topic Re: Low sodium diet in Wellness

Low sodium diet

smoochy — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 04:13:12 GMT

I'm supposed to be on one.

Any suggestions for low sodium recipes that you like, or ways that you've adapted your regular dinner menus?

Re: Low sodium diet

JeanLouiseFinch — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 04:12:41 GMT

@smoochy - You might try adding some additional seasoning, fresh garlic and herbs to your food. Maybe you won't miss the salt as much.

Re: Low sodium diet

smoochy — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 04:14:59 GMT

@JeanLouiseFinch wrote:
@smoochy - You might try adding some additional seasoning, fresh garlic and herbs to your food. Maybe you won't miss the salt as much.

thanks! As you can see I edited my post. The original had unnecessary details 😉

Re: Low sodium diet

Carmie — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 16:11:08 GMT

I hate salty foods. I just can't eat them.

Things that are too salty are canned veggies....frozen dinners and other heat up foods like pizza, chicken patties and nuggets, jarred pasta sauce, hot dogs and cold cuts, cheese, crackers, breads (read the labels) take out food, soy sauce, ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce and other condiments, pickles, potato chips, popcorn, pretzels, store bought salad dressings, canned soups,sauerkraut and olives.

You have to cook from scratch. Fresh meat, eggs, veggies, fruits, use no or low salt condiments and snacks. Read the labels. Lots of prepackaged foods are now offered in low or no sodium versions.

Anything you cook can be made without salt....just don't add it. Read the labels for breads and desserts.

I use a lot of onions and onion powder, garlic and garlic powder, parsley, oregano, basil, pepper, red hot and black pepper.

Almost everything in the frozen food aisle is high in sodium. It is used as a preservative. Take out food is loaded as well.

My husband used to salt everything without even tasting it first, it took him a while to like food without salt, but now he doesn't even miss it. It takes time.

Re: Low sodium diet

kate2357 — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 04:39:18 GMT

@smoochy

Have you looked into salt substitutes? Last summer we were told my dh needed to be on a lower sodium diet. Yikes....I found it very hard to make meals he would eat. A friend suggest a salt sub, and we tried the one below. Had to play around a bit, but eventually I figured out how to use correctly.

We do eat primarily fresh items, canned and processed items have a lot of sodium. You will be astonished when you start reading labels.

Good luck on your journey to better health.

Re: Low sodium diet

elated — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 05:12:41 GMT

Foods to Include in a Low-Sodium Diet:
Opt for fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole eggs.
Plant-based foods like fresh produce generally have less sodium than animal-based foods.
When cooking, limit the use of salt as a season
Foods to Avoid on a Low-Sodium Diet:
Processed and packaged foods tend to be high in sodium.
Examples include chips, frozen dinners, and fast food.
These foods often have added salt during processing to enhance flavor.

Re: Low sodium diet

smoochy — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 05:15:18 GMT

@kate2357 wrote:
@smoochy
Have you looked into salt substitutes? Last summer we were told my dh needed to be on a lower sodium diet. Yikes....I found it very hard to make meals he would eat. A friend suggest a salt sub, and we tried the one below. Had to play around a bit, but eventually I figured out how to use correctly.

We do eat primarily fresh items, canned and processed items have a lot of sodium. You will be astonished when you start reading labels.

Good luck on your journey to better health.

thanks, no I hadn't even thought about a salt substitute

Re: Low sodium diet

bikerbabe — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 07:14:09 GMT

I would caution using a salt substitute depending on your meds and health history. They often contain potassium (instead of sodium) and your doctor may not want you to increase your potassium intake.

Re: Low sodium diet

Lilysmom1 — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 09:46:29 GMT

@smoochy Good luck on the low sodium journey. Some good advice here. I am a label reader which is a good habit. It is shocking to see how much salt is in some foods!

Re: Low sodium diet

LizzieInSRQ — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 11:30:12 GMT

I agree that utilizing herbs and spices is a great way to not miss added salt.

Penzy's Mural of Flavor is one. I love it on Avocado toast especially.

A good store will have a large variety of fun Mrs. Dash blends if you dont know how to or dont want to invest in building flavor profiles. This whole selection below is found as a bundle of 12 on Amazon for $65

Re: Low sodium diet

charsha — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 11:36:56 GMT

@LizzieInSRQ I totally agree on the Mrs. Dash, I use the Table Blend on many foods. However, the Amazon price for the set is outrageous.

Re: Low sodium diet

LizzieInSRQ — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 11:49:29 GMT

Amazon has all 15 varieties of Mrs. Dash for $73 as well.

Yes Amazon's prices are about $1.00 each more than in a store, but most stores are not going to have 12 to 15 different varieties or ship to your home for their regular price. I wouldnt call it outrageous.

Some people might want all of the varieties, it can make it easier to switching to low sodium lifestyle especially if not experienced as a cook and also inspiring to use as variety can be a tool to not being bored or hesitant.

Re: Low sodium diet

CalminHeart — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 13:06:34 GMT

I use a low-salt on a couple of foods - tomato slices, corn, and popcorn.

Fresh food is salt free. It's more difficult to find fresh food in the winter than the summer but I do the best I can.

Around here, fresh food costs an arm and a leg. I have started shopping at different places, such ordering from co-ops, buying slightly damaged (to some degree), going to a farm in summers to pick my own produce from fields or buy from their little store, etc.

I also pay attention to salt content in whatever I buy. It hasn't been difficult to find lower-salt items or to just skip high salt items altogether.

Otherwise, I use alternate spices. We have a great spice store in town with high quality products. I've tried several blends. The prices are better than in the grocery store so I didn't mind if there were a couple I didn't like.

Re: Low sodium diet

haddon9 — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 13:17:16 GMT

@LizzieInSRQ I also need to reduce my salt intake and had forgotten about Mrs Dash. I'm going to the supermrket today and will see what they have to offer.

Good to know that Amazon has a great selection! Thanks!

Re: Low sodium diet

scruffsmom — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 13:23:27 GMT

My late husband had to be on a low salt diet and I've found that Penzeys has many no salt seasonings. I especially like Justice.

After a while you will really notice how salty many foods are. I've continued being low sodium because i can't handle how salty many foods are now.

Re: Low sodium diet

smoochy — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 13:44:49 GMT

thank you for all of the helpful suggestions 🥰

one immediate action is to buy whole grain bread. I normally eat two slices of Pepperidge Farms toast every morning. After reading the label I see that I'm using up 20% of the recommended sodium daily allowance !! And that percentage is for a healthy person not one with CHF like me. Yikes. Dietitians say look for whole grain bread with 5% or less. That will be a big change for me.

Re: Low sodium diet

Still Raining — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 15:52:44 GMT

@smoochy wrote:
thank you for all of the helpful suggestions 🥰
one immediate action is to buy whole grain bread. I normally eat two slices of Pepperidge Farms toast every morning. After reading the label I see that I'm using up 20% of the recommended sodium daily allowance !! And that percentage is for a healthy person not one with CHF like me. Yikes. Dietitians say look for whole grain bread with 5% or less. That will be a big change for me.

Good first step. How much less sodium? I think mine is 100 per slice.

I went low sodium a while ago and a start is to set you daily limit, mine is 1,500.

Once you have finished label reading and rejected whole aisles of food, life is simple. Just reach for the usual.

One good move, since salad dressing is now DIY, is to find a vinegar/oil specialty site. They usually have tasting. Worth the price.

Good health to you both.

Re: Low sodium diet

TeezNu — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 16:36:26 GMT

A squeeze of fresh lemon can often brighten/punch up the flavor of a dish.

Re: Low sodium diet

HLP — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 17:08:25 GMT

@smoochy wrote:
I'm supposed to be on one.
Any suggestions for low sodium recipes that you like, or ways that you've adapted your regular dinner menus?

Amazon, Morton salt substitute, no sodium. You get a small shaker around 7 dollars. I love salt and this satisfies me. last a long time. And my BP stays good.

Re: Low sodium diet

magicmoodz — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 17:08:34 GMT

Don't discount the fact that you can really ramp up the flavor of foods using other things besides a "no salt" spice alternative.

I have recently discovered a wonderful little shop that sells nothing but oils and vinegars. It is a tasting shop so you can taste as many different flavors as you like.Just the thought of drinking vinegars or oils was gag-worthy, but they are so delicious. I had no idea Dark Chocolate Vinegar existed, or Coconut or Lemon Lime Jalapeno.

My favorite salad dressing is now just drizzling Apple Cider Vinegar then topping it off with Orange Olive Oil--so good! Roasted vegetables are wonderful when splashing your favorite oils or vinegars on them, And my husband tops his ic cream with Dark Chocolate Vinegar.