2016 UPDATE: I am sorry to say that I no longer recommend the Sol de Oro burrito sized tortillas. Since this post was written, the sodium content has changed from 140 mg sodium/tortilla to 350 mg. Something similar has also happened with the gorditas. They've gone from 75 mg sodium/tortilla to 180 mg.
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I just discovered these today. Usually I totally bypass the flour tortillas display when I'm grocery shopping because most are prohibitively high in sodium. But this was a special display, right in the middle of an aisle. I'd seen it for the last couple of weeks but ignored it. I have no idea why I decided to check it out, but I'm glad I did. The brand name is Sol De Oro and the website is Tortillas4u.com.
The first thing I did was to look at the nutritional label for the Burrito Size (10 inches) Flour Tortillas. Those can run anywhere from 300 to over 600 mg sodium per tortilla. Imagine my surprise when I saw 140 mg for one tortilla. I did a double take and checked the label again. I was sure I had missed something. Then I turned the package over and carefully read the front. The tortillas are "...made with all natural sea salt." Well, I'm not fooled by that. Sea salt, table salt, specialty salt -- it's still sodium. So that alone would not explain the 140 mg. Then I read a line that immediately became near and dear to my heart: NOW LOW SODIUM! The manufacturer purposely made these tortillas with less salt. Amazing! And they're bragging about it! Even more amazing!
If you can't find this brand at a local grocery store, you can order them online. Not all their products are low in sodium, so be sure to check the nutritional information before placing an order. The web store also offers Tostaditas Tortilla Chips which are only 10 mg sodium per 1 oz serving, approximately 11 chips. I was pretty excited about this find and immediately purchased the Burrito Size Flour Tortillas and Whole Wheat Gorditas. It was too late in the afternoon to make burritos, but tomorrow is another day...
18 comments:
Shambo, great post! I remember watching a Next Foodnetwork Star episode in which Alton admonished a contestant for calling an ingredient "sea salt." He asked, "is there any OTHER kind of salt?"
Jenny, thanks for that story. I know some people think sea salt tastes better or even that it is a healthier option than ordinary table salt because of trace minerals. But when you're on a salt restricted diet, salt is salt is salt. Using sea salt will not automatically lower the sodium content of a homemade dish or a processed food or whatever. Only lowering the AMOUNT of salt used will help lower the overall sodium content.
So when I see products touting the use of sea salt, my reaction is usually, "So what?" 250 mgs sodium is still 250 mgs sodium whether it's from table salt, sea salt, or gourmet pink Himalayan salt.
Thanks for your post! I just discovered your blog. I am on a low sodium diet due to Meniere's Disease, and I know how frustrating it can be to find a low sodium "food delivery system" (that's my term for "bread" ;)
Lettuce leaves, corn tortillas, it gets a little boring. where's the low sodium bread??
Looking forward to reading more!
Marcia Conlon
Losomarcia, I hope you can find some more "food delivery systems." I love that term! You're right it can be frustrating finding low sodium products for every day use. Sometimes you need a break from making everything from scratch.
For some great low sodium information, products, and recipes, be sure to check out my blog list and the low sodium information & products lists on the right hand side.
Most grocery stores in my area carry Ezekiel salt-free bread, usually found in the freezer section. The stores also carry Alvarado St. salt-free bread too.
Trader Joe's has two salt-free breads and their lavash flat bread wraps are fairly low in sodium as long as you remember to only use half. Whole Foods sells California Lavash which are smaller and therefore lower in sodium than the TJ product. I buy the lavash from both stores and freeze them.
Good luck!
This is wonderful news, I love flour tortillas and I am going to try to find these ones. I have Menieres and on a low sodium diet. Thank you for posting. Mary
Another stellar low so product find, my friend!! Can't thank you enough for posting these - I'll be keeping my eyes peeled.
Only people facing the challenges of following a low sodium regimen can truly appreciate how exciting this product really is. Flour tortillas are always way too high in sodium to eat regularly, but these products have changed that.
I know Christy and I have successfully made homemade flour tortillas, but this is so much easier. A great convenience product!
Hello! Just discovered your blog and I'm greatly appreciative. I have CKD and am at a stage 4. It's been so frustrating and depressing to stick to a renal diet. Can't wait to read more! Thanks! -B
Bryan, thanks for your nice comment. I wish you well on your special diet. I know it can be difficult and a challenge. Hope you can find some recipes and products that will aid you.
Hi I was buying these tortillas because of there low sodium of 140mg but just recently noticed on the package they say 350mg. I had an empty bag at home and sure enough every thing was the same except the sodium content. Not sure why the difference unless they were not recording the true amount of sodium in each tortilla. Bummed because these were a good low sodium product, well at least I thought they were.
Mary, that would be upsetting. I immediately went to my fridge to look at the tortillas I bought a couple of weeks ago.
They are Sol De Oro brand but they're the "Burrito Size" (only 10 inches) not the "Super Burrito Size." The ones I have are 140 mgs sodium per tortilla. However, I went online to the manufacturer's website and discovered that the "Super Burrito Size" has 220 mgs sodium per tortillas and is 12 inches.
Thanks for the heads up. I will change the picture to reflect ONLY the regular "Burrito Size." Check out the website below:
Sol De Oro
I was so thrilled to find this blog about low sodium tortillas. I went straight to Sol De Oro website, Tortillas4u and searched out the 8 inch flour gorditas and the nutritional information was shown as 75 mg sodium per tortilla. I rushed to buy 2 -24 count packages so that I could stock my freezer. After paying almost $13.00 in shipping, sending them an email expressing how happy I was to have found a low sodium option, and patiently waiting 8 days for them to be delivered, I was extremely disappointed when I received them and the sodium content on the package was listed as 180 mg. Of course I went straight to the website to check again what I had read the previous week and to my suprise, they had changed the information there. I feel like I have been taken. As a heart & kidney patient I know how difficult it is to find low sodium options of my favorite foods so that I can feel like I am living a more full life and not a completely restricted one. So when we do find somethnig, we will usually be willing to go to great lengths to aquire it. I tried to call La Tapatia Tortilleria, but their automated phone tree makes it absolutely impossible to speak to a live person. It would have been nice of them to inform me of the different sodium content after they received my email giving them praise for offering a 75mg option and stating how excited I was to receive them because I was on a salt restricted diet. Instead, they sneakily went and changed the information on their website, took my money, and sent out a product that didn't meet my expectations. I am sorely disappointed:(
Tiffany
Tiffany, I'm so sorry about the situation you encountered. I really don't know what's happening with the tortillas. About a year ago, Mary discovered a similar problem. So I investigated the website and what was available at my local market. Everything seemed OK for the 10 inch burrito size tortillas.
Then a couple of months ago I noticed the sodium content had changed at my supermarket and on the website. Finally, a few weeks ago, I found a package at my grocery store with the lower sodium content. But when I checked the website, higher content was listed.
So I honestly don't know what's going on. I hope you eventually get someone from customer service to help you. Please let me know what you discover. It's always a disappointment to find manufacturer's have messed around with a low sodium product. And doubly frustrating when you've paid extra money for that product.
Don Marcos Corn Tortillas contain zero sodium. Found these in a local grocery store. While I prefer the flour or multigrain, I can live with these.
Low sodium tortillas exist, but oddly, their makers do nothing at all to advertise their products' nutritional benefits.
I'm working my way through a pack of La Banderita white corn tortillas, low sodium. They're great, but now I can't remember where I got them.
Why are these products so hard to identify?
Rottenham, you touched on a real issue. There are several low sodium products out there, but, unfortunately, the manufacturers don't advertise them as such. So consumers never know about their availability. It's a shame, too. Because sometimes those great products are discontinued due to lack of sales. Maybe if the manufacturers were more aggressive in getting the word out, they'd have more sales.
Back to tortillas, I've found that's its quite easy to find low sodium corn tortillas. Flour tortillas, however, are a whole other story.
Eziekiel Bread from Food for Life has a low sodiom option -0 mg
Diane, thanks for your comment. You're right about Ezekiel Bread. It's a very good option for anyone following a low sodium diet. I usually can find it either in the freezer section or the natural foods section of my local grocery stores. Thanks for the reminder.
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