Fast food is becoming more and more popular thanks to its novel taste and convenience. However, not all fast food is healthy, some types of fast food contain a lot of fat, sugar and especially salt to stimulate the taste buds which can be harmful to health. Salt is one of the indispensable spices in many dishes, but consuming a lot of sodium in a day will be harmful to the body. Why is salt harmful to health? What low sodium fast food options do you have? Let’s find out more information through our sharing below!
Why is salt bad for your health?
The daily consumption of salt is inevitable, salt helps the taste of dishes become richer and more attractive. In particular, fast foods contain a lot of salt, although many fast food companies have tried to reduce the amount of salt but still cannot guarantee that they do not affect health.
Being able to consume more will increase your hydration needs making you want to eat more unhealthy foods. Of course, consuming too much salt will be harmful to health. Fast foods that are high in sodium can cause a number of diseases such as kidney disorders, high blood pressure and even strokes.
High blood pressure is typical when you use too much sodium. At a dangerous level, this disease will cause severe headaches that affect your heart rate and brain. If you continue to use a lot of sodium, the symptoms of the disease will become more severe and occur more often.
Using too much salt also has the risk of harming your kidneys, high salt intake puts you at a higher risk of kidney stones and kidney failure.
We cannot avoid the use of salt in our daily diet. However, you should limit the use of unhealthy foods that contain a lot of salt. Limit the use of salt and choose low sodium fast food options instead to protect your health.
How much sodium can you eat per day?
Using too much salt on a daily basis carries the risk of water retention and damage to the kidneys, liver and heart. So, how much sodium can you eat per day?
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than 2,300mg of salt per day. However, that is not the ideal level of sodium consumption. Each body will have a different reasonable salt consumption, especially those with pre-existing medical conditions.
The most ideal sodium consumption per day is 1500mg for the average person. For people with high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney disease, sodium should not exceed 1000mg per day.
Just paying attention to the little details in life can help you better protect yourself from illness. Try to replace high-sodium fast foods with healthier ones.
Tips can help maintain a healthy salt intake
Bland foods can’t really excite our taste buds and spark our excitement. However, they are good for health, which makes many people, despite having strict sodium diets, unable to follow them. To help you maintain a healthy salt intake more effectively, we will suggest some useful tips for you below:
- Look for and choose low-sodium options from healthy products such as cereals, lactose- and sugar-free foods.
- Avoid using foods that are high in fat, such as salad dressings or high-sodium, high-sugar dishes.
- Should use grilled, broiled meats instead of breaded, fried meats. Fried and breaded meats look and taste better, but they contain a lot more sodium and are much higher.
- Stay away from super-sized fast foods. Fast foods like “jumbo”, “double” or “super-size” are all high in salt, fat and calories as their name suggests. The use of many of these foods will cause you to eat more sodium than prescribed.
- Should drink a lot of filtered water instead of soft drinks or carbonated drinks that come with fast food. Although water does not feel great when paired with fast food, you should limit your use of soft drinks.
- Research low-sodium fast food menus to enrich the variety of foods you can eat. These studies help you stay on a low sodium diet while eating healthy fast food.
Low sodium fast foods to prepare at home
The best way to help you control your daily sodium intake is to prepare low sodium fast foods at home. It’s actually easier to prepare your own dishes than you might imagine. Not only will it help you with better sodium intake, but it can also be proactive in preparing your favorite dishes. Homemade meals also provide you with more nutrients in safer foods.
To make it easier for you to prepare your own low-sodium meals at home, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- It is necessary to check the origin and nutritional value of foods before buying
- Limit the use of processed foods, especially smoked meats, processed meats with high salt concentrations
- Use sodium-free or low-sodium canned foods
- Read food labels to see how much sodium is in them
- Replace high-sodium foods with fresh fish or poultry
- Should wash food before processing to wash away some salt
24 low sodium fast foods options
If you previously thought that low sodium fast food options were really hard to find, you are mistaken. Low sodium fast foods options are not only diverse but also have many unique and new flavors. They are healthy and good for your health. You can use them for breakfast or even lunch and dinner dishes. Whether you want to make these recipes at home or for outings, it makes sense. Join us to learn more about 24 low sodium fast foods options below!
Burrito Chipotle Bowl with Chicken and Vegetables Fajita 490 mg
Chipotle chicken burrito is one of the attractive dishes with the typical flavor of the Chipotle region. The special marinade of the recipe will make the chicken vermicelli become softer and more delicious than ever. Not only that, what is inside the burrito bowl can be selected according to your preferences.
You can choose either dried chipotle or canned chipotle. With the recipe you make yourself, you can choose the appropriate spiciness to make the dish more attractive as you want. Of course, the sodium content of the dish is always controlled within the allowable range.
Burrito served with Fajita vegetables will bring a feeling of freshness, the taste of chicken in attractive but healthy fast food dishes. This is a great combination that makes this dish even better.
Dunkin’ Donuts’ Multigrain Oatmeal 270 mg
If you have a busy morning, Dunkin Donuts’ Multigrain Oatmeal is the perfect breakfast choice at this fast-food chain. The delicious taste of oats combined with some nuts or dried fruits will make the dish much more attractive.
Especially, the sodium content in this fast food is not high. The accompanying nutrients from nuts, milk and oats will give you a new day full of energy to work.
Homemade Mixed Vegetable Burgers
As noted above you can prepare your own great fast food options at home. You are free to limit the dosage of nutrients as well as the foods you love. Mixed Vegetable Burgers are a great option for breakfast. Heating them easily with a pan, oven or microwave all makes the dish more attractive.
Some accompanying vegetables will definitely make the dish more healthy and attractive. You can add lettuce, lettuce or a few slices of tomato to feel the freshness. Perhaps one taste can make you addicted to this dish.
Five Guys Little Hamburger 380 mg
If you are too busy to prepare healthy fast food by yourself, you can go to Five Guys to choose a satisfactory Hamburger. Little Hamburger here has only a sodium content of 380mg, which is very suitable for you to use every morning.
Like many other casual famous burgers, this burger is full of tempting ingredients like meat and herbs. However, it is healthier thanks to the low sodium content.
Arby’s Jalapeño Grilled Beef Slider (Without Cheese) 470 mg
Thin slices of Jalapeño beef grilled to perfection with bread will be a great choice when you visit Arby’s. To make the dish more healthy and safe, we should ask the staff not to add cheese to it. That helps you reduce the amount of fat as well as sodium in the body.
Au Bon Pain Greek Vanilla Yogurt and Blueberry Parfait 115 mg
Greek yogurt is considered one of the healthiest and healthiest foods. It is widely used in diets, especially as healthy snacks or breakfasts. The perfect combination of Au Bon Pain Greek Vanilla Yogurt and Blueberry Parfait will bring you a wonderful experience. If you want to change up your breakfast you can choose this low sodium dish.
Panera’s Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich Seasonal Greens Salad 470 mg
In addition to hamburgers, sandwiches are a great alternative to healthy low-sodium dishes. Panera is committed that the chicken they use in the dish is raised without the use of antibiotics and other foods are of good quality and safe. Sweet and tender chicken pieces served with celery, tomatoes, green vegetables will bring an extremely unique flavor.
Pairing a sandwich with a little seasonal vegetable salad will make your life feel so much better. If you have a chance to go to Panera try these two amazing dishes.
Panera’s Half-Size Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken 300 mg
In addition to the four-season green vegetable salad, Panera also has Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken with a more distinctive new flavor. The dish is a combination of many different ingredients such as apples, chicken, nuts, green vegetables and purple onions. The brand’s signature healthy sauce will make the dish more appealing. You can use this dish as an attractive side dish of the day.
Panera’s Steel Cut Oatmeal with Almond, Quinoa and Honey 150 mg
In addition to delicious salads and chicken, Panera also offers nutritious oatmeal with Almond, Quinoa and Honey. The sweetness of honey will make this dish much more attractive. A few steel cuts will make this healthy snack all the more enjoyable. If you have a busy morning, you can choose this oat dish from Panera.
Chick-fil-A Hash Browns 400 mg
The same crisps, but Hash Browns can give users a completely different experience. It’s fried in healthy canola oil. The dish contains many nutrients, has the delicious taste of fried food but does not have a lot of harmful fats. You can consider this a great snack.
Chick-fil-A’s 8-count Chicken Nuggets 440 mg
Chick-fil-A offers a variety of healthy fast food dishes that delight diners, the highlight of which is Chicken Nuggets. This chicken dish is prepared and marinated according to an exclusive recipe, although deep-fried in oil, it does not contain much fat. That’s because Chick-fil-A uses canola oil for their healthy frying. It makes fried foods healthier and safer.
Chick-fil-A’s Greek Yogurt Parfait with Granola 100 mg
If you’re looking for something more nutritious than the usual fast food at Chick-fil-A, you can choose Greek Yogurt Parfait with Granola. This dish is the perfect combination of Greek yogurt and nutritious nuts. Greek Yogurt Parfait with Granola contains 13 grams of protein with the same amount of sugar as light desserts. They contain virtually no sodium, so you can enjoy them with confidence.
In-N-Out’s Protein Style Hamburger 370 mg
A Hamburger rich in protein and greens is not a bad choice for a great quick meal. You do not need to worry too much about the sodium content in this dish. The whole burger contains only 370 mg of sodium which is very safe for a quick meal.
McDonald’s Bacon Ranch Salad 320 mg
No less than other popular fast food brands, McDonald’s also has an exclusive Bacon Ranch Salad. This dish is the perfect combination of vegetables and bacon. The rich sauce according to McDonald’s own recipe will definitely make the dish much more attractive.
McDonald’s Fruit and Maple Oatmeal 140 mg
In addition to the fresh and attractive salad, McDonald’s also offers a perfect breakfast dish, Fruit and Maple Oatmeal. This dish consists of oats and assorted Fruit and Maple creating a special taste. This fast food mainly has a naturally sweet taste, so it does not contain much sodium. You can safely enjoy it on a busy morning to re-energize.
McDonald’s Hot Apple Pie
In addition to fast food, McDonald’s also offers many attractive desserts, famous for its hot apple pie. This apple pie has a distinctive flavor prepared by a special recipe. The naturally sweet and sour taste will make you unable to stop eating. You can use this apple pie as a snack or a healthy breakfast.
Read more: Daniel Fast snacks ideas
Subway Tuna Salad with Lettuce, Spinach, Onion, Cucumber, Olive and Green Pepper 270 mg
A plate of homemade salad would be tempting to make a quick snack. You just need to prepare the necessary vegetables and make your own sauce. There are so many different sauce recipes to choose from, you can even create your own sauce recipe. Don’t worry too much that you don’t like this salad because you decide the taste of it yourself. It only takes a little time and you can make great fast food.
Subway of 6″ Veggie Delite 240 mg
Subway has veggie sandwiches that not all stores can have. This fast food has the main ingredients of bell peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and red onions, so it is very healthy.
Pizza Hut’s Veggie Lovers Small Thin ‘N Crispy Slice 270 mg
If you are a pizza fan, you should not miss Pizza Hut’s Veggie Lovers Small Thin ‘N Crispy Slice. Although it is a pizza, this pizza does not contain much sodium, it is safe and the sodium content is completely within the allowable range. Delicious pizza with a crispy crust and many accompanying toppings such as cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, and attractive red onions.
Smoothie King’s Vegan Pineapple Spinach Smoothie 170 mg
Instead of drinking soft drinks and carbonated water with unhealthy fast foods, you should use smoothies. Smoothies contain a lot of fiber, nutrients from fruits and vegetables. They are both delicious and attractive and can help you replenish your energy.
Vegan Pineapple Spinach Smoothie is a wonderful combination of spinach and pineapple. This smoothie not only has a special aroma but also has an attractive taste.
Starbucks’ PB and J Protein Box 570 mg
In addition to being famous for its unique coffee flavor, Starbucks also surprises customers with its protein-rich healthy snack box. In the box, there will be sandwiches, fresh fruits and vegetables with sauce. This meal contains all the necessary substances to help you start a new day or can be used for lunch or dinner.
Taco Bell’s Crunchy Taco with Beef, “Fresco Style” 270 mg
Taco is famous for its typical Mexican flavor and is a favorite fast food of many people. However, you do not need to worry when using this dish because the sodium content inside is quite low. Thanks to the perfect combination of beef, and green vegetables, this taco becomes more attractive.
Taco Bells Hash Browns 270 mg
In addition to the famous tacos, Taco Bell also offers the famous Hash Browns with extremely new flavors. The crispy crust combined with the soft and sweet filling inside makes many people love it. If you have visited Taco Bells, you should also enjoy this dish.
Conclusion
Low sodium fast food options not only give you more healthy choices but also help you to protect your health. Loading too much sodium into the body in a day can make your body tired and make your diseases worse. If you have high blood pressure, heart or kidney disease, then limiting your intake of salty foods will help improve your health.
Hopefully, the things we shared above will bring you a more diverse low sodium fast food menu!
