GET FREE SAMPLES

sign up for our newsletter to get free sample alerts

12 Sneaky Sodium Traps Sabotaging Your Looks

Erase under-eye bags and shrink your belly by avoiding these surprisingly salty offenders
Photo 5/13
Bloody Mary
The damage: 461 mg in 10 fluid ounces ... and that's just the mix
Compared to: 20 Ritz crackers: 420 mg

You may think this boozy brunch punch is your saving grace after a night out, but its high salt content will dehydrate you more than it will revive you. Don't let the celery stalk distract you. A few shakes of Tabasco, which has 179 milligrams in 1 ounce, can mean you're downing 640 milligrams of sodium before you even dig into your eggs Benedict.

Photo 6/13
Cheese
The damage: 368 mg per slice of American cheese or 428 mg in 1 ounce of grated parmesan
Compared to: 2 bags of Lay's BBQ Potato Chips: 426 mg

Don't worry: We would never suggest you give up cheese for good. Instead, try switching types. One slice of mozzarella has half the sodium of parmesan, and adds a similar Italian flair to your pasta.

Photo 7/13
Pickles
The damage: 880 mg per whole dill pickle
Compared to: 1 Wendy's Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger: 870 mg

Read your labels closely. Sure, a single serving of pickles might only contain 220 milligrams of salt, but when was the last time you ate a quarter of a pickle? Eat the whole thing and you've devoured more than half a day's worth of sodium. We don't even want to think about what happened to our editor when she drank an entire jar of pickle juice to test out hangover cures.

Photo 8/13
Campbell's Chicken Soup
The damage: 890 mg per cup
Compared to: 1 Ramen Noodle packet: 750-950 mg

Mmm, mmm, good -- and oh so salty. Just one cup will cost you nearly 75 percent of your daily sodium intake -- and one 8-ounce cup of soup has filled no one up ever.

Photo 9/13
Marinara Sauce
The damage: 642 mg for a 1/2 cup
Compared to: 1 slice of pepperoni pizza: 610 mg

Pasta gets all the blame for its high-carb content, but your sauce is the one sabotaging your diet by piling on the sodium. Try pureeing your own tomatoes and adding fresh herbs and spices next time you whip up spaghetti.

BY ERICA SMITH | FEB 3, 2015 | SHARES
VIEW COMMENTS
Full Site | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy
TotalBeauty is a property of Evolve Media Holdings, LLC. © 2025 All Rights Reserved. | Affiliate Disclosure: Evolve Media Holdings, LLC, and its owned and operated subsidiaries may receive a small commission from the proceeds of any product(s) sold through affiliate and direct partner links.