Our favorite comfort foods taste good for a reason: they’re made with ingredients meant to please our taste buds, but not necessarily enhance our health. Salt is one of the main culprits in many delicious dishes. And, unfortunately many popular dishes you find at restaurants or buy as frozen dinners are loaded with sodium. Finding low-sodium dishes that still taste good can be a challenge.
Salt in moderation is okay. But too much sodium can have a wide array of negative health effects, including risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever enjoy pizza or french fries—it just means you have to opt for versions that are made with less salt. Thankfully, there are plenty of recipes to help you make your own comfort foods at home. Here are six low-sodium versions of your favorite high-sodium foods.
1. Burger
An average large, single-patty hamburger contains 474 mg of sodium, which is 19 percent of your daily recommended intake. This BBQ Burger is completely salt-free, but not lacking in flavor. Instead of salt, it’s seasoned with a variety of spices. Plus, you skip out on the sodium from the bun, as it’s packed between two leaves of cabbage instead.
Recipe: Sodium Girl
2. French Fries
There’s nothing like the taste of a good, crispy french fry. But nibbling on this snack can rack up the sodium. One medium serving of french fries contains 246 mg of sodium. These low-sodium fries only contain 22.1 mg of sodium per serving. However, garlic, herbs, and lime zest make them taste as good as they look.
Recipe: Skinnytaste
3. Buffalo Wings
It should come as no surprise that spicy wings have a bunch of sodium. After all, they typically get drenched in sauce. These buffalo wings contain less than 40mg of sodium per serving compared to up to 570mg of sodium in some types of wings. This version is still made with lots of spices, but it uses a small amount of Tabasco sauce, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice to keep those taste buds happy.
Recipe: Taste Food Blog
4. Potato Chips
Potato chips are notorious for being salty, and enjoying them comes at a price: 100 grams of salted potato chips contain 480 mg of sodium. These Italian-style baked potato chips only come in at 9mg of sodium per serving, which means you can nibble away at this snack guilt-free.
Recipe: An Italian In My Kitchen
5. Pizza
Research has found that many American-style pizzas contain up to three times the daily recommended limit of salt. But, this made-from-scratch pizza—including the dough and sauce—keeps the salt content low. The cheese provides all the salty flavor you need. Plus, this recipe tops the pizza with vegetables instead of processed meat, which tends to up your sodium content.
Recipe: Insanity Is Not An Option
6. Chicken Noodle Soup
Ah, chicken soup—good for the soul! But if it has a lot of sodium, then it can hurt the heart. An average cup of chicken noodle soup contains a whopping 343 mg of sodium. If you want to reap its health benefits, then it’s important to opt for a low-salt version. This heart-healthy version uses low-sodium broth and doesn’t contain any added salt. You can boost the flavor with different seasonings and vegetables.
Recipe: American Heart Association
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for other great tips and ideas to make the most out of life.
