Low Sodium Breakfast Ideas

Consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium each day, according to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. If you are middle-aged or older, black or have hypertension, you want to consume even less sodium. The recommendation for these populations is 1,500 mg a day. Breakfast can include an excess of salt through processed meats, salted egg dishes and butter. However, with a few small changes, you can enjoy a healthy breakfast with a low amount of sodium.

Processed breakfast meats, such as bacon and sausage, contain an abundance of sodium that will easily throw you off your low-sodium diet. Choose low-sodium varieties of meat or make your own breakfast meat. MayoClinic.com notes that the wording "low-sodium" on food labeling means the food contains five percent or less daily value of sodium per serving. Make sausage patties out of ground beef or turkey and use spices such as chili pepper, oregano and fennel seeds instead of salt to season the meat.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are sodium-free foods that are easy to add to your breakfast. These two food groups are main parts of the DASH diet for hypertension. Eat fruit slices on the side, mixed into yogurt, blended into fruit smoothies or cooked into pancakes or muffins. Add vegetables to omelets, make zucchini bread as a healthy breakfast option and add vegetables like spinach to your fruit smoothies. Check food labels to make sure canned and frozen vegetables do not contain added sodium.

Storebought bread and cereal is often high in sodium, notes Food and Health Communications. Check the nutrition label and choose lower sodium varieties. Remember that five percent or less on the label would make it a low-sodium choice. Otherwise, try making your own bread or granola cereal at home. Make homemade oatmeal or cream of wheat without adding salt. Try homemade muffins, pancakes and other breakfast baked goods and hold the salt in the recipe, or lower the amount of salt the recipe suggests. Avoid buying storebought baked goods as they will contain more salt.

You can include eggs and low-fat dairy into a healthy, low-sodium breakfast. Make your eggs with no salt added and season them with flavorful herbs and spices, onion and garlic or salt substitutes. Enjoy low-fat milk and yogurt with your breakfast. Cheese is often high in sodium, so choose lower sodium varieties or skip the cheese. Choose unsalted butter or use polyunsaturated or monounsaturated oils instead for a healthier option.