A Heart-Healthy Start

Reduce the sodium in your breakfast with smart and simple substitutions.

By Jessica Goldman

As a society of busy commuters, we want food that is both nutritious and convenient.  But many prepared items, such as bagels and cereal, are loaded with sodium due to surprising culprits like baking powder, baking soda and dairy products.

Before you reach for your frying pan, take another stroll down the grocery store aisles. You can still have store-bought, no-fuss breakfasts that are low in sodium by making these savvy substitutions.

Typical Choice:  A bowl of berry-flavored cereal (280mg per 1 cup) with 1 percent milk (160mg per 1 cup)

Total: 440 mg of sodium

Low-Sodium Alternative: A bowl of shredded wheat or puffed rice cereal (5mg per 1 cup) with coconut milk (15mg per 1 cup)

Total: 20 mg of sodium

Typical Choice: 1 packet of maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal

Total: 260mg of sodium

Low-Sodium Alternative: 1 cup of quick-cook oats with ¼ tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 banana

Total: 0mg of sodium

Low-Sodium Alternative: Corn tortilla (0mg of sodium) with farmers cheese (10mg per 1oz) and no-salt-added deli turkey meat (30 per 1 oz)

Total: 40mg of sodium

Typical Choice: Strawberry yogurt (95mg of sodium) and fruit-and-nut granola (80mg per ¾ cup)

Total: 175mg of sodium

Low-Sodium Alternative: Soy strawberry yogurt (20mg) with no salt added, fruit and nut granola (0mg per ¾ cup)

Total: 20g of sodium

Typical Choice: Ready-to-bake, seasoned hash browns (2/3 cup)

Total: 300mg

Low-Sodium Alternative: Ready-to-bake, no salt added hash browns (1 cup)

Total: 10mg of sodium

Typical Choice: 2 slices of uncured, smoked bacon

Total: 320mg of sodium (160mg of sodium for 1 slice)

Low-Sodium Alternative: 2 slices of uncured, reduced sodium smoked bacon

Total: 170mg of sodium (85mg of sodium for 1 slice)

Typical Choice: Chocolate croissant

Total: 220mg of sodium

Low-Sodium Alternative: Toasted, no-salt-added bread (10mg per slice) with hazelnut spread (15mg per 2 tbsp)

Total: 25mg of sodium

Typical Choice: Prepared cottage cheese-and-strawberry snack

Total: 390mg of sodium

Low-Sodium Alternative: No salt added cottage cheese (45mg per ¼ cup) with fresh strawberries or 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam (0mg of sodium)

Total: 45mg of sodium