Sodium-Free Snack Foods

The American Heart Association previously recommended keeping your sodium intake to under 1,500 milligrams a day. Snacking is a good way to avoid feeling hungry in between meals, but some snacks like crackers and chips are high in sodium. Find snacks that have no sodium, but still give you the satisfaction of eating in between meals. Many fresh foods, such as fruits and vegetables, have a negligible amount of natural sodium, but it is so minimal that they are considered a no-sodium food.

Raw Vegetables

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Plain cooked or raw vegetables contain no sodium, are high in fiber and cholesterol free. Incorporate vegetables into your snack menu by buying pre-cut bags of vegetables from the grocery store or cutting up standard sized vegetables into smaller pieces when you get home from the grocery store. When you want a snack, take a handful of your prepared vegetables and dip them into sodium free dressings or marinade. According to Fruit and Veggies: More Matters, a food must have less than 5 milligrams of sodium to be classified as sodium free. Use sodium free peeled green peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and summer squashes for snacks. Make salad ahead of time and eat a small garden salad for a filling, healthy snack.

Fruits

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Fruits are naturally sodium free and can help satisfy your craving for a sweet snack. Choose dried fruits like raisins, prunes or apricots to take on a hike or store in your office drawer for those times when you need an easy snack. Pack apples, plums, pears or bananas in your lunch sack to have in between lunch and dinner. Cut up oranges, grapes, peaches and strawberries to make a small fruit salad that your kids will enjoy for a snack. Many canned foods do not have added sodium, but check the labels to be sure, recommends the Canned Food Alliance. Puree or finely cut up ripe watermelon or honeydew. Freeze in a plastic cup and let your kids enjoy a sodium-free, healthy slushy.

Nuts and Cereals

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Unsalted nuts and some cereals are good sodium free snack food choices. Nuts and cereals both contain fiber, which helps keep you full between meals. Nuts have the added benefit of containing healthier fats. Pre-measure 2 tablespoons of nuts and put them in snack-sized bags. Take a bag of unsalted almonds, pecans or pine nuts with you in the car. If you like your nuts crispy, toast your own nuts by brushing them lightly with oil and roasting them in a 350 degree oven until crispy. Before eating dry cereal for a snack, read the labels to find sodium free cereals. Look for rice or wheat puffed cereals. Make air popped popcorn for a low-calorie, sodium free snack.