I have a few. I'll post them once I get to the computer.

I have a few. :)

Well, if there is a case of genetically predisposed hypertension, then I suggest watching out with the Asian dishes. The Japanese ones in particular tend to be very high in salt. Access to plenty of water will also be a must. No sugary drinks or soda, and very little caffeine if at all. If sushi is involved, be sure to carry around low-sodium soy sauce. Regular soy sauce can have upwards of 1000 miligrams of sodium. As for other Asian dishes low sodium soy sauce would also work there as well.

Another major thing to stay away from is the flavor packets in instant ramen noodles. Those can contain up to 1800mg of sodium. Yikes! Try substituting with unsalted chicken stock and a dash of low sodium soy sauce.

Not to mention a few of those also contain MSG, which can be a BIG problem for those allergic to that as well :3

Aside from specifically "low sodium" recipes, a lot of cutting out the sodium is going to come from just changing what ingredients you're using. Salt is used as a preservative in many items, so fresh or flash frozen items will often have far less sodium than a premade or canned version.

Canned soup in particular tends to be a killer for sodium. Learning to make soup and then freezing it in "can size" containers in freezer is a good way to have quick meals ready.

Canned beans vs dried beans are also a place where you can get hammered on sodium. Most beans can be precooked from dry and then frozen in freezer in ziplocs in smaller, ready to add to recipes amounts. (chickpeas in particular, canned ones tend to be terrible for sodium)

if you don't have the freezer space, you can cut the sodium on canned goods down by rinsing stuff before using. obviously doesn't work for everything (canned tomatoes) but will work for a lot of things (see: beans)

Now, that said, the most important thing you can do when buying stuff with labels is READ THE LABEL. and bring a notebook with you or a device you can write down stuff in. Budget extra time for shopping first few times you go shopping first time after deciding to go low sodium. Write down the exact brand and type of item that has the lowest sodium. Not just for you, but if you need to send someone else shopping, you can specify WHAT you're buying.

and don't just count on the "low sodium" label as a guideline. Often another product NOT labelled as low sodium will be lower sodium. and even look at what you THINK is a junky product. Never in a million years would you guess that the Taco Bell brand hard taco shells are the lowest sodium available in most grocery strores. taco Bell? it couldn't possibly be the low sodium one! SURPRISE!

Frequently the organic offerings or imported items will be lowest sodium option. (if you're in New England, look for Sclafani for canned goods. Goya is also a good option for many items)

and make sure you're comparing same portion size.

while lowest sodium is the goal, do take other things into account. If you're going to use twice as much of the lowest sodium one to make it taste decent, consider trying instead one that's a hair higher in sodium but tastes better so you use less. For example, the Boars Head regular bacon is only a tiny bit higher sodium than the Low Sodium Oscar Meyer. But generally tastes much better, so you won't need to use as much in a recipe.


Also, the cookbook called "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt" is AWFUL. we finally threw it out so the family member that kept using it couldn't make anymore awful dinners. American Heart Association one is okay, but not exciting. If you want basic american food, works well for that.

Using a potassium enriched salt will allow you to measure salt the same in recipes, but get less sodium from it.

Making simple ingredient substitutions like using unsalted butter or low-sodium soy sauce can help.

There is something out there called Nu-salt. It is a potassium salt sub. You can use that instead of salt or something like sea salt or dead sea salt witch is salty but less sodium and the above posts lol ^
Always check stuff before you add it to a dish. Use regular wine vs cooking wine as it has salt in it and so on.
if it has a potassium in it instead of salt or added to it it has lower sodium most of the time or none at all.
I wish you luck! I hope everything goes well!

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone that posted here. There are some really good tips.

I'll be honest bud - you can use salt substitutes, like "Mrs. Dash" - certainly fresh herbs will help things along, as well as the hot stuff (preferably home made, since I've seen many commercial hot sauces ALSO contain a LOT of sodium *dies*)

You raise a good point, though, and a good challenge, I'll step up to the plate so to speak!

Yeah I just picked up some salt free seasonings. Anywhere I can get a recipe for hot sauce, cause i'm missing it!!!

Dont eat premade anything.

Yep I'm working on that. Well on the plus side I will loss weight which I have wanted to do for a while now.

In addition you can make your meals in advance. Keeps the bad for you stuff away when you're hungry and don't feel like cooking.

I was cutting salt out of my diet a while back for health reasons as well. My advice is more or less what fenrislorsrai said.

The devil is more in the details with food when you're cooking. Obviously premade food is a murderer when it comes to high sodium content, but when you're cooking you'd be amazed what little ingredients have such major high salt content. As a direct example, my recipe for southern baked chicken has almost no salt in it outright, it comes in the butter sauce and breaded covering. I started using unsalted butter and instead of buying breading, made my own.

Specifically, for the new chicken breading recipe, I use whole grain wheat bread sprinkle a bit of whatever seasoning I'm using (lemon pepper, garlic powder, etc) and shove it in the over until it's good and crispy. Then I just snap the pieces in half and toss'em in a blender to get that store bought breading consistency. Once it's done I go ahead and mix in a bit more seasoning (I add a itty bit of salt here) and it's good! This might seem, I dunno, kinda 'duh' to people who ritually make everything from scratch, but I'm generally a lazy person.

My chicken tastes different, but it's certainly not worse for ware! Again, the devil's in the details. When you're making something that from scratch would have more ingredients, and you buy premade ones, you're getting more salt. And when you get a choice between frozen and fresh, frozen's going to be the healthier. That's for meats and even fruits/veggies (to a degree).

Again, mostly duh advice, but the little stuff made all the difference to me. I didn't have to do any vast, sweeping changes to my diet or start buying totally different, expensive brands of low sodium junk. Cook smarter, don't shop harder!

Coming from both parents who have high blood pressure and strokes,I have the odds stacked against me....
My blood pressure,had been good up until the past 6 months......Genetics,is kicking in and its getting high....The doctor,suggested excercise,less sugar,salt,and caffine......
So I can relate......But it looks like even if I do these things,I may have to take a small dose of blood pressure pills.
As for sodium,its like the air we breathe in processed food....A can of chef you know who had 780 miligrams of sodium in it! I almost think the food companies want to salt us to death........
Sadly,most soups,frozen dinners,and restraunt foods are loaded with salts......
I would suggest using low sodium crackers is you like them with cheese slices or soups......
And possibly use sea salt in smaller amounts instead of regular salt.......
As for Ramen noodles,nix the seasoning pack and substitute with stir fried vegetables in olive oil.
And use a dash of salad dressing with lower sodium as a sauce.
The main thing will be,experimenting with herbs and oils to find a harmonic balance.....

Potassium salts were mentioned here, but it's important to know that enriching the potassium in your diet can result in a lowered blood pressue, over time.

What I have found to satisfy me, when salt is limited, is going after a combination of the sweet, sour, and spicy flavors. Grilled chicken with tomatoes and garlic sounds pretty "meh". Add lime, following it with dashes of cayenne, and you're on your way to a fiesta.

It's also important to know with salt (and sweeteners) that it's not always a question of "how much" but of "where". Adding a finishing dash of salt to your sandwich that allows you to taste it in each bite might be more effective than seasoning some veggies with it and sauteeing them, thereby losing some of that salty flavor enhancement.

Also, think about how much you sweat. If you are constantly perspiring your sodium out, by working out or being in the heat, you may wind up deficient of sodium and get cramps, so practice moderation itself in moderation. (Muscle cramps are caused by deficiencies in potassium and magnesium as well)

About potassium

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/f.....nut/09355.html