10 High-Sodium Restaurant Foods & 10 Orders That Are Easier on Your Heart
Restaurant Menus Can Hide a Lot of Salt
Eating out doesn't automatically mean throwing healthy habits aside, but restaurant food can contain much more sodium than you'd expect. Sauces, cheese, cured meats, seasoning, broths, and dressings can all add up before the salt shaker even reaches the table. If you're trying to be a little kinder to your heart, knowing which dishes tend to be sodium-heavy and which orders give you more control can make choosing from the menu much easier. Here are 10 popular restaurant foods that contain whopping amounts of salt, followed by 10 much smarter choices.
1. Meat-Lover's Pizza
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, cheese, and pizza sauce all bring sodium to the table, so stacking them together can create an especially salty meal. A few slices may contain the majority of your recommended daily sodium intake. Adding extra cheese or meat only pushes the total higher.
2. Loaded Nachos
There's a reason loaded nachos can taste so intensely savory. Tortilla chips are already salted, and then restaurants pile on cheese, seasoned meat, salsa, queso, olives, and other sodium-rich toppings. Even sharing the plate doesn't necessarily turn it into a low-sodium appetizer.
3. Buffalo Wings
While chicken itself is a heart-healthy meat, the trouble with buffalo wings comes from the preparation. They're usually seasoned or brined before cooking and then coated in a salty Buffalo sauce afterward. Ranch or blue cheese dressing adds yet another source of sodium that can make the final order much saltier than it appears.
4. French Dip Sandwiches
Roast beef, cheese, bread, and seasoned meat can already provide plenty of sodium before you get to the defining feature of this sandwich. The accompanying au jus is typically made from salty stock or meat drippings and seasonings. Dunking every bite into it, as people generally do, can considerably increase the amount you're consuming.
5. Ramen
A steaming restaurant bowl of ramen can contain an enormous amount of sodium because the broth is heavily seasoned with ingredients such as soy sauce or miso. The noodles, seasoned meat, and toppings can contribute even more. Drinking all the remaining broth is often where you pick up a particularly large sodium hit.
6. Deli-Style Reuben
Corned beef is cured with salt, making it a high-sodium starting point for this classic sandwich. Add Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Russian or Thousand Island dressing, and rye bread, and the total quickly climbs. It's one of those orders where nearly every major ingredient contributes quite a bit of sodium of its own.
7. Chicken Parmesan
Breaded chicken topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese can become much saltier than plain chicken would ever be. Restaurant marinara and cheeses such as mozzarella and Parmesan are important sodium sources, while the breading may be seasoned too. A large serving of pasta with additional sauce can push the meal even further.
8. Quesadillas
A basic quesadilla sounds simple, but restaurant versions can contain generous portions of cheese along with seasoned chicken or steak. Flour tortillas, salsa, sour cream, and other accompaniments contribute additional sodium. Ordering extra queso turns an already salty meal into an even heavier one.
9. Chinese Takeout General Tso's Chicken
The sweet flavor of General Tso's sauce can distract you from the salt, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. Soy sauce and other sodium-rich seasonings are commonly used in the glaze, and the chicken itself may also be seasoned before frying. Eating it alongside fried rice or another heavily seasoned side can turn one order into a major sodium load.
10. Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Creamy potato soup doesn't always taste aggressively salty, but restaurant versions can contain sodium from broth, cheese, bacon, butter, and seasonings. Those loaded toppings make the numbers climb even faster. Pairing the soup with a sandwich may mean you're combining two dishes that are already sodium-heavy on their own.
Now that we've covered 10 restaurant dishes that tend to be the biggest salt bombs, let's talk about the ones that are a better choice.
1. Grilled Salmon With Vegetables
Grilled salmon is naturally flavorful enough that it doesn't need to be buried beneath salty sauces. Ask for it simply prepared and choose steamed or grilled vegetables instead of fries or heavily seasoned rice. As an added bonus, salmon is also a great source of heart-healthy fats.
2. Grilled Chicken Salad With Dressing on the Side
A salad can be a smart restaurant choice when you control the extras. Grilled chicken, leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other fresh vegetables offer a filling meal without relying on cured meats or piles of cheese. Keeping the dressing on the side allows you to control the amount.
3. Build-Your-Own Burrito Bowl
A customizable bowl makes it easier to decide exactly where your sodium comes from. Start with rice or greens and add beans, grilled protein, vegetables, corn, and fresh toppings while going lighter on queso, cheese, and salty sauces. You don't have to make it completely plain to create a more balanced order.
4. Vegetable Omelet With Fresh Fruit
Eggs paired with vegetables such as peppers, mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes can make a satisfying breakfast that doesn't require processed breakfast meats. Bacon, sausage, ham, and cheese are often responsible for much of the sodium in restaurant egg dishes. Swapping hash browns or breakfast meat for fresh fruit can make it even better.
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5. Grilled Fish Tacos
Fish tacos can be a lighter option when the fish is grilled rather than battered and fried. Fresh cabbage, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado, and lime bring plenty of flavor without depending entirely on salty sauces. Asking for crema, cheese, or other sauces on the side also gives you more control.
6. Steak With a Plain Baked Potato
A straightforward steak dinner can be easier to manage than a dish covered in sauce, cheese, or gravy. Ask for the steak with minimal added salt and choose a plain baked potato with vegetables alongside it. You can then add a modest amount of butter or another topping yourself rather than accepting a fully loaded version which would probably undo all the good of a baked potato.
7. Oatmeal With Fruit & Nuts
Restaurant oatmeal can make a convenient heart-conscious breakfast, especially when you skip heavily sweetened or salted toppings. Fresh berries, bananas, apples, and unsalted nuts add flavor and texture without requiring much sodium. It's also one of the easier menu items to customize without changing the entire dish.
8. Mediterranean Grain Bowl
Bowls built around grains, vegetables, chickpeas, greens, and grilled protein can offer plenty of variety while allowing you to limit salty additions. Feta, olives, pickled vegetables, and dressings can contain considerable sodium, so using smaller amounts makes a difference. Fresh vegetables, herbs, lemon, and hummus can still keep the meal interesting without adding overly salty toppings.
9. Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Choosing grilled chicken instead of breaded chicken removes one big source of sodium and saturated fat. Order the sandwich with lettuce, tomato, onion, and other vegetables while skipping bacon, processed cheese, and heavy sauces. You can also swap fries for fruit, a plain side salad, or vegetables when those options are available.
10. Grilled Shrimp With Vegetables
Shrimp can work well in a lighter restaurant meal when the preparation stays simple. Look for grilled shrimp served with vegetables, rice, or another minimally seasoned side rather than versions coated in creamy or salty sauces. Asking for sauces and dressings separately puts you in charge of how much ends up on your plate.
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