (1 cup)

Puffed wheat (1 cup)

Additionally, if you are making your own baked goods, these common baking ingredients are also allowable:

Honey (1 tablespoon)

Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)

Granulated sugar (1 teaspoon)

Powdered sugar (1 tablespoon)

No-Salt Fruits and Vegetables

For the most part, any fruit or vegetable can be part of a low-salt diet . However, it’s important to note that when vegetables are canned, salt is often added. Therefore, these figures are for fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, with no added salt. It’s also important to remember that if you add cheese or butter to your vegetables, in most cases you will also be adding salt. Here a list of fruits and vegetables without salt which contain 0 mg of salt, or close to 0 mg of salt in their natural state:

Grapes (1-1/2 cups)

Apple (1 medium)

Banana (1 medium)

Orange (1 medium)

Pear (1 medium)

Kiwi (2 medium)

Grapefruit (1/2 medium)

Green beans (1 cup)

Sweet corn, cut off the cob (2/3 cup)

Potato (1 medium)

Squash, butternut or acorn (3/4 cup)

No-Salt Oils and Seasonings

When you are on a low-sodium diet , it can be helpful to use oils and seasonings, which do not contain salt. Here is a list of items without salt for oils, spices, and other seasonings, which can be used freely to season and add flavor to your food:

Onion, raw (1 slice)

Garlic (1 clove)

Basil, fresh (1 oz.)

Oregano, dried (1 teaspoon)

Bay leaf, dried (1 leaf)

Olive, canola, safflower, sunflower, sesame, soybean or peanut oil (1 tablespoon)

Homemade salad dressing, oil and vinegar (1 tablespoon)

Lemon juice (from one lemon)

Lime juice (3 oz.)

Vinegar (1 tablespoon)

Snack Foods

Processed and packaged snacks can be very high in sodium. If you are on a low sodium diet, you would do well to stick with fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks. There are even some pre-packaged snacks that do not customarily contain sodium, such as gelatin desserts and popcicles. To be sure, you should always check the label for sodium content. However, it’s important to remember that although nuts are low in sodium, they are also high in fat and calories. Here is a list of some other common snack foods, which contain 0 mg of sodium, or close to it:

Dates, dried (5-6)

Almonds (24 nuts)

Pecans (20 halves)

Walnuts (1 oz.)

Hazelnuts (1 oz.)

Brazil nuts (1/4 cup)

No Salt

It is important to maintain a healthy diet, and removing added salt can help tremendously. Salt has been known to raise blood pressure. High blood pressure can then cause its own health problems, including damage to the heart, brain, kidneys and eyes. Although there are other reasons why a person’s blood pressure may be high, it can certainly help to lower one’s salt consumption. If you are currently on a low sodium diet, a list of foods without salt can help.