Sandwich-High Blood Pressure Connection: Try These Lower Sodium Sandwich Tips - Kidney Diet Tips (2024)

FAQs

What is the best sandwich to eat with high blood pressure? ›

Baked Chicken Sandwich Instead of Cold Cut Sandwich

For a bonus, a sandwich on whole-grain bread with low-fat cheese and mustard, instead of white bread with mayo or butter, can eliminate empty calories and increase adherence to DASH.

Sandwiches are another one of the multi-ingredient dishes that account for almost half of the sodium Americans consume. The bread, processed meat, cheese, and condiments often used to make sandwiches all contribute a significant amount of sodium ( 4 ).

For example, instead of a butter-based spread, try avocado slices or a mayo made with olive oil or avocado oil for more heart-healthy fats. Oils, vinegars, and lemon juice can be great ways to add flavor to sandwiches without adding excessive amounts of saturated fats and sodium.

The top fruits for lowering blood pressure include bananas, apples, pears, apricots, grapes, raisins, kiwis, mangoes, watermelon, pomegranate, plums, prunes, avocado, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, tomatoes, citrus fruit, berries, and more.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and the Mediterranean diet both include whole grains as part of a healthy diet. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adults should eat at least 3 ounces (85 grams) or more of whole grains a day. That's about three slices of whole-wheat bread.

Limit the foods on the worst-offenders list, like pizza, sandwiches and burgers, along with foods eaten at restaurants, processed meats, frozen meals and canned soups. The DASH diet is proven to help lower blood pressure.

For starters, toasting does not really impact the nutrients of bread, it does cause some chemical change which affects how healthy the bread remains.

A: Lean meat options like skinless chicken breast, turkey breast, pork tenderloin, beef sirloin, etc., are the lowest in sodium. But make sure that they are freshly cut and unprocessed. Processed meat varieties like sausage, salami, etc., often contain a lot of sodium.

What's the healthiest deli meat? ›

If you're looking for the healthiest lunch meat option, choose the leanest cuts of deli meat possible, such as turkey, chicken breast, lean ham or roast beef. “These types of deli meat have the least amount of fat and provide a better nutrient value compared to others,” Zumpano says.

The following foods are high in sodium and should be avoided on a low-sodium diet: Fast food: Burgers, fries, chicken fingers, pizza, etc. Salty snack foods: Salted pretzels, chips, salted nuts, salted crackers, etc. Frozen dinners: Frozen meat dishes, frozen pizza, etc.

Healthy unsaturated oils are olive oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, safflower oil and soybean oil. Foods you should avoid are: certain salt substitutes, trans-fats, processed meats, butter, mayonnaise, high fat dressings, caffeine, fruit punch, alkaline water and bottled ice teas.

Subway: Choose 6” sub, good ideas for fillings include chicken breast, tuna, ham, egg mayo, beef, turkey breast, club, sweet onion teriyaki and salad. The wraps available are all okay for those following a low salt diet.

But you can still manage to squeeze in a healthy lunch that's in line with your kidney diet. Ingredients to keep on hand for a quick lunch include pre-cooked chicken or turkey, frozen shrimp, ground beef, pitas and flour tortillas, celery, onion, lettuce and mayonnaise.

Healthier choices include roast beef, pork tenderloin, roasted chicken or turkey, and grilled chicken. Since these foods do not have preservatives, you will have to buy them in small quantities, or you can freeze small portions.

Packing Your Lunch

Throughout the week try to include a mix of lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and fat-free/low-fat dairy. Some great options include: Low-sodium turkey, skinless chicken, canned tuna or canned salmon (try it in a salad or on a sandwich with whole-wheat bread).

Good sandwich choices include sliced deli or rotisserie chicken, turkey, ham, lean roast beef, canned salmon or tuna, nut butter, grilled tempeh or tofu, smashed cooked beans, and reduced-fat cheese. Unsure about serving size?

Try these tips for eating to help manage your blood pressure: Add some dried fruit to your cereal in the morning. Fill half your dinner plate with vegetables. Have tuna fish or salmon on a salad for lunch, or if you like sardines – add them to a sandwich or salad for an omega-3 rich lunch!