20 Saltiest Foods in American Restaurants

How often do you see or how often do you grab that salt shaker and start pouring salt all over your food as soon as the plate is set in front of you?  Sodium intake in our nation is extremely too high.  Did you know that the recommended amount of sodium intake per day is less then 2,300 milligrams, which only equals 1 teaspoon? (*Note. Daily Value used on food labels is based off 2,400 milligrams).

Sodium plays a vital role in our bodies by helping maintain acid-base balance and it is essential to nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction.  However, too much sodium makes our bodies hold on to fluid and to pump the added fluid, the heart has to work harder which over years of doing this puts an extreme strain on our heart. Also, too much salt can worsen symptoms like swelling and shortness of breath and cause weight gain.  A diet high in salt has been linked to very serious health conditions including high blood pressure, hypertension, and heart disease.

The Today Show posted an article with the 20 Saltiest Foods in America.  They compiled a top 20 list of foods (or dishes) found in restaurants across our nation.  Their list is posted below.

20. Saltiest Side Dish
Denny’s Honey Smoked Ham, grilled slice. 1,700 mg sodium, 85 calories

19. Saltiest Dessert
Atlanta Bread Company Raspberry Scone. 1,750 mg sodium, 360 calories

18. Saltiest Soup
Baja Fresh Chicken Tortilla Soup. 2,760 mg sodium, 320 calories

17. Saltiest Burger
Hardee’s 2/3 lb Monster Thickburger. 2,770 mg sodium, 1,420 calories, 108 g fat

16. Saltiest “Healthy” Food
Chili’s Guiltless Grill Chicken Platter. 2,780 mg sodium, 590 calories, 85 g carbs

15. Saltiest Pasta
Fazoli’s Rigatoni Romano. 3,180 mg sodium, 1,090 calories, 54 g fat, 101 g carbs

14. Saltiest Chinese Entrée
P.F. Chang’s Beef with Broccoli. 3,752 mg sodium, 1,120 calories, 65 g fat

13. Saltiest Breakfast
Arby’s Sausage Gravy Biscuit. 3,754 mg sodium, 961 calories

12. Saltiest Beef Entrée
Bob Evans Steak Tips and Noodles.4,131 mg sodium, 822 calories, 43 g fat

11. Saltiest Frozen Dinner
Swanson Hungry-Man XXL Roasted Carved Turkey.4,480 mg sodium, 1,360 calories, 70 g fat

10. Saltiest Bread
Dunkin’ Donuts Salt Bagel. 4,520 mg sodium, 320 calories, 62 g carbs

9. Saltiest Sandwich
Quiznos Turkey Bacon Guacamole Large Sub with Cheese and Reduced-Fat Ranch Dressing. 4,670 mg sodium, 1,120 calories, 49 g fat, 116 g carbs

8. Saltiest Pizza
Pizza Hut Meat Lover’s Stuffed Crust Pizza (3 slices of the 14” large). 5,070 mg sodium, 1,560 calories, 87 g fat, 114 g carbs

7. Saltiest Comfort Food
Denny’s Meat Loaf Dinner (with Mashed Potatoes and Corn). 5,080 mg sodium, 1,210 calories, 69 g fat, 97 g carbs

6. Saltiest Salad
Romano’s Macaroni Grill Chicken Florentine. 5,460 mg sodium, 840 calories, 53 g fat

5. Saltiest Mexican Entrée
Chili’s Buffalo Chicken Fajitas. 5,690 mg sodium, 1,730 calories, 107 g fat, 143 g carbs

4. Saltiest Kids’ Meal
Cosi Kid’s Pepperoni Pizza. 6,405 mg sodium, 1,901 calories, 93 g fat, 190 g carbs

3. Saltiest Seafood Entrée
Romano’s Macaroni Grill Grilled Teriyaki Salmon. 6,590 mg sodium, 1,230 calories, 74 g fat, 79 g carbs

2. Saltiest Appetizer
Papa John’s Cheesesticks with Buffalo Sauce. 6,700 mg sodium, 2,605 calories, 113 g fat, 296 g carbs

1. The Saltiest Dish in America
Romano’s Macaroni Grill Chicken Portobello. 7,300 mg sodium, 1,020 calories, 66 g fat

Most Americans consume way more sodium than what is recommended.  To cut down on your sodium intake try doing the following:

• Limit the amount of times you eat out
• Select fresh, unprocessed foods
• Prepare foods with sodium-free spices (basil, bay leaves, curry, garlic, ginger, mint, oregano, pepper, rosemary, and thyme)
• Add little or no salt at the table; take the salt shaker off of the table!
• Taste your food first and see if you actually need to add something else for flavor… you may choose another spice or seasoning instead of salt.
  
• Read food labels
• Select low-salt or salt-free products when available