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If you’ve been told to follow a low sodium diet or are trying to learn how to do this to improve your heart and vascular health, you may have heard some conflicting advice about eating out. Some people may say that it’s not a good idea, and others might tell you it’s perfectly possible. 

If you’re confused by all of this information, you’re not alone. It’s true that many restaurant foods are very high in sodium. But it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to dine out when you’re following a low sodium eating plan.

That’s why in this post we’ll discuss some helpful strategies for choosing low sodium restaurant options when you’re dining out.

Quick disclaimer—although I am a registered dietitian nutritionist, your reading of this or any articles on this website does not constitute medical nutrition therapy advice nor create a practitioner-client relationship. The information I provide here on this website is for educational and informational purposes only. Please see my full disclaimer for more information.

Understanding Restaurant Food Sodium Content and Health Impacts

Before we dive into the tips to use when planning your restaurant meal, it’s helpful to take a step back and understand why restaurant foods have the tendency to be higher in sodium.

First of all, salt (which contains a good percentage of sodium) is often used in recipes as a flavor enhancer. When you’re dining out, you would generally expect the food you’re purchasing to taste flavorful, not bland. That being said, it’s therefore important for the restaurant to provide flavorful food (accomplished by adding enough salt) to give you a good experience and encourage you to return.

In addition to the flavor enhancing aspect of sodium in restaurant foods, there is also the preservative function. In restaurants that may not be cooking food to order, there may be more of a reliance on pre-made items.

Many pre-made items contain sodium in some form [possibly other than table salt (sodium chloride)] to keep them stable until they’re used. If this is the case, then the amount of sodium in these items is likely higher than that of items you would cook fresh at home.

So why is this important for the customer? Because of the potential impacts on our health—especially if you’re a heart patient.

In recent years, the amount of sodium we consume on a daily basis has been looked at more closely in research studies. Although there may be some exceptions, for the most part higher sodium intake (especially in the context of a less nutritionally balanced diet) isn’t exactly helping our health outcomes.

Based on the information we have so far, there appear to be strong associations between excess sodium intake and hypertension (high blood pressure). High enough blood pressure over time can often lead to kidney disease and other vascular complications such as heart attack and stroke, because high blood pressure can cause the arteries to stiffen and also become more vulnerable to potential blockages.1

Because of that data, our health authorities recommend that for most people, cutting back on overall sodium intake would be a wise course of action.1 (Please note, there are exceptions, but that is beyond the scope of this article.) And a part of that process is being aware of how much sodium you may be consuming from restaurant foods and adjusting downward if needed.

Infographic on the topic of why some restaurant foods are higher in sodium.

Preparing to Dine Out

Now that you know the potential benefits of cutting back on sodium intake when eating out, how can you begin to do that? Let’s dive into a few tips.

A first piece of advice, which I tell many of my patients, is to plan ahead if at all possible. If the restaurant you’re going to has a website, see if you can find the nutrition information section and use it as a guide.

A follow up step to locating the nutrition information is to pick a few reasonable options from the menu that you could choose when visiting the restaurant. That way, if your first choice isn’t available, or if you’re just not feeling like that first choice, then you have other items you could order instead.

If the restaurant doesn’t have nutrition information available, you can still look over the menu to find items that seem nutritionally reasonable. Once you get there, or if you decide to call ahead, you can ask the staff to tell you more about how your preferred option is prepared.

Infographic on the topic of tips to try when preparing to dine out.

In Restaurant Strategies

If you’ve arrived at the restaurant and haven’t had time or possibility to look at items beforehand, then here are a few tips you may want to try out.

First, pay close attention to the food item descriptions when skimming the menu. I often like to tell my patients that for the most part, the simpler an item is, the more likely it is to be lower in sodium. This may not always be the case (such as for soups), but it is still a good starting point to consider.

Second, when checking menu descriptions, look for foods that are not breaded, fried, or smothered in some sort of sauce, gravy, dressing, or other highly flavored type of preparation. Generally speaking, the sauce/gravy/dressing can add a fair amount of sodium to the whole meal; so by avoiding these types of preparations, you’ll cut back naturally on sodium. 

Instead, look for descriptions like baked, boiled, broiled, grilled, steamed, poached, etc., as these preparation methods often use less sodium because they don’t contain all of the “extras” mentioned above. 

A word of caution, however—although simpler prepared items like “grilled fish with __ glaze” might sound lower sodium, be aware that the glaze could potentially have a higher amount of sodium to enhance the entree’s overall flavor. Consider asking staff how it is prepared.

And a note about soups. Based on the recommendations for food choices we’ve seen so far, you’re likely thinking that it may be wise to generally avoid creamier soups. And you’d be right. 

But I’d like to take this one step further and suggest also being mindful of broth-based soups. While these can often be lower calorie, meaning less energy provided from the soup itself, they are usually not low in sodium. 

If you do choose to go with a broth-based soup, I would suggest being very mindful of what you’re eating at the rest of the meal and during the day as well to moderate your overall sodium intake.

A third major consideration is to be mindful of the carbohydrate options offered in meal choices. While not all pasta dishes are higher in sodium than other options on the menu, there are definitely instances when they can be. That being said, choosing more simply prepared protein and vegetable focused meals, maybe with pasta as a side, may be helpful in reducing overall sodium intake. 

And a quick side note about bread—although it can be a delicious addition to a meal, more than 1-2 pieces can start to add up sodium-wise, so be mindful of that reality when you’re enjoying it.

A fourth major in-restaurant strategy is requesting customization if you feel comfortable doing so and if the restaurant allows it. Ask your server/waitstaff member how the food is prepared and if it would be possible to leave out extra salt. 

The staff should usually be familiar enough with the menu to help you find a way to make an item lower sodium. Consider asking if the kitchen can use fresh or dried herbs or a salt-free herb or spice blend in place of salt. Even a lemon slice or lemon juice could be an option.

And if you happen to enjoy salads, keep in mind that oftentimes the dressing can contribute a fair amount of sodium to the overall meal. You may want to consider asking for oil and vinegar (usually they come in separate containers) in place of the dressing, or ask for the dressing on the side and use as little as you feel comfortable with.

Infographic on tips to use in the restaurant to keep sodium intake managed.

Managing Frequent Eating Out

As you plan out your schedule, you may notice times where you’ll be eating out more frequently than you may want to. If that is the case for you, I would suggest paying closer attention to your sodium intake during the day as well as during the entire week.

If you’re going to be eating out more than once a day, it may be in your best interest to focus a little more closely on keeping sodium intake managed during each meal. If you’re in a sit-down restaurant, you may want to be a little more proactive on checking with staff about how food is prepared.

If you’re at a fast food location, consider ordering items without extra condiments like ketchup and sauces. If you’re having fries, ask for unsalted fries. And since chain restaurants usually have nutrition information available online, it wouldn’t hurt to check the sodium content for a few reasonable options to try.

With all of these instructions, you may be wondering how much sodium you should actually be eating. So here are my thoughts on this.

Although it may be challenging, I would still aim for the recommended daily target1 of 2300 milligrams (mg) or less if at all possible. And you can come close with some careful planning.

If you’re at a restaurant that does provide sodium content information, consider choosing entrees that are less than 800-1,000 mg of sodium unless you don’t plan on eating the whole entree. If you know you’ll be taking half of it home, you could potentially order a little higher sodium entree, but consider keeping that “half entree” amount of sodium to 800 mg or less.

And this is without any appetizers—if you are having appetizers, consider going lower on your entree sodium content, like 500-600 mg if at all possible. An example would be ordering an entree that is 1,000 mg sodium but eating only half of it (eating only 500 mg sodium) and enjoying a small part of an appetizer.

And keep in mind the rest of your day—if you’re eating higher sodium items at one meal, try to go as low sodium as you can for one or more of the other meals to help even things out.

And a few more last tips. First, try to make sure you’re well hydrated during the day with enough fluids. This can sometimes help take the edge off your hunger, allowing you to make more careful decisions.

Second, if you are able to choose the restaurants you go to, picking ones that you know have lower sodium options available or staff who can help make that happen can help you stress less about how much sodium you’re taking in.

Infographic on tips to manage sodium intake when you're eating out frequently.

Conclusion

As we end our discussion on choosing low sodium restaurant options, remember that planning ahead and/or having a set of strategies for managing your choices can help you out in the long run. The more aware you are of your options, the better you can manage your sodium intake and ultimately reduce the risk of further health issues.

As you think over some of the strategies in this article, pick one or two to try out at your next restaurant visit. It may take some time and practice to figure out strategies that work best for you, but keep practicing until you feel comfortable with them.

And don’t forget, every little bit of progress is important. Given time, you’ll find the strategies that allow you to have a pleasant dining experience while still benefiting your heart and vascular system.

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Sources

  1. American Heart Association Editorial Staff. Get the Scoop on Sodium and Salt. Heart.org website. Updated December 22, 2022. Accessed July 9, 2024. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sodium/sodium-and-salt.

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