Quick take
Trying to kick your sodium intake but struggling when it comes to no salt snacks? Your snacking days aren’t over, not even close! We’ve rounded up some of our favorite vegan low sodium snacks to make your transition to a low sodium plant-based diet easier (and more delicious).
On this page
Why low sodium snacks?
10 of our favorite low sodium snacks
Help! I don’t like no salt snacks
Tips for transitioning to a no salt plant-based diet
Key takeaways
Free download: The Ultimate Little Guiide to Plant-Based Eating
Before we start: a special GIFT for you
Here’s an exclusive ebook, The Ultimate Little Guide to Plant-based Eating, made just for readers of this post. Get it below.
Why low sodium snacks?
Actually, your body needs salt. But not all that much.
Sodium, a component of salt (AKA sodium chloride), helps us maintain fluid levels in the body. Thanks to sodium, we retain water when we need it and excrete it when we don’t. Athletes, for example, may need to replenish more sodium than less active folks.
But most of us are consuming way too much salt. The average American consumes 3,400 mg of salt daily; more than twice the American Heart Association’s daily allotment of 1500 mg.
What’s the problem with eating all this salt? Well, it’s taking a toll on our health.
Too much salt raises the amount of sodium in your bloodstream and makes it harder for your kidneys to regulate fluid. This extra fluid leads to higher blood pressure and strains the blood vessels leading to the kidneys, which can cause life-threatening conditions -- most commonly heart disease and stroke.
The good news is, you can cut your salt intake drastically (and still easily get all the sodium your body needs) by eating a wide array of whole fruits and vegetables...and we’re here to help you get started with our 10 favorite vegan low sodium snacks.
10 of our favorite low sodium snacks
Ok, you came for the snacks so let’s talk snacks! No salt snacking doesn’t have to be hard or bland. Here are 10 of our favorite low sodium snacks (all plant-based, of course!) to get you started.
1. Veggies and no salt hummus
Store-bought hummus can be high in sodium so be sure to read food labels. Your safest bet for no salt hummus? Make your own! It’s super easy with this no-salt hummus recipe.
2. Apples and peanut butter
Apples and peanut butter (or any nut butter, really) is a perfect no salt snack for the kid at heart. Make sure you grab all-natural peanut butter with no added salt or oil -- the ingredients should just say “ground peanuts.”
3. Fresh fruit
Speaking of apples, any and all fruits can be part of your low sodium snacks routine. Some of favorites to grab-and-go:
- Clementines or oranges
- Apples
- Bananas
- Fresh berries: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries
- Pineapple chunks
- Melon
4. Dates and nut butter
Another suggestion for those with a sweet tooth: medjool dates have a naturally caramel-like flavor and when paired with peanut butter you’ve got one tasty nutrient-dense snack. We recommend enjoying with your favorite tea for an afternoon treat.
5. Raw nuts
A handful or two of your favorite raw nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, whatever floats your boat!) is a great no salt snack to satisfy that need to crunch.
6. Smoothies
Smoothies aren’t just for breakfast! They make the perfect afternoon pick-me-up snack and a delicious food without salt. Here are a few of our favorite smoothie recipes:
7. Popcorn with nutritional yeast
An absolute must for your no salt plant-based pantry, nutritional yeast has an umami taste that’s both nutty and cheesy -- making it the perfect add-on to your bowl of popcorn.
8. No salt granola
The flagship “healthy eater” snack, there’s a reason granola’s a classic: it’s delicious! But store-bought versions are often loaded with added sugars and salt. Good news: MamaSezz makes a no salt granola, naturally sweetened with dates and topped with chia seeds for a satisfying crunch.
9. Chia pudding
Speaking of chia, overnight chia seed pudding is a great alternative to yogurt snacks. Bonus: chia seeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids which help reduce inflammation and can improve cognitive performance.
10. No-bake oatmeal cookies
Remember those no-bake cookies your mom made growing up? We gave them a vegan no salt makeover. Four ingredients, no baking necessary. Here’s the no-bake oatmeal cookies recipe.
Help! I don’t like no salt snacks
A quick note as you embark on your salt-free journey: you may not love food without salt, at first.
Why? Your taste buds are most likely dulled from years of a high sodium standard American diet. When our taste buds are dulled like this, it’s harder to actually taste food, which then has us reaching for that salt shaker to add flavor, thus, keeping the cycle going.
But here’s the cool part: you can reset your taste buds and break the cycle. And it doesn’t take long at all -- just a few weeks and you'll be en oyingfood without salt again!
Tips for transitioning to a no salt plant-based diet
As you wait for your taste buds to reset, we’ve got some tips to help you stick with your low sodium snacks and lifestyle.
1. Get rid of your salt shaker for low sodium snacks success
One teaspoon of table salt has over 2,300 mg of sodium -- which is more salt than you need in a day. And 22% of us salt our food before we even taste it. We say scrap the salt shaker altogether so you’re not tempted to add more salt to your food when it really doesn’t need it.
2. Learn how to season without salt
Here are some of our favorite seasonings without salt.
3. Read nutrition labels for low sodium snacks
A quick and easy trick for understanding if something is high in sodium or not: ideally the sodium mg should be equal to or less than the number of calories per serving size. Here are more tricks for reading nutrition labels.
4. Avoid processed foods
75% of our salt intake comes from packaged foods! Crazy, right? By cutting out processed foods you’ll set yourself up for no salt success.
5. Cook meals at home to ensure you have food without salt
Unfortunately, many restaurants use a ton of salt. 85 out of 102 meals at popular restaurant chains have more than a day’s worth of sodium. Try making meals at home (at least for the first few weeks of your transition) to ensure you're actually eating food without salt.
6. Remember it may take a few weeks for your taste buds to reset
Give yourself some grace during this transition and we promise, you'll come to really enjoy your low sodium snacks as your taste buds come back to life.
Get food without salt delivered to your door - ready-made with our S.O.S. Free (No Salt) Bundle!
Now that we've got vegan low sodium snacks covered, let's talk about dinner! Get ready-made and plant-based meals delievered to your door, full of flavor without the salt, refined sugar, or oil.
Click here for more details on our No Salt meal bundle.
Key takeaways
-
Most Americans eat way too much salt!
-
Over-consumption of salt can lead to hypertension (and stroke), heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity.
-
A little bit of salt is necessary to balance fluid levels in the body, but you can get all you need just by eating a well-rounded whole food plant-based diet.
-
You can still get your snack on without salt! There are plenty of delicious low sodium snacks awaiting.
-
Your taste buds may need a few weeks to adjust to low sodium snacks life, but once they do, you’ll be able to fully taste (and enjoy) your food without salt again!
-
You can get ready-made salt-free dishes delivered by MamaSezz when you order the S.O.S. Free (No Salt) Bundle
Get your FREE Ultimate Little Guide to Plant-Based Eating
By Ali Brown
Ali is a nutrition and lifestyle writer and editor, with a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.