Low Sodium Diet Journey - Part 5

How hard is it to consume 2 grams or less of sodium per day? I started out thinking it would be difficult when a low sodium diet was recommended for one of my family members but it has been easier than I anticipated. This is the fifth post in a series that documents our family’s ‘learning experience.’ 

~~~~~

Mixes and packaged foods are generally high in sodium so ‘homemade’ becomes the best choice for some things. This post walks through how to calculate the sodium in something as ordinary as homemade cornbread muffins with the idea in mind that a few modifications might make a lot of difference. Start with ingredients listed for the recipe and look up how much sodium is in each using your favorite nutritional information site (mine favorite is http://nutritiondata.self.com/) or checking the package of the ingredient.

Ingredient	mg of sodium
1 1/4 cups flour	3
3/4 yellow corn meal	11
3 tablespoons sugar	0
4 1/2 teaspoon baking powder	1980
1 teaspoon salt	2325
1 egg	400
2/3 cup milk	97
1/3 cup olive oil	1
	4817

This recipe makes 9 servings so the total per serving would be 536 mg of sodium which is a bit high.

Substituting a no-salt seasoning blend for the salt would subtract 2325 mg from the total and result in a 277 mg serving.

It might be worthwhile to look at a no sodium baking powder as well (one available via Amazon has gotten good reviews). With the sodium from the baking powder and salt gone - the serving would be down to 57 mg which would easily fit into a low sodium meal.

So - it is possible to do some quick calculations to determine how much sodium will result in a homemade muffin. Another possibility it to find a cookbook or web site that already has low sodium recipes. http://www.lowsodiumcooking.com/free/Cornbread.htm is one I found.

Previous Low Sodium Diet Journey posts are here.

Low Sodium Diet Journey - Part 4

Canned soups are notoriously high in sodium. With a little planning, soups can remain a quick and low sodium meal. Here are a few tips: 

• Start with a low sodium broth. I’ve found some cartooned broths (vegetable, chicken, beef) that are low sodium - but there are alternatives to consider like
  • ‘No Salt Added’ diced tomatoes
  • A watery smoothy of veggies previously frozen just before they went bad (i.e. never throw away wilted lettuce or carrots that have gotten too dry - freeze them until you make soup!)
  • A strong tea
  • Keep in mind that spices other than salt are welcome. There are a variety of ‘no salt’ blends too try. Some not traditional seasonings - like orange zest (make it yourself if you eat oranges!). Always keep garlic cloves on hand for soups.
  • Total up the sodium of your ingredients to make sure the finished soup will still be low sodium. Meat, dairy, and some vegetables (like mushrooms and celery) will all add sodium.
  • Sauté vegetables like onions, carrots, and celery prior to adding the broth and softer ingredients.
  • Putting whole grains in soups avoids the sodium of eating them as breads. My favorites are buckwheat groats and quinoa.
  • Always have homecooked beans (i.e. cooked without salt) beans in the freezer. They are a quick addition to just about any soup.
  • Sometimes leftovers can be turned into soup. For example - if you make low sodium spaghetti sauce, then make a tomato soup (add water and seasoning to taste, heat, sprinkle with parsley and stir in a dollop of sour cream). Or for leftover stir fry chicken with onion and peppers, add a veggie broth with seasons and buckwheat groats or quinoa. 

Previous Low Sodium Diet Journey posts are here.

Low Sodium Diet Journey - Part 3

How hard is it to consume 2 grams or less of sodium per day? I started out thinking it would be difficult when a low sodium diet was recommended for one of my family members but it has been easier than I anticipated. This is the third post in a series that documents our family’s ‘learning experience.’

~~~~~

Probably the more redeeming find about the low sodium diet is that most candy is low in sodium….so the indulgences into the world of sweets are not reduced at all by the need to control sodium intake.

Dark chocolate is a great first choice. My favorite treat is two squares of Lindt Intense Mint chocolate - which totals up to 0 milligrams of sodium (note that some others have a small amount of sodium - read the labeling).

Peppermints were our second - in the seasonal form of candy canes. They generally have no sodium at all. What would Christmas have been without the candy canes?

Previous Low Sodium Diet Journey posts are here.

Low Sodium Diet Journey - Part 2

How hard is it to consume 2 grams or less of sodium per day? I started out thinking it would be difficult when a low sodium diet was recommended for one of my family members but it has been easier than I anticipated. This is the second post in a series that documents our family’s ‘learning experience.’

Swiss cheese is generally lower in sodium that other type so of cheese.

Popcorn can be a low sodium snack using a hot air popper, unsalted butter and a no salt seasoning.

Bread is often high in sodium because salt and soda are part of the recipe for making bread. Watch portion sizes and begin making plans to get the nutrition of grains by including whole grains in soups or as a side dish (quinoa, bulgur wheat, brown rice, etc.)

Homemade soups can be made very simply with low salt broths and canned tomatoes broth can be made from scratch blending vegetables (put them in a blender with water) to make a robust broth - then adding chunks of vegetables and meat. Purchased broths that are low sodium tend to be in cartons rather than cans.

Realize that meat, eggs, and dairy are natural sources of sodium….even without added salt. Watch portion sizes. Highly salted meats like ham, bacon, or lunch meats can only be eaten in small portions - or not at all - on a low sodium diet.

Make your own salad dressing. Almost all the packaged dressings are very high. Try sour cream with milk and seasonings….or lemon juice and olive oil with seasonings….or different flavors of balsamic vinegar.

Canned beans almost always are high in sodium but cooking dried beans and freezing portions not used immediately can provide quick, low sodium additions to meals.

Previous Low Sodium Diet Journey posts are here.

Low Sodium Diet Journey - Part 1

How hard is it to consume 2 grams or less of sodium per day? I started out thinking it would be difficult when a low sodium diet was recommended for one of my family members but it has been easier than I anticipated. This is the first post in a series that documents our family’s ‘learning experience.’ 

• Keep a running total of sodium consumption each day at the beginning. The purpose is to develop a good sense of the sodium content in various foods. Make changes to your normal diet so that it is easy to stay under the 2,000 mg per day goal.
• Use labels on packaging or the internet to get sodium amounts (per serving) for foods. I like http://nutritiondata.self.com/ - a clip of the screen from that site for ‘celery’ is below. Celery is one of the higher sodium vegetables.

• Experiment with no-salt blends (like Mrs. Dash) in lieu of salt. My favorite Mrs. Dash blend is Caribbean Citrus.
• ‘Hint of Salt’ crackers are tasty. We’ve tried Triscuit, Wheat Thins, and Ritz. Keep the portion size in mind!
• Generally - processed foods are high in sodium because they have a lot of added salt. Read labels carefully. Bottles salad dressings and ready-to-eat meats are almost always very high; develop alternatives for these in your diet.
• Buy salt free (i.e. 0 sodium) versions of products like butter/margarine and peanut butter. These are products that are available in most grocery stores. The flavor will be different but is often quite acceptable and even appealing.