Low Sodium Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Low sodium grilled cheese sandwich.

I've had to adjust my cooking because I'm trying to limit my sodium intake to 2000 mg (preferably 1500 mg) daily, and it's difficult.  I find it especially hard to come up with low sodium snacks.  Grilled cheese sandwiches are a favorite of mine, and I have managed to make one that is low in sodium, thanks to Trader Joe's.

The only bread I have been able to find that has no sodium is Trader Joe's Sodium Free Whole Wheat Bread.  Each slice has 0 mg sodium.

Cheese on the other hand, and I love cheese, is loaded with sodium.  Trader Joe's has two cheeses that are fairly low in sodium.  Their raw milk Emmentaler Swiss Cheese has 50 mg sodium per one ounce serving and that is extremely low for cheese. And their Yogurt Cheese has 140 mg sodium per slice.  So it's possible to make a cheese sandwich limiting the sodium to 50 or 140 mg.  I must admit I like the Yogurt Cheese better even though it is a bit higher in sodium content.

Low sodium Swiss cheese at Trader Joe's,

Trader Joe's low sodium yogurt cheese.

I've made grilled cheese sandwiches with both of these cheeses, and I believe I can get accustomed to having these instead of sandwiches that are loaded with sodium.

Low sodium (50mg to 140 mg sodium) grilled cheese sandwich with bell peppers as a snack or to accompany soup for a meal.

 I had no idea how much sodium is in food until I started checking labels carefully. Consider that a typical 1-ounce slice of bread has between 100 and 200 milligrams, depending on the type and brand.  An ounce of cheddar cheese has about 180 mg of sodium.  So a typical grilled cheese sandwich could contain anywhere from 380 to 580 mg of sodium.  That would be about a third of my daily quota.  And I'm not about to use a third of my daily allowance on a grilled cheese sandwich, no matter how much I like them.

I'll be posting other low sodium recipes on my blog in the future from time to time.  I've found there are a lot of folks out there trying to limit their sodium intake.