Food Showdown: Cottage Cheese vs. Black Bean Soup

By , SparkPeople Blogger
Both low-fat cottage cheese and black bean soup are nutritious, high-protein snacks. But most processed foods contain high levels of sodium, which can contribute to high blood pressure. The average American adult consumes about 2,500 to 5,000 milligrams of sodium a day. But most experts now recommend that adults cap their sodium intake at 1,500 daily milligrams. When monitoring your sodium intake, which snack would you choose?
 
The Winner: Black Bean Soup!


Neither of these is a "low sodium" food, which is defined by the FDA as containing less than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving. In fact, whether eating the soup or the cottage cheese, you'd ingest about 36% of your daily sodium recommendation!  One cup of cottage cheese contains 918 milligrams of sodium, while the black bean soup contains slightly less at 900 milligrams. Look for low-sodium versions of your favorite foods (and soups) whenever you shop. If you're watching your blood pressure, avoid cottage cheese altogether. 

Did you guess correctly? What is your favorite low-sodium snack?