© Shutterstock

Shrimp -

Pre-packaged shrimp often contains salt for reasons of preservation as well as flavoring. This can be avoided by buying it fresh.

© Shutterstock

Soup -

Canned and packaged soup is often full of excess salt, additives, flavor enhancers, etc. Better off making your own from fresh ingredients!

© Getty Images

Ham -

Salt is used in ham for curing and flavoring. It has been proven that processed meats cause cancer, so it is best to reduce your intake in general.

© Shutterstock

Instant desserts -

While an instant dessert may not taste like salt, it certainly has a high content of it. This is because it contains many additives.

© Shutterstock

Cottage cheese -

While cottage cheese is great for calcium and protein, it does contain excessive salt. Try rinsing it before eating: this will reduce the salt content.

© Getty Images

Vegetable juice -

Drinking vegetables in juice form has become increasingly popular in recent years. Best to juice your own vegetables though, as the pre-packaged juice can have excessive salt content.

© Getty Images

Salad dressing -

A lot of salad dressings can contain high levels of salt. As with many other things, you are better off making your own. Try using vinegar and olive oil.

© Getty Images

Pizza -

Everyone would suspect that fast-food style pizza would be heavy in salt, but actually it's all pizza. The cheese, sauce, dough, and processed meat all add up. Have a small amount, with a lot of salad.

© Getty Images

Sandwiches -

The filling of the sandwich can make a huge difference in the salt content. Reduce processed meat and cheese, and have more salad and unprocessed meat, for example.

© Getty Images

Broth and stock -

A lot of the flavor from broths and stocks comes from the excessive salt content. Try a low-sodium version, or make your own.

© Getty Images

Pre-packaged potato dishes -

Salt is very often used as a flavoring for potatoes and potato dishes. But there are many other ways to flavor potatoes. Try some alternatives.

© Getty Images

Pork rinds -

The popularity of this snack has increased, due to its suitability for the keto diet. However, pork rinds contain a large amount of salt.

© Shutterstock

Canned vegetables -

The preservation process means that the vegetables can contain excess salt. Rinse well, or buy frozen instead.

© Getty Images

Processed cheese -

As with meat, processed cheese will always have a higher amount of salt than more natural versions. Try to avoid it, or at least keep it to a minimum.

© Shutterstock

Dried meat -

While many dried meats are excellent for their protein content, they often contain an excessive amount of salt.

© Shutterstock

Bagels -

Bagels are reasonably healthy, but they are relatively high in salt. Try to reduce the number you consume per week.

© Getty Images

Salami -

All processed meats have a higher salt content than unprocessed. Try roast beef as an alternative to ham or salami.

© Getty Images

Pretzels -

Not only do pretzels often contain salt, they are usually covered in it! Pretzels are not a nutritious snack, and should be avoided where possible.

© Getty Images

Pickles -

They may be small, but their salt content isn't. And the larger ones are unfortunately no better. Limit your consumption of them.

© Getty Images

Sauce -

Many sauces are very high in salt. Barbecue and soy sauce have a particularly high content. Why not try making your own?

© Getty Images

Hot dogs -

Like with other processed meats, hot dogs have a high salt content. Cutting down on processed meat is the only healthy choice.

© Getty Images

Tomato sauce -

There are, unfortunately, many cans and jars of tomato sauce with an excessive salt content. Thankfully, these are not all that is available. Just look for alternatives with no added salt.

© Getty Images

Bread -

As with meat and cheese, the more processed bread is, the more likely it is to have high levels of salt. Avoid pre-sliced, long-life bread.

© Getty Images

Canned fish and meat -

While some improvement has been made in the salt content of tinned fish and meat, it is always worth checking the salt content before buying.

© Getty Images

Ramen noodles -

They are an extremely fast and convenient option for a snack or small meal. However, the flavoring that comes with the ramen noodles is often very high in salt.

© Getty Images

Cookies -

Often just assumed to have a high quantity of sugar, like many other baked products, cookies can have a high salt content.

© Getty Images

Macaroni and cheese -

The cheese sauce often has an excessively high salt content. This can be avoided by making your own, and adding fresh vegetables.

© Getty Images

Frozen meals -

While frozen meals will always be less healthy than making your own with fresh ingredients, if you must buy them, then go for the products with less salt.

© Getty Images

Baked beans -

It isn't the actual beans that are the problem, but rather the tomato sauce in which they are canned. There are, however, lower salt versions.

© Getty Images

Bacon -

As with all other processed meats, bacon contains high levels of salt. It's easy to forget how many meats we consume are processed, which is why so many have been mentioned here!

Interested in eating more healthily during the work day? Click here for some ideas!

© Shutterstock