210+ Low Sodium Crock-Pot Recipes! (2024)

FAQs

How can I eat out on a low-sodium diet? ›

Try to choose restaurants where the food is made to order, instead of choosing fast-food or buffet-style restaurants. Before you order, ask how the food is prepared and if the restaurant offers low-sodium menu items. Often you can ask that your meal be prepared with no added sodium.

If a recipe calls for cooking on the HIGH setting for three hours, you can cook it for seven hours on the LOW setting instead. Or if a recipe calls for eight hours on HIGH, it can be cooked for up to 12 hours on LOW.

Americans eat on average about 3,400 mg of sodium per day. However, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends adults limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day—that's equal to about 1 teaspoon of table salt!

Add an Acidic Ingredient

It won't reduce the sodium level of your dish, but adding an acidic ingredient, such as lemon juice, vinegar, or even a tomato product, can neutralize the saltiness of a dish. Start with a dash or a squeeze, stir well to combine, and give it a taste before adding any more.

“The very best thing to do is sweat,” says registered dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, LD. “The body naturally removes sodium through sweat, tears and urine.” To even out your sodium level, get sweaty by exercising or sitting in a sauna. Drink plenty of fluids and cut out salt and salty foods right away.

Alcohol is a diuretic and causes you to lose water and sodium in the urine. Drinking heavily and vomiting results in sodium loss. No caffeine – Caffeine is also a diuretic. In fact, drinking 4 cups of coffee can cause you to lose 1200 mg of sodium – that's your entire daily recommended sodium intake lost all in one go!

Change cooking times depending on your schedule. One hour on HIGH generally equals two hours on LOW. Add pasta at the end of the cooking process or it may become mushy. You may want to cook pasta seperatly and add it just before serving.

Is it better to start crockpot on high or low? ›

If possible, turn the cooker on the highest setting for the first hour of cooking time and then to low or the setting called for in your recipe. Foods take different times to cook depending upon the setting used. Certainly, foods will cook faster on high than on low.

However, if you consistently find your slow cooker meals with meat coming out tough, lackluster, and flavorless, then you may need to reassess how you're prepping your dishes, and you may need to turn down the temperature. If you cook meat at too high of a temperature in your slow cooker, you're likely to overcook it.

Eat more fruits and vegetables. Skip or limit frozen dinners and other high-sodium fare such as pizza, fast food, packaged mixes, and canned soups or broths. Choose fresh or frozen skinless poultry, fish, and lean cuts of meat rather than those that are marinated, canned, smoked, brined, or cured.

Replace deli meats with fresh-cooked turkey or chicken breast (90 mg sodium), fresh roasted beef or pork, and avoid ham, hot dogs and sausage products. Go for natural cheeses such as Swiss, cheddar or mozzarella (50-180 mg sodium) instead of processed cheese slices, and limit to 1 ounce.