YMCA Hypertension-focused Sprouts Tour

Hypertension Shopping Suggestions

November 2022 YMCA Newsletter

Written By Monica Landeros-Jimenez

Content By Jennifer Gherau, RDN

Grocery store tours at Sprouts Farmers Market are a staple for providing real-life examples and tips to the local community. In October, the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas added hypertension to its list of tips for community grocery shoppers.

Registered Dietitian, Jenny Gherau, took the first group of shoppers focusing on hypertension through a tour of the Sprouts in Flower Mound.

“It is very easy to overeat sodium with heavily convenient and processed foods in our grocery stores and restaurants we buy food from. In fact, 1 teaspoon of table salt is equivalent to 2300 mg of sodium - the recommended daily amount! However, according to the CDC, over 70% of dietary sodium comes from eating restaurant, prepackaged and processed foods—not from table salt added to food when cooking or eating. Most of this food doesn't have to taste salty. The good news is we can do better by paying more attention to the food labels, especially if you are a person diagnosed with high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, or diabetes,” said Jenny.   

Here are several low sodium grocery store suggestions:

  1. Try to choose products with sodium levels of 5% Daily Value (DV) or less — 20% DV or more is high. "Low sodium" is considered 140 mg or less per serving. Make sure to read the serving size of the label to accurately measure the sodium you are eating 

  2. Buy snacks such as unsalted nuts, fruits, and veggies instead of salted pretzels or chips or choose low sodium low-sodium chips and pretzels or unsalted popcorn

  3. Try using fresh or frozen chicken, lean meats, or seafood instead of buying deli meats, bacon, or sausages all processed with sodium

  4. Go for fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables, or canned vegetables labeled with “low sodium” or “no added sodium” and before eating, rinse them off to remove some of the sodium

  5. Use condiments and spreads that are unsalted or lower in sodium — and if you use regular spreads, use less – read label for serving size (ketchup, BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, cream cheese)

  6. Try a variety of herbs and spices to flavor your food, like ginger or garlic, instead of salt

  7. Choose whole grain breads and grains like brown or wild rice, quinoa, or barley. Other choices are higher in sodium

  8. Choose Low-sodium or reduced-sodium cheese — good choices are mozzarella, Swiss, ricotta, and low sodium cottage cheese.