Low Sodium Eating and Cooking

I recently have had to make a switch to needing to pay attention to how much sodium I ingest.

I've done some searching here on LTH and there doesn't seem to be a plethora of info on the subject of sodium in cooking or local restaurants.

I didn't want to just drop out of the sky and post directly in the Eating Out area or Shopping/Cooking.

So I'm posting here thinking it might be the best place for now.

Is there anyone reading this who has lots of experience in eating out and cooking with less sodium and would like to trade stories or give some great info?

I can't trade a lot of stories, as my own sodium intake has not been officially restricted. However, having seen enough articles on how any day now salt is going to become "the new cholesterol" in our collective consciousnesses, as well as having a hovering awareness that all our palates have been coarsened and anesthetized by generations of over-salted processed products devoid of any other flavor, I have tried to wean myself back, if not off. from salt.

The most useful thing I have discovered is that using more acid and flavors in the sour range (lemon juice, vinegar, etc.) helps me not miss salt, as does a slightly ramped up use of other strong flavors/spices, e.g. cayenne, cumin, mustard, coriander, etc.

Fresh herbs and produce also help, but they are often unavailable.

Eating out seems the harder nut to crack as restaurant kitchens make very free both with salt itself, and ingredients containing lots of salt.

Are you just cutting back, or are you radically restricted? It does make a difference how much wiggle room you have.

Thanks for the speedy reply!

I can have no more than 2 grams per day because of medical/health reasons now.

quick info:

I cook more than half the week for a whole family for dinners and lunches.

I also really enjoy eating out

So far I'm getting along fine at the market and going out to eat but I know with more resources and better yet with other people's stories and experiences I can do even more.

Example:

I now know more than 8 brands of fresh noodles at H-Mart and which ones have the most and least amount of sodium.

kenji wrote:I can have no more than 2 grams per day because of medical/health reasons now..

I really question how someone can consume under 2 grams of sodium a day UNLESS they are willing to literally prepare ALL their food from scratch and avoid all canned goods. And there are painfully few people who can do that on a consistent basis.

I know that that is the protocal that some doctors send cardiac patients home with these days. Of course, we would have doctors send home obese patients home on 900 calorie "starvation diets" and wonder why they were non-compliant.

Have you requested a consultation with a dietitian?

jlawrence01 wrote:

kenji wrote:I can have no more than 2 grams per day because of medical/health reasons now..

I really question how someone can consume under 2 grams of sodium a day UNLESS they are willing to literally prepare ALL their food from scratch and avoid all canned goods. And there are painfully few people who can do that on a consistent basis.

I know that that is the protocal that some doctors send cardiac patients home with these days. Of course, we would have doctors send home obese patients home on 900 calorie "starvation diets" and wonder why they were non-compliant.

Have you requested a consultation with a dietitian?

Yes I have met with my dietician a few times via a prescription from my cardiologist.

I didn't want to get into the specifics of my health issues here being that it's prolly off topic on LTH.

If you want my specifics I'd gladly go email or talk on the phone.

I have been living, going out, and cooking for about the last three months under 2grams of sodium a day and it's doable, really.

Hope I sound neutral.

Hi Kenji -

I grew up in a low sodium household, and I currently watch my sodium intake thanks to my dear ol pappy's genes.
I can do under 2 grams a day with no issues. Not sure if your healthcare pros told you this or not, but your palate WILL change, and your tongue will adjust to let you taste saltiness of foods with less salt. That may be a good thing, but I can tell you the downside - a lot of foods simply taste horrid to me. They are usually junky, processed, garbage foods, but there are times when I wish I could eat them. Things like:
Polish sausage
Italian sausage - heck, sausage in general.
Bacon (love, love, love, lower sodium bacons)
Hot dogs
potato chips - sometimes I wish I could eat these, but they usually wind up tasting flat out gross after a handful.
American cheese.
Usually any food that comes out of a can
Most frozen meals or frozen crunchy snacks
frozen pizza
Italian beef with giardiniera -sniff, sniff (This was the reason seebee's giardiniera was invented.)
most of Taco Bell's menu
Anything from kfc is basically inedible
Lots of Asian foods

Anyway -
When my dr told me to cut back a little more after a lengthy period of eating whatever I wanted (stupid birthdays!)
it really wasn't that hard for me to adapt since I kinda grew up that way. One thing I remembered was that there are PLENTY of things that you like that have little trace amts of sodium. You don't have to focus solely on the things you might miss. There are TWO sides to every coin. For instance, I love fresh fruit. I look forward to the different
fruit seasons now. Apple /pear season is waning down, and California navel season is about to start up. Sound boring? Well, it's not. When you buy fruits in season when they are at their best, to me that's better than any crappy bag of chips of kfc three piece meal by a mile. There's gonna be stretches where I'll eat five or six oranges a day - not because I'm avoiding eating bad junk foods, but because they are so damn good. Cherry season? Two pounds for a snack. When mangoes are in? I gorge. Melons in late summer, early fall? Fughetaboutit. Another example. I love granola. Love it. Instead of a bag of chips on the couch or whatever, I eat granola - not because it's better for you, but because I like it more. Sit down, and make a list of foods that you really like that just happen to be lower sodium foods. Focus on the stuff that you like, not the stuff you'll miss.

A few not very salty things that kinda quenched my salt thirst:
Sour cream
fake salt is mostly really bad. I'd suggest not to try and use it to REPLACE saltiness, but to use it to get a slight hint of a salty tang to foods.

One of my favorites ever was a sauce made of unsalted butter, a dash of balsamic vinegar, and a splash of lemon juice with your standard garlic, onion, parsley combo. The fatty mouthfeel of butter with the tang/ hint of sweet from the balsamic will make you feel like you're eating something salty. For a treat, this could have a little parmesan added

Just a few cents worth of my limited brainpower on the subject. Happy to try to comment further if I can.
And, yes, sure - plenty of garlic, pepper, lemon, fresh herbs -all that noise.

Oooh - another thing - in the restaurant seeting, usually beef is gonna be lower in sodium than most other meats, IMO. Also, avoid sauces, salad dressings (oil/vinegar is your only friend,) and canned soups are usually atrocious - healthy request, healthy choice, and now even progresso have lower sodium options. They are actually edible, imo.

Another thing -
Learn to like water if you don't already. When you go number 1, that rids the body of sodium. Watch out for diet soda containing sodium. If you are trying to keep under a certain amount of sodium, don't waste it on things like diet coke - which actually tastes salty to me. Read labels - some things will actually freak you out. Tomato juice, canned vegetables - seriously, read a label of cream of mushroom soup, or a shelf stable Indian food pouch, or here's one: Oreos.

Read labels.

Wow, seebee, I don't think I can reply point by point, immediately. thanks for posting.

I think I reviewed a post of yours doing a "sodium" search here on lth back from 2006, about sausage recently.

Thanks for the tips and advice.

So.......is it best to keep "low sodium" here in this thread? I ask because in the past I've seemed to irritate soem folks around here because I carry a bit of stigma from Usenet posts of mine.

I agree that is is not that hard to get used to cooking with less salt. In fact, I often find that meals cooked by others are too salty for my taste. I agree with everything that has been posted about using other herbs, spices and flavorings so that you won't miss the salt. I also can't emphasize enough how important it is to read labels. I still remember the old days before nutrition labels were required and it is much easier now.

I have just a few (albeit obvious) tips to add to what has already been posted:

1. Fresh or homemade ingredients will always offer you the greatest opportunity to control sodium;

2. When fresh is not possible, as a general rule frozen has lower sodium than canned;

3. For staples, such as canned tomato products, try the "no salt added" products;

4. Make your own stock if you can, or purchase low sodium broth, or consider whether apple juice will work instead of broth;

5. Use dry beans (as opposed to canned). Soak them overnight. Next morning they go into the crock pot with fresh water and cook all day on low. Bonus: cooked this way there are fewer "digestive side effects" shall we say. If you don't need the whole package for a recipe, anything left can go into the freezer.

Last but not least, I agree that controlling sodium when you eat out is really difficult. Sorry but I have no good suggestions there. Some fast food places publish their nutrition info, but most restaurants worth eating at do not. You can try asking the server if the dish can be prepared in a way that better suits your dietary needs. About the best I can offer is if you are not sure what you are getting, take that into account in terms of deciding how often you can afford to indulge in that type of restaurant meal.

Best wishes as you adjust to this new way of cooking.

kenji wrote:So.......is it best to keep "low sodium" here in this thread? I ask because in the past I've seemed to irritate soem folks around here because I carry a bit of stigma from Usenet posts of mine.

kenji wrote:Wow, seebee, I don't think I can reply point by point, immediately. thanks for posting.

There is not really an "off topic" discussion as long as it relates to food.

My point was simply this. The more restrictive the diet, the less likely that people are going to do it. (Or as several patients once put it, the more tasteless the food the less likely you'll eat it.)

I agree that there is generally too much salt in prepared foods but that there are ways around it.

Personally, 4g always seemed to be a good compromise between taste and health.

I'm not salt restricted, but find that I am very sensitive to it, so I don't tend to cook with it much and a lot of dishes in restaurants are too salty for me.

If you find a few places that you like where they prepare generally fresh foods - lots of seasonal things - you'll be starting better off. Then you can work with them to leave out the salty things they toss on.

Don't ask a place to re-make an entire dish, mind you, but you can easily ask for dressings on the side, no finishing salt, can they leave off the olives, capers, blue cheese, bacon bits, etc. Pick your dishes, and start with ones that look like they aren't prepped long in advance.

kenji,

I'm glad you are working with a dietitian! One thing about drinking a lot of water is that it also flushes out a lot of good nutrients so you have to keep and eye on that. I spent 2 days in intensive care a few years ago when I tried modifying my diet working with a natruropath who didn't counsel me on diet well enough and had me flushing out a little too much. I now drink a glass of Emergen-C daily, it's a powder packet mixed into a glass of water and has a nice balance of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients as well as just trying to eat more fruits, nuts and veggies.

LikestoEatout wrote:kenji,

I'm glad you are working with a dietitian! One thing about drinking a lot of water is that it also flushes out a lot of good nutrients so you have to keep and eye on that. I spent 2 days in intensive care a few years ago when I tried modifying my diet working with a natruropath who didn't counsel me on diet well enough and had me flushing out a little too much. I now drink a glass of Emergen-C daily, it's a powder packet mixed into a glass of water and has a nice balance of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients as well as just trying to eat more fruits, nuts and veggies.

Very good point - I thought about that after I posted last night. Potassium is one of those things that gets flushed out if I'm not mistaken. Bananas and oranges / orange juice are chock full. I think sweet potatoes have a lot as well. My potassium replenishment of choice is oj, however. Love the stuff. These days, I have a glass of oj every day, and only drink water and Diet Rite as my regular "all day long" drink at my desk.

Another thing: There is some deal where food labels cannot have the words "Low Sodium" on them unless they meet a certain criteria. Be weary of this. A lot of processed food now has a label marker of "Lower Sodium." This is NOT the same as LOW Sodium. It just goes back to reading labels. And sometimes, I really think the labels are wrong. If you enjoy the green bag of El Ranchero Tortilla Chips, for instance. The sodium content on that bag seems EXTREMELY low for the way that they taste. I won't say that it is wrong, but if i were a gamblin man...
- btw, the yellow bag is salt free.

I cook and bake for a family member who is restricted to 1000mg of sodium per day.

Cooking hasn't been that difficult as I rarely use canned ingredients and almost never use prepared foods. I've had to skip certain kinds of foods that rely on condiments like fish sauce or soy sauce because just a little of these can pack a huge sodium whallop.

I rely heavily on this web page Sodium Content of Common foods when calculating sodium contents for meals and portions. Be aware of how much dairy you consume, much of it is high in sodium. Using this site will help you brush up on your math skills!

Baking is tricky since salt can be a chemical required for certain reactions. Both baking soda and baking power have very high sodium levels. Whole Foods carries a sodium free baking powder. It works quite well but has a short shelf life. (Technically I think it's old fashioned baking powder, one sans baking soda---the ingredient that I believe makes modern powder into "double acting.")

Bread is the most difficult thing as without salt it tastes a bit flat. Commercial breads are high in sodium and can easily account for 1/2 of your daily allotment. I find breads with egg and grains added to the dough to be more satisfying than simply omitting salt in a typical recipe. No-salt commercial bread is terrible but Whole Foods carries it in the freezer case. Either my husband or I bake all the bread our family member eats.

As for eating out...be certain to ask your server if any grilled meat is seasoned prior to cooking. Usually the chef will salt it and you'd never know. Ask if salad dressings are prepared on site. All restaurant sauces will fall outside your restrictions. We've been lucky with a couple of places we visit frequently and they will prepare something special with no salt. As you might imagine, chain restaurants can rarely accomodate low salt diets as much of their food is pre-preped. Small restaurants with completely scratch kitchens are most accomodating, in my experience.

If you'd like more specifics on anything I do, PM me.

Good luck

Diannie,

I once made a batch of pita bread, which raised extraordinarily fast. I couldn't understand the reaction until I tasted a baked pita: no salt.

Do you observe any differences in rise time between your salt and unsalted breads?

Regards,

I often "cheat" and make the dough in a bread machine. I finish it in traditional bread pans and bake it in the oven. The first rise is timed by the machine while the second rise is in bread pans and really varies according to temperature. It might be a little slower than with salt but I can't say I've noticed a huge difference.

seebee wrote:
Very good point - I thought about that after I posted last night. Potassium is one of those things that gets flushed out if I'm not mistaken. Bananas and oranges / orange juice are chock full. I think sweet potatoes have a lot as well. My potassium replenishment of choice is oj, however.

Yeah I understand that. I'm on Lasix so I also take a potassium supplement and so far blood tests confirm I'm OK and getting enough.

All of these posts are great from everyone, BTW!

I'm looking into these equipment purchases soon to help with food prep:

bread machine
pressure cooker

Diannie wrote:I cook and bake for a family member who is restricted to 1000mg of sodium per day.
I rely heavily on this web page Sodium Content of Common foods

The dietician gave me this link:

http://www.calorieking.com

the above URL has a very extensive database for ingredients, restaurants, grocery items, you name it, and the search function works smoothly. Check it out.

Diannie wrote:If you'd like more specifics on anything I do, PM me.

Good luck

Thank you for reaching out, Diannie.

Maybe we shouldn't PM, but use this thread here, because people here might want to read the info we'd share?

That's a nice tool for compaing products before you shop. Thanks.

Since I only have to worry about sodium, it isn't too burdensome to calculate content from a recipe but if I was worried about multiple nutrients, this would be quite helpful.

Diannie wrote:I cook and bake for a family member

Diannie, I'm looking ahead to some bread baking. with your own bread what are you getting the per serving sodium content to that yields a product everyone enjoys not just the sodium restricted family member?

Looking at the store bought breads I'm buying and eating the per serving sodium content is anywhere from 120gm-250gm per serving.

seebee wrote: seebee's giardiniera was invented

is this a product or a recipe?

I'm interested!

I'm working on getting way more veggies into my daily diet and have been buying jar packed veggies that are low in sodium. Being that we're in Chicago there's choices I'm finding in the Eastern European aisles of stores. I have a few different cabbages and celery varieties right now along with beets that I'm combining into dishes and salads.

jlawrence01 wrote:
Personally, 4g always seemed to be a good compromise between taste and health.

I've gone a few days at 3grams but can't keep it at that without probs. I have been doing great with no probs whatsoever at 2 grams. Yes I have been making about 75% of the food I'm consuming and on many days it's 100% of what goes in my mouth.

The dietician said look at it as a 24 hour day, and a "bank" of 2000mg. Use up the 2000 within 24 hours.

kenji wrote:

Diannie wrote:I cook and bake for a family member

Diannie, I'm looking ahead to some bread baking. with your own bread what are you getting the per serving sodium content to that yields a product everyone enjoys not just the sodium restricted family member?

Looking at the store bought breads I'm buying and eating the per serving sodium content is anywhere from 120gm-250gm per serving.

My husband and I make bread with no salt whatsoever for my family member and the rest of us eat regular bread. We use honey and egg in the dough for flavor and often add oats. A whole loaf comes in at under 200mg sodium. For your diet, you could probably cut the salt required by a standard recipe in half and still have a good tasting loaf of bread.

Some bakers substitute wheat germ for flour but be careful. Wheat germ is high in sodium.

My grandmother is watching her sodium carefully too, and I was thinking of cooking for her and giving her recipes for Christmas that would go along with her diet. So I'd be grateful for any of your recommendations!

here's a bunch!

http://lowsodiumcooking.com/free/Archive.htm

Hi,

Graham Kerr, aka The Galloping Gourmet, has a wife with various health ailments requiring a low fat and low sodium diet. He has several books with the theme "Min-Max" or minimum salt-fat and maximum flavor.

When his wife was initially ill, he went full vegetarian and brown rice. He learned his family was sneaking out the door for food they liked, which compromised his wife's dietary restrictions. It was this experience that drove the min-max approach.

The English love their butter and marmalade on a crumpet. This every day part of their diet was something relegated to treat status to be enjoyed occasionally. He began draining yogurt to be a substitute spread for the butter, which is enjoyed with marmalade on a crumpet everyday. It is a small change with very little compromising on what they enjoy.

You may want to check his book from the library because at the very least there are some ideas to borrow.

Regards,

Awesome, thanks Cathy2!

Are BBQ places like Honey1, Uncle Johns, Smoque, and the like using a dry rub or anything else on their meats before they are served?

I'm thinking salt doesn't touch the meats until you sauce them and ordering sauce on the side would make them low sodium.

Yeah I know a hot link isn't low sodium.

I'd assume Smoque and H1 use a dry rub with salt in it. I'd be stunned beyond belief if Mack's rub has no salt, although, one of the many reasons I like UJ's is that his stuff has never been salty, imo.

Make your own rub, and smoke your own ribs and tips. The rub I make has about half the salt as most commercial blends, and I like it more than any that I've tried.