In this article we will explore the role that sodium plays in human body and why it is so important to drink low sodium juices if you want to have a healthy and balanced nutrition.

Sodium (Na) is a chemical element that occurs naturally in a lot of foods. However, common kitchen salt (sodium chloride – NaCl) is probably the best known reservoir of sodium for the body. A great number of unprocessed, fresh foods, for example, a lot of types of fresh fruits and vegetables, integral grains, as well as protein rich nutrients, like lean meats, poultry, and fish are actually pretty low in sodium content. This list also includes garlic, onion, parsley, paprika, honey, skim milk, yogurt, soy milk, tea, cottage cheese and other ingredients.

The human body needs certain amounts of sodium in order to function properly. Our body contains electrolytes – chemical substances that become ions in solutions and are capable of conducting electric impulses. The balance of electrolytes in our organism is essential for the proper functioning on cellular level. Sodium is an important electrolyte.

Therefore, sodium helps in maintaining the proper balance of liquids in our bodies and it has an impact on the transmission of nerve impulses. Sodium also has a say in the process of muscle contractions.

Our kidneys are organs of the body that control the concentration of sodium. If we increase our sodium levels, the kidneys discharge the excess sodium via the urine. If we don’t take in enough sodium, the kidneys will retain the already present sodium. So, actually if we never looked at our daily sodium intake, we would probably be OK, as long as our kidneys perform their useful functions and we maintain our normal nutrition.

 

But if we keep taking in too much sodium, or if the kidneys are not functioning properly, this nutrient will start accumulating in the blood, attracting water, and causing high blood pressure. Furthermore, if we are obese and have 40 plus years of age, it will probably be a good idea to start thinking about how to regulate our sodium intake.

 

Another important variable is the amount of carbs we eat every day. Too much salt is bad only in combination with a diet abundant in carbohydrates. The reason is that too much carbs cause your insulin levels to increase. In turn, insulin causes salt and water retention in the body. As a rule, if you are on a low-carb diet, you can allow yourself to take more salt than when you are on a high-carb diet, without the risk of increased blood pressure.

The recommended daily requirement for sodium is about 1,500 mg. Everything that goes up to 2,300 mg per day is considered a safe sodium intake. This value is also the maximum recommended daily sodium intake. However, on average, American people consume about 4,000 mg of sodium daily, which is well above the recommended values.

That is why low sodium diet, and, in particular, low sodium juices, are important for a healthy and balanced life.

To illustrate the amount of sodium in juices, here is a list of vegetables and fruits along with their serving sizes and the corresponding sodium content.

If you decide to prepare your own healthy juices, for instance, by using our favorite Hamilton Beach Juicer, this list can come very handy.

Note how almost all veggies and fruits have low sodium concentration, provided that they are fresh and natural. For example one small Tomato has 11 mg of sodium. In contrast, 3/4 cup canned tomato juice has 660 mg of sodium.

Food	Serving Size	Milligrams/Sodium
Asparagus	6 spears	10
Avocado	1/2 medium	10
Apple	1 large	2
Fresh apple juice	1 cup	7
Apricots	1 large	2
Beans, green	1 cup	4
Beets	1 cup	84
Broccoli, raw	1 cup	24
Banana	1 large	2
Carrot	1 large	40
Celery	1 stalk raw	35
Cucumber	sliced	2
Eggplant, raw	1 cup	2
Grapes	1 cup	2
Grape juice	1 cup	7
Grapefruit	1	1
Grapefruit juice	1 cup	7
Lettuce	1 leaf	2
Lima beans	1 cup	5
Mushrooms	1 cup	4
Mustard	1	24
Onions	1 cup	5
Peas	1 cup	4
Orange	1 large	2
Orange juice	1 cup	2
Peach	1	0
Radishes	10	11
Spinach	1 cup	42
Raisins	1 cup	18
Strawberries	1 cup	2
Watermelon	1 cup	3
Squash, acorn	1 cup	8
Sweet potato	1	24
Tomato	1	22
Tomato juice, canned	3/4 cup	660

In case you are not up to preparing your own home made juices, there is an alternative – the V8 low sodium vegetable juice. Apart from the “normal” V8 juices, a few years ago a low sodium variation of V8 vegetable juice was  introduced. It is a healthy, refreshing combination of the following eight vegetables: carrots, tomatoes, beets, parsley, spinach, celery, lettuce, and watercress. This juice contains very useful ingredients, while at the same time keeping the sodium content at 140 mg per 8 oz. serving. You can drink this 8 ounce cup of V8 which tastes great and still not feel stuffed.

Apart from sodium, one serving of V8 vegetable juice with only 50 calories contains 820 mg of Potassium, and plenty of Vitamin A, C, Iron, and Calcium.

Your best shot should be preparing low sodium juices by yourself. You can use a good juice maker, and then, drink the juices immediately after they have been prepared. Such juices, as they are not pasteurized, contain all the beneficial natural nutrients, enzymes and Vitamins. If you want to purchase low sodium juices, then you will have to settle for some fully or partly pasteurized juices, such as V8. Whenever you can, though, go for the natural home made juices.

 
Low sodium juices are highly recommended over the regular juices. Also if you go for the V8 vegetable juices, choose the low sodium version. Please note that the low sodium V8 vegetable juice, although quite delicious, actually tastes somewhat differently than the ordinary V8 juices.  Cheers.