When teenagers hit the front door after school, they are looking for food they can inhale instantly. To them, the perfect food is something they can just open and eat.

No cooking, no dirty dishes, just instant calories, fat and salt. That’s why they view chips as a favorite snack.

A microwave is the after-school appliance of choice—good for popping in a “hot pocket,” mini pizza, canned chili or instant ramen style soup.

Most of these foods (especially in the serving size teenage boys eat) exceed their recommended sodium intake for the whole day just in after-school snacking.

If kids can get to a fast food restaurant on the way home, their sodium intake soars even more. One Big Mac with fries and a shake contains more salt than they should eat in a whole day.

High salt foods like chips are even available in school vending machines. And sports drinks have added salt, which most teen athletes don’t need (unless they are exerting themselves in really hot conditions).

Experts say at least one in 10 of these teens is heading for serious trouble with high blood pressure, since they are “salt sensitive” and will develop high blood pressure as a result. High blood pressure leads to heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. If someone in the family has diabetes, the teen’s chances of a normal life span are even less.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Here are some low-salt snack foods to have on hand for hungry teens.

Fruit: most teens will eat an apple, banana, orange or pear, especially if it is sitting out on the counter. To improve the odds, try those caramel sheets you drape over an apple and microwave, or caramel sauce for dipping apple or pear slices.

Ice cream: It has calcium, and slicing a banana or strawberries over the top gives kids a nutritious fruit serving. Unless a teen is overweight, he or she can afford more calories per day than most adults.

Yogurt: This is another “open and eat” food. It can be topped with a granola-type cereal, banana or honey for a quick, healthy snack.

Low-salt chips: Most kids love them.

Low-salt popcorn: Already popped, this makes a great crunchy snack. Better yet, let your kids pop regular popcorn in an air popper.

Cold cereal: This can be a great after-school snack, but check the label for the sodium content. It’s possible that your teenage son will consider half the box as one serving, so choose the lowest-sodium cereal you know he will eat.

Peanut butter sandwiches: Add honey or jelly. Choose peanut butter by its sodium content, realizing that some brands are significantly lower than others.

Fruit smoothies: Combine fresh fruit, milk or yogurt, and perhaps juice to offer a healthy treat that’s high in calcium, low in sodium, and easy.

Katy G. Wilkens is a department head for Northwest Kidney Center and has a master of science degree and nutritional sciences from the University of Washington. Her columns will be appearing regularly here.