According to the Cleveland Clinic, sodium in the diet should be less than 1,500 mg a day for people with high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, those of African-American ethnicity, and middle-age and senior citizens. The DASH diet for high blood pressure is an excellent diet to follow to lower sodium levels. But because of lifestyles, many people don't have time to cook meals and often turn to frozen foods for convenience. Some frozen foods are low in sodium.
Read Label
The best way to determine the amount of sodium in a meal is to read the nutrition label on the product package. These labels contain information about serving size, the amount of calories per serving, and how much fat, cholesterol, fiber and sodium are in the food. Label reading is mandatory if you want to maintain a healthy diet.
Lean Cuisine
Lean Cuisine meals are affiliated with the Weight Watchers point system. Lean Cuisine meals are frozen, with a limited number of calories and fat in each of the meals. The sodium content of these meals tends to run between 500 mg and 700 mg. Their new Market Creation products seem to have the highest levels. The Spa Cuisine line contains the lowest amount of sodium, between 500 to 600 mg per meal.
Healthy Choice
Healthy Choice meals, like Lean Cuisine, offer complete meals in a package that are low-calorie, low-fat meals. The sodium content in Healthy Choice meals is between 400 mg and 700 mg. They offer multiple lines, including traditional microwaveable meals, as well as the popular steamers varieties. Be sure to read the label to purchase the lowest-sodium meals from Healthy Choice.
Green Giant Frozen Vegetables
Green Giant frozen vegetables are a favorite among dieters for lunch. Items such as Broccoli and Cheese Sauce and Broccoli Carrot Cauliflower and Cheese Sauce make quick meals in the microwave for lunch. Green Giant Broccoli and Cheese Sauce contains 430 mg of sodium. The Broccoli Carrot and Cauliflower Cheese mix contains a mere 290 mg of sodium. Green Giant frozen vegetables without sauce contain even less sodium. As with all frozen meals, read the label carefully to see exactly what you are getting in the meal.
References
- Cleveland Clinic: Low Sodium Guidelines for Heart Failure
- Lean Cuisine: Nutrition and Product Information
- Healthy Choice: Nutritional Information
- My Fitness Pal: Green Giant Nutritional Information -- Broccoli and Cheese Sauce
- My Fitness Pal: Green Giant Nutritional Information -- roccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower and Cheese Sauce
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