What Does Sodium Do to the Body?

 Sodium is an important mineral. It is one of the electrolytes that helps balance the amount of water in the body. It helps control blood pressure and blood volume, and also ensures the proper functioning of muscles and nerves.

But excessive intake of the essential nutrient can turn catastrophic. The health effects associated with high sodium intake include:

Frequent headaches

Intense thirst

Water retention and bloating

Increase in blood pressure

Increased risk of stomach cancer

Increased risk of heart disease and stroke

Increased risk of kidney stones

Healthy Snacks That are Low in Sodium

Switching to low sodium foods is an easy way to slash your daily sodium intake. A snack that provides less than 300 mg of sodium per serving qualifies as a low in sodium snack. A few healthy and delicious options include:

1. Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Banana Bites

Chocolate-dipped frozen banana bites make a perfect low-calorie, low in sodium snack. These banana bites can be stored in a freezer for a tasty, handy snack.

Ingredients:

3 large banana

3/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup natural peanut butter

Steps to Prepare:

Cut bananas half lengthwise. 

Spread peanut butter on both sides and put the two halves back again to make a sandwich.

Put the bananas in the freezer for two hours

Melt chocolate chips in a bowl

Dip one-half of the frozen banana sandwich into melted chocolate 

Allow chocolate to set

Cut into bite-size pieces 

Serve immediately or store in the freezer

Nutrition Facts

Every banana bite serving contains:

Calories – 58

Protein -1 g

Carbohydrates -7.7 g

Dietary fibre -0.9 g

Sugars -5 g

Fat -3 g

Potassium -80 mg

Sodium -9.5 mg

2. Air Fryer Chickpeas

Crispy, crunchy and intensely flavoured, it’s the most loved munching snack. What’s more, it’s low in sodium too!

Ingredients

500 gm unsalted chickpeas

1 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil 

1/4 tsp dried paprika

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/8 tsp salt

2 lime wedges

Steps to Prepare:

Rinse and drain chickpeas

Spread them evenly on paper towels and pat them dry from all sides

In a medium-sized bowl, combine chickpeas and sesame oil

Sprinkle dried paprika red pepper and salt

Cook in an air fryer for 12- 14 minutes, stirring and shaking the basket occasionally

Empty contents in a serving bowl

Squeeze lemon juice

Serve hot

Nutrition Facts

Every ¼ cup size serving of air-fried chickpeas contains:

Calories – 132 calories

Protein – 4.7 g

Carbohydrates – 14.1 g

Dietary fibre – 3.4 g

Fat 5.8 g

Potassium – 151.9 mg

Sodium 85.8 mg

3. Boiled Sweet Corn Masala Chaat

Spicy, flavourful and filling; boiled sweet corn masala chaat is a perfect evening snack.

Ingredients

Boiled sweet corn kernels 150 g

1 tsp salt

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp chaat masala

½ tsp pumpkin seeds

½ tsp flax seed

1 finely chopped onion

1 finely chopped tomato

Juice of 1 lemon

Finely chopped parsley

½ avocado finely chopped

2 green chillies finely chopped

Steps to Prepare:

Blanch corn kernels in boiling water and drain. Set aside.

On low flame, dry toast pumpkin seeds and flax seeds. Set aside.

Take a deep medium-sized bowl. Add boiled corn, chopped veggies and dry spices.

Mix well

Sprinkle lemon juice and toasted seeds.

Serve

Nutrition Facts

Every 150 g serving of boiled sweet corn chaat contains:

Calories -182

Protein – 6.16 g

Carbohydrates – 20.72 g

Dietary Fibre -12.32 g

Fat – 8.26 g

Sodium – 40.88 mg

4. Garlic Hummus

One of the easiest-to-prepare low in sodium foods, it can be savoured separately or used as a healthy dip.

Ingredients

500 gm unsalted chickpeas

¼ cup tahini

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 tsp roasted cumin powder

½ tsp chilli powder

½ tsp salt

Steps to Prepare:

Rinse and drain chickpeas

Keep back 1/4 cup of the liquid in which you rinse chickpeas

Put chickpeas and water in a food processor jar. 

Add tahini

Add oil

Squeeze lemon juice

Add garlic clove

Add cumin, chilli powder and salt. 

Blend well to form a very smooth paste

Nutrition Facts

Every ¼ cup size serving of garlic hummus contains:

Calories -155

Protein – 3.7 g

Carbohydrates – 9.7 g

Dietary Fibre – 2.3 g

Fat – 11.9 g

Potassium – 81.7 mg

Sodium 220.6 mg

5. Trail Mix

Trail mix provides an assorted combination of flavours and nutrients.

Ingredients

1/4 cup almonds

1/4 cup peanuts

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup pitted dates

2 ounces dried apricots

A handful of assorted candies

2 tbsp honey 

Steps to Prepare:

Put all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl

Sprinkle honey

Mix well and serve

Nutrition Facts

Every 50 gm serving of the trail mix provides:

Calories – 230

Protein – 7 g

Carbohydrate – 26 g

Fibre – 3 g

Fat – 12 g

Sodium – 90 mg

6. Popcorns

From an entertainment snack at a movie theatre to a healthy between-meal snack, popcorn is everyone’s favourite.

Ingredients

½ cup popcorn kernels

1 tsp light oil

Steps to Prepare:

Take a large-sized pot with a lid

Heat the pot over a low flame

Pour popcorn kernels

Sprinkle oil

Cover the pot with the lid

Hear the kernels pop

Turn off the flame when the pooping speed reduces

Wait for a minute and let the steam escape

Remove lid and serve hot

Nutrition Facts

Every 3 cups of air-popped popcorn contain:

Calories – 93

Protein – 3 g

Carbohydrates – 18.6 g

Dietary fibre – 3.6 g

Fat – 1.1 g

Potassium – 75 mg

Sodium – 3 mg

7. Air-Fryer Sweet Potato Chips

The crispy sweet-potato chips are high in nutrients and make up for a great between-meal snack.

Ingredients

2-3 medium-sized sweet potato

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

Steps to Prepare:

Wash and cut sweet potato into thin slices

Soak cut pieces in cold water for 20 minutes

Rinse, drain and pat dry

Put sweet-potato pieces in a bowl and add olive oil, sea salt and black pepper powder

Mix gently and place them in an air fryer

Cook for 15 minutes or until crisp

Serve warm

Nutrition Facts

Every ½ cup serving of sweet-potato chips contains:

Calories – 31

Protein – 0.3 g

Carbohydrates – 3.6 g

Dietary fibre – 0.6g

Fat – 1.8 g

Potassium – 82.9 mg

Sodium – 78.9 mg

8. Peanut Butter Balls

A no-bake confectionery, peanut butter balls are sure to serve as an ideal low in sodium snack.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh oats

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 cup unsalted peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

Steps to Prepare:

Put all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl

Mix well

Take a tbsp of mixture and roll it into balls

Place the balls in the freezer for 2 hours

Serve when firmly set

Nutrition Facts

Every 25 gm serving size of peanut butter balls contains:

Calories – 130

Protein – 2 g

Carbohydrates – 14 g

Dietary fibre – 1 g

Fat – 7 g

Sodium – 80 mg

Conclusion

Sodium is an essential nutrient. Its optimum intake is important for the proper functioning of the body. Reduced sodium intake can cause electrolyte imbalance, spurring a range of health issues. On the other hand, high sodium intake is equally debilitating. Its impact on health is far-reaching. As almost every food item contains sodium, high sodium intake is the more probable situation. Switching to low in sodium snacks can thus help maintain levels. The above-mentioned low sodium foods are easy to prepare, healthy, nutrient-rich, and delicious. Thus, they are a must-include in your low sodium diet.

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