21 Savory Breakfast Ideas to Start Your Day Strong
Have you ever seen those nature documentary clips where spider monkeys climb down to the forest floor to lick salt from the rocks or mineral-rich clay, even though there are jaguars, alligators and other dangers lurking in the jungle?
That’s how badly all animals – including humans- need salt to function well. In small doses, sodium is an essential nutrient to maintain a healthy balance of fluids and minerals, to conduct nerve impulses and to contract and relax your muscles.
But most of us eat much more salt than necessary. Around the world, adults consume 4310 mg of sodium/day (or 10,78g salt/day), which is more than double the World Health Organization’s recommendation of less than 2000mg of sodium/day (or under 5g of salt/day). And sadly, this excess salt intake hurts our health.
According to the American Heart Association, consuming too much salt doesn’t just trigger your blood to pump more blood around, it also narrows your blood vessels – and both of these processes lead to an increase in blood pressure. Over time, a consistent high blood pressure damages your arteries and limits good blood flow through your body. That’s why high blood pressure is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke, dementia, kidney failure and visual impairment.
Most people can benefit from a low-sodium diet, but consuming less salt can be especially important to manage symptoms or prevent worsening of chronic kidney disease (CKD), high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
However, if you’re suffering from POTS or specific kidney diseases, taking diuretic medications, doing highly intensive workouts for a long duration or you live in a hot climate, you may actually need to consume plenty of salt and/or watch your electrolyte intake. So please consult your doctor for personalized advice whether reducing your sodium intake is the right decision for you.
With that in mind, let’s dive deeper in how you can start eat less salt.
You see, the salt you put on your home-cooked meals usually isn’t the main reason you’re getting too much sodium in. It’s all the salt hidden in everyday processed foods like bread, soups, bacon, sausages, Asian-style sauces and ranch dressing that adds up.
Research shows that especially the following foods contribute to our excess sodium consumption:
Common foods containing too much salt:
- Soups and broths
- Fast foods like pizza, hamburgers and fries, tacos and burritos, chicken nuggets and potato chips
- Bread (rolls)
- Deli meats and cheese
- Condiments, sauces and pickles
When so many common food products contain salt, how do you still reduce your sodium intake? These 4 general low-salt strategies can help.
Low-Salt Strategies to Reduce Your Sodium Intake
1. Prioritize eating whole foods. A high sodium intake has less to do with the salt you sprinkle over your dinner, and more about the hidden salt in almost all (ultra)processed foods. By focusing on consuming more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, you automatically reduce your sodium intake.
2. Read food labels. Of course you don’t have to make every meal from scratch. But when you do eat processed foods like store-bought tomato soup with bread sticks, fried chicken or veggie burgers, it helps to check the ingredient lists for the amount of sodium (as well as other unhealthy additives).
3. Add flavor with herbs and spices. Thankfully, eating less salt doesn’t mean that your meals will be bland. Spices like garlic, red, yellow and spring onions, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg all pack a punch in the flavor department, while herbs such as fresh or dried rosemary, basil, parsley, thyme and coriander add some vibrant aromas to your meals. Just watch out for ready-made spice mixes that may contain salt.
4. Go easy on the condiments, sauces and dressings. Especially Asian-style sauces like fish sauce, soy, teriyaki and oyster contain a lot of sodium, so use them sparingly. But even barbecue sauce, ketchup, salad dressing and marinades have hidden salt, so don’t use them daily. The same goes for table pickles and olives.
Given these strategies, what does a low-sodium diet look like? Let’s go through a full day with low-salt breakfasts, lunch ideas, snacks and dinner recipes to get you started.
Hearty Breakfasts, Without the Salt
Get off to a good start by rotating your usual toast or eggs with bacon with easy whole food breakfasts, like hearty oatmeal, savory yogurt, a hearty breakfast bowl or an omelet with herbs and veggies (just skip the cheese and chorizo).
And of course you could go sweet too, with a green smoothie bowl, carrot cake cauliflower oats, or pumpkin granola.
The Simple But Good Breakfast Bowl from Minimalist Baker
Savory Yogurt Bowl from Green Kitchen Stories
Huevos Rancheros Avocado (Keto) from Salt and Lavender
Savory Oats with Mushrooms and Spinach from Ruchik Randhap
Savory Corn Waffles with Tomato Herb Salad from Woman’s Day
Low-Sodium Lunch Ideas
Sadly, the typical sandwich ingredients – bread (rolls), deli meats, cheese, smoked fish and condiments – all contain a lot of hidden sodium.
So switch things up with low-sodium lunches like salads with homemade dressings, lettuce wraps and not-too-salty soups.
Healthy Omelette from The Picky Eater
Glowing Grilled Summer Detox Salad from Pinch of Yum
Stuffed Sweet Potato Burrito from Love and Lemons
Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps from All The Healthy Things
Low-Sodium Vegetable Soup from Kidney Nutrition Institute
Snacks with Less Salt
Craving a savory bite when the afternoon slump hits or when watching TV at night? Skip the potato chips, crackers and olives, and try these less salty snacks instead.
Air Fryer Edamame Beans from An Affair From The Heart
Crispy Barbecued Roasted Chickpeas from Minimalist Baker
Crispy Air Fryer Veggie Chips from Jessica in the Kitchen
Perfect Stovetop Popcorn from Minimalist Baker
Low-Salt Recipes for Dinner
As much as we love sausages and chicken nuggets, you can effortlessly reduce your salt intake by having less processed proteins for dinner, like lean cuts of meat, poultry and fish, seasoned with herbs and spices or low-sodium marinades. Some vegetarian burgers also contain too much hidden salts, so make sure you alternate them with eggs, legumes, quinoa and low-sodium tofu.
Also go easy on condiments and sauces, or replace them with less salty versions. Finally, explore healthified versions of your favorite fast foods to lower your sodium intake.
Take inspiration from these low-salt dinner recipes to get you started.
Sheet Pan Steak and Veggies from Olivia’s Cuisine
Low-Sodium Spaghetti Sauce from Haute and Healthy Living
Low-Sodium Chicken Stir Fry from Arthritis Foundation
Sheet Pan Blueberry Salmon with Veggies from Cotter Crunch
Low-Sodium Ramen Noodles Soup from Low So Recipes
Fish Taco Bowls from Slender Kitchen
I’m curious, which one of these low-salt recipes will you try first to reduce your sodium intake?
You can find more easy whole food recipes in 10 Savory Yogurt Bowls for a Hearty Breakfast, 23 Sheet Pan Dinners for Some Easy Cooking or 12 Healthy Movie Night Snacks to Try This Weekend.
