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Chef Don's Novels & Other Works.
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What about the European study stating salt is okay?
In April/May of 2011 a study from Great Britain stated that salt does not cause hypertension. This study has so many faults
with it that it's almost a bad joke. First, none of the subjects were over forty. None of the subjects had high blood pressure. None of the subjects were unhealthy nor did they have a history of any health challenges.
If you fed them carrots for the alleged seven years the "study" was in operation they would have come out with the same results concerning beta carotene, probably stating that beta caortene does not work as an anti oxidant.
My best guess is that it's just another non scientific work sponsored or promoted by the world's salt processors or associations. There have been a few and each one has declared salt super-healthy. We know differently from
more than
fourteen years of actively pursuing the benefits of salt and living the talk that salt does cause hypertension in millions of people and it also affects Meniere's, liver and kidney patients, stomach cancer patients and heart disease
patients. Sodium's relationship to hypternsion has been studied since 1907 under scientific conditions with viable double-blind studies conclusively proving that salt is in fact a culprit for many diseases, I therefore,
believe this study, first reported in America in the American Medical Journal to be a bad joke. What bothers me the most is that the news media
picks up on the theme and touts it all as true without doing any research of their own concerning the study itself. They have done this with other fallacy driven studies and often confused the public. This time they are
playing with fire since high levels of sodium and salt can make
many people very sick and in some cases bring about premature death.
Is it possible to bottle tomatoes from my garden without adding salt? LeeAnn. The use of salt is optional in all canned tomato products. Salt is used in canning only for flavor or color protection. I add an extra dose of fresh lemon juice when canning tomatoes to help retain the color.
Learn More Here
Don: Can you tell me if a low sodium diet really does help? I have read so many articles and it seems that it is not clear that a
low sodium diet really helps in lowering blood pressure. My husband had a heart attack two years ago, and he doesn't feel
that cutting out all the salt in his diet really is working in lowering his blood pressure. Anna L. Much research has been done in this area. Recently,
research has proved conclusively that lowering sodium intake will lower blood pressure. UPDATE: As of 2010 researchers are convinced that lowering
sodium will reduce risk to heart disease and help reduce hypertension. Although there is a "salt war" going on among media types, the rest of us
must work with what we have. See my article for a national mag by clicking here to get a feel
for what is going on nationally and I view it. Personally however, I can tell you reducing sodium helps. Whether everyone should drop to 500 mg or not is
yet another question. For me it worked. For many with renal disease it's a must. I would say, based on my research of research, that for many, a low of
1,000 to 1,300 mg would also work to reduce hypertension. See my updated May, 2010 note here.
I read in a book that there is a good sodium and a bad sodium. They said the good sodium was sea salt and that all other salt was bad. Is this true? —
Sarah D. Thanks for your note. You sent the book title along and we took a look
at it. The self-publish-author of that book is wrong, but obviously biased toward sea salt. The sea salt marketing program has been very effective in getting many people
to believe sea salt was healthier than regular table salt. NaCL is the chemical compound for both sea salt and table salt. Our bodies
recognize only that. Each has about 2,350 mg of sodium per teaspoon. Sodium is sodium. There is in other words, no good sodium and no "good" salt. P.S. I wouldn't touch a recipe in that book were I you.
Added later: Most sea salt products contain a mixture of one-half salt, one-half lycopene. The producers believe they may therefore claim sea salt has lower sodium. Even Campbell's soup has fallen into this trap.
Read the labels and Ingredients on everything you use. You don't want any surprises when dealing with returning to good health.
Why do I crave salt? I'm having trouble adjusting. Essentially salt has damaged your palate. Everyone who eats salt has a damaged palate. But nature has been kind
to us. If we stop for at least 90 days
and eat anything with salt in it, and if we don't add salt at our table or whiile cooking, our palate returns to normal (gradually at first and then fully).
We actually begin to taste the real flavors of
fresh foods. What has happened to us? We have been so inundated by salt that if we don't put salt on "every" thing we eat, it tastes bland. The more salt we eat, the more
we want it — a vicious cycle to be sure. We don't need salt, but we do need the sodium in natural foods. So, try cutting all salt out for about 30 days and
see how you do. That of course includes processed foods, restaurant food, marketed-snacks, etc. I'll bet you begin to like the flavors of real food. The day you "sneak" a salty snack though during that 30 days will be the day you have to start all over again.
And by the way, no salt — sea, Kosher, or table salt is good for us. Salt does not cure ills, it creates them.
Why do we need salt? Humans don't need salt, but we do need some sodium. With a balanced salt-free diet
we can get all the sodium we need from natural foods. And the flavors will be much better than the biting, sour taste of salt. The sodium in sodium chloride is needed to transmit electrical impulses
through nerves. It also helps with muscle
contraction and the distribution of water in the body. These functions need small amounts of dietary sodium and other essential elements never mentioned in the news
or at many "salt" sites. We can, however, function a lot better without added salt. Salt with its high dose of sodium has been linked to many diseases from stomach
cancer and osteoporosis, to heart disease, Meniere's Syndrome, hypertension, and kidney and liver diseases.
I read about a product from Con Agra called Amplify. It's supposed to be a salt substitute. Where can I get it? Is it good?
I wrote to Con Agra and a gentleman called and explained that Amplify
is indeed a salt substitute. I asked how much potassium it had in it and it's minimal. However, you can't purchase Amplify as a substitute. It's strictly a product
for manufacturers to use as a sodium lowering ingredient. As a matter of fact, at this writing, he explained that McDonald's and other similar chains are becoming
very interested in the product in order to cut the salt way down in their food products, which of course would lower sodium impressively.
Can potassium chloride be dangerous for us?
Since I'm neither a scientist nor doctor I can only refer you to
the experts. Here's a short response from C. J. Doorenbos, internist-nephrologist, & C. G. Vermeij, internist-nephrologist from their research web site..
This question arises from a book I read by Mark Bitterman titled,
Salted, a Manifesto on the world's Most Essential Mineral, with Recipes." Is salt the world's most essential mineral? — Peter Mariani In a nutshell, no. Many minerals are essential, some equally to others like sodium and potassium. The glossary
in Living Well Without Salt covers this area very well. Some chefs have found it nearly impossible to cook without salt and apparently Mr. Bitterman
enjoys salt enough to promote it. Here's good health to him forever. However, salt is not the mineral he is adding to his food. Sodium is and our bodies do need some sodium. An adequate amount of sodium has been
scientifically set at 8 to 10 mmol/d. Converted, that's 144 to 180 mg of sodium per day. This sodium acts to help our heart and other organs and our muscles, too. But along with that sodium we need other minerals
one of which is potassium. Get too much of either and our hearts are in trouble. Nearly every single thing we eat contains both sodium and potassium along with scores of other minerals, although, some in minute amounts.
To get too little sodium we'd probably have to stop eating. To cut potassium intake to zero we'd definitely have to stop eating.
How do I enable JavaScript in my browser?
Don, have a look at www.alsosalt.com. This is a new product, and may have real value. What's your opinion? — W. Armstrong Hi,
AlsoSalt® and others have been around now for a few years. When we first
started Megaheart.com and the cookbooks these products weren't yet out.
What they are though is 99% potassium chloride. If you have a heart problem
you don't want to use this on a regular basis, if at all. Too much potassium can directly
affect your electrolytic balance and your heart. So can too little. If you are taking potassium tablets, then you are getting just the right amount
because your doctor more than likely has checked the level of potassium with a blood test. Your heart does need potassium; our fear is that with
these high potassium level salt substitutes you just might get too much of it.
Featherweight Baking Powder is similar to AlsoSalt — potassium carbonate. We no longer use
Featherweight, but instead Ener-g Baking Powder, which is double acting and has the added benefit of adding calcium to our recipes.
We therefore don't recommend AlsoSalt. Our recipes generally call for a balance of spices and herbs that
bring about excellent flavors in each meal.
I hope this doesn't discourage you from preparing good meals. I think if
you play around with spices you might begin to recognize the true flavors of
food and the wonderful variety spices offer.
Hello Jeanette. I've listed responses to your questions below:
I recently was discharged from the hospital (and told to go)
on a no salt diet.
I am concerned
I am a man 65 years old with heart failure.—Thanks, Bob & Bernice Feist Most of our visitors and book users are sticking to 500 mg and below a
day for sodium levels. (Research has shown that from about 144 to 180 mg a day are all we need. Beyond that we are overdoing it.) With our book in hand this is an easy task. Your doctor may recommend 2 grams (2,000 mg)
a day, but if you tell him you can get lower he may suggest that's better. Show him the book and he'll probably
go along with the 500 mg a day. Read our testimonial section to see how many people have improved and
actually gotten off the transplant list thanks to the book, exercise and sticking to their medication program.
My husband was put on a no salt low
sodium diet because he has CHF. If salt is in the ingredient label but shows very low sodium, is that ok? —
Shirley Delorenzo Salt is not the culprit, sodium is.
Salt just has a lot of sodium in it. If an ingredient lists salt, but the sodium is low, and if it fits into your plan,
it's okay. Some may say we are salt-sensitive. What that means is we react poorly to sodium. You are
on the right track, reading the sodium levels.
I know that many salt substitutes contain potassium and are not recommended. What about "Mrs. Dash". My potassium is too high and I want to be sure that Mrs. Dash is okay to use. —
Rosamond B. We don't usually recommend any "salt substitute."
The Best way to know if a substitute has potassium is to read the FDA label. Also, check the ingredients. If the ingredients list potassium then it's probably going
to exceed your daily needs.
Hi, I was just diagnosed with CHF. My ejection fraction was 15%. I was told to cut
my salt down but the doctor didn't tell me how much. No one there will talk to me about it, either. I read your testimonial pages and they sure give me some hope.
I read also that your EF was low once. Can you tell me what to do regarding this salt thing?— Barbara Hi Barbara. First, it's good you are here and that you realize you need some
help with this. For many, cutting salt out is not an easy adventure. I have adapted to a 500 mg of sodium a day or fewer and been at it for 7 years now. My EF has
climbed back up to 50% (from under 20%), my heart has remodeled to normal size and I work a good 10 hour day now. In the beginning however, I was told a much different story.
You may want to pick up a copy of The No Salt, Lowest Sodium Cookbook. It's the best-selling book on the market today for what you need to do. The back of the book
has a 28-day meal-planning guide you can use to build your own guide. The book also has 350 recipes to help you. Our baking book also has 135 good baking recipes.
Once you accept this lower level of sodium as your new lifestyle, and keep up a good exercise program along with your medications, I see no reason why you can't get
better. You may want to read through this page of questions and answers also to pick up more information about products, results, where to go for more help.
Your recipes are great. They have really saved my life and that's no joke. I admit it took me a while to get out of denial and finally
dump the salt shaker. It's like AA I think. Do you really not use any salt at all? I had a terrible time getting off the habit. Things just didn't taste good
for a long time. But now they do. They actually taste better. When I do touch salt now, it's awful tasting. Thank you. — A. Stein You admitted to denial, which was good. We all go through that stage when first
diagnosed with whatever drives us to a no salt lifestyle. Mine was heart disease. You didn't say what yours was. Apparently, it was bad enough to get you to
go all the way, shake the shaker so to speak. Some can't. We receive many E-mails where some refuse to give up their "McDonald's" lifestyle. One gentleman
refuses to go a day without a "Big Mac." I think such addictions are sad since we are in control of everything we do. Some even get mad and write rather nasty
notes to me about "I can't live without salt and neither can you. So get off it. We have to have some salt." Of course, this is not true. Others may write
that no salt recipes are tasteless, eeek, awful, and even critique the books because they believe the recipes are flavorless. (You know now they aren't.)
What this tells me is that they have had a heavy
salt diet all their life and are in serious trouble. Their taste buds have been salt-trained. I believe they are frustrated because they have been told to shake
the salt (sort of like stop smoking cold) and therefore
they seem to have to punish someone else for this new and seemingly unconquerable challenge. I don't mind that they come at me . . . I do my best to talk them
through it. To help. That's what we are here at Megaheart.com for. Since we have proof that it saves lives, even gets patients off the transplant list or at least
turned away from it we (and I) are confident our message can eventually get through to those who really want to fight for their own survival. So, when you see
these messages and critiques and writings, or hear them, do your best to help the originator of them. (I have even called people who have "blasted" me or
the books and tried to
counsel them. Some have done well and made great strides, others are in such denial there seems to be no way of helping them.) It's very good to hear that you have succeeded. That's what
this site is all about and I thank you deeply for your note.
Is there a list of the amount of sodium in vegs and natural foods? I recently found your cookbook in the bookstore. It has been such a big help in
changing my diet. You have helped me realize there is life after they take the salt away. Thanks—Kathy Marshall We have put an extensive list on the Web site for you.
You can find it at All About Sodium On the left side you'll be able to find "word buttons"
that will take you to veggies, beef, fish, etc. My name is John and I just want to ask
you this question because I cannot
have anything that contains salt in any form. Do all meats and
vegetables and fruit have salt already in it. Please reply. Thank you so
much. Thanks—John You mentioned you cannot have anything with salt in it.
Salt and sodium are not the same thing.
No food naturally has "salt" in it. But processed, canned, packaged, fast foods, frozen foods,
restaurants, bread all use a lot of salt.
Fresh foods, raw meats not processed (some chicken is soaked in brine before coming to the market -- read the FDA label on the chicken package first) are not laden with salt. Fresh vegetables are clear of all salt.
Greetings, Don!
My question is about my Mom: She has had heart problems and is now on a reduced salt diet. But it seems her doctor has told her to avoid -any- salt
substitutes. Are you aware of any reasons why she must do so, and since she must, how would this affect so many recipes (or over-the counter products)
where manufacturers -are- using such (alternative) ingredients to keep the ~real~ salt content low? In other words, HOW would the average consumer
have any way of knowing what chemical combinations to avoid? Thank you, so very much, for the courtesy of your reply. I really appreciate
it. — - 4-H Mom Some salt substitutes are nothing more
than pure potassium chloride. To use these could imbalance your mother's medications. Potassium levels in the body
are generally kept in balance by a healthy diet. If she's taking a diuretic however, she's probably also taking a potassium tablet.
The term "Salt Substitute" generally means "I'm going to use it everyday." Not a good idea.
Dear chef Don,
My late wife of 25 1/2 years developed type II diabetes in the early 80's. It wasn't until she developed renel failure and subsequently died from the excessive salt intake, that I have become convinced of the poisonous nature of too much salt. I have since remarried and my current wife loves her salt shaker also. Is there a way to graciously throw away the salt shaker or is the body's inherent need for sodium so strong that it overrides any better sense even in the face on contradictory evidence? Could you please send to me some convincing arguments which may help me to convince her to give up her salt habit ! GCW
Hi Graham.
There are many myths about salt and sodium. One of them is that our "body" cries out for salt. That's wrong. Our bodies do not need salt. Not at all. There is enough sodium naturally in a balanced diet to take care of our sodium needs. As a matter of fact, if we eat too much of some natural foods, we'll get too much sodium.
Does Sea Salt have less sodium in it?
"Salt is salt - sodium is sodium." Sodium is a base mineral and
all salt (sodium chloride) structures are the same regardless of whether
they came from the sea on the coast of Montpellier, France, or from a mine
in Pennsylvania.
When ground to finer forms (as in table salt or Kosher salt) it has a
tendency to "clump," so salt producers add anti-clumping agents. They also
may add sodium iodide. But that is at a very very small rate. I have a can
of "Baleine" sea salt here and they add sodium iodide at the rate of 15mg/KG
which can hardly be regarded as dilutional. In any case, nutritional and
anti-clumping additives have already taken into account in the USDA's
nutritional values, which are averages of many samples.
Any dilutional effect of additives to salt over
various brands will have a negligible affect on the final sodium value, thus
they will not diverge in that respect from the USDA listing for "table salt"
by any significant amount.
I have a dear friend, age 76 male who is
truly into vitamins and good eating. Recently he is into Sea Salt, which is fine, but his research has told him he can have all he wants,
unlike regular table salt. I feel that may not be true....sodium is sodium is sodium. But I have no information to put in his hands to read.
I even checked the Mayo Clinic for info and found nothing. He loves the Mayo Clinic so I thought that may be an excellent resource. Help! Thank you —
Mary Dehon Read above response to sodium levels of sea salt. To reiterate: Sea Salt and table Salt are identical in levels of sodium chloride. One is mined from the sea and sometimes from "exotic" locations, while table salt is definitely mined from underground. Your friend might want to
read the package labels of his sea salt if they have them. Sea salt has 2,350 mg sodium per teaspoon. Table salt has 2,350 mg sodium per teaspoon.
Whether sea salt is "healthier" the answer is "No," since both salts have the exact same levels of sodium chloride.
I might also caution you against using salt substitutes unless they are made from herbs and spices. Many contain salt while others
contain very high levels of potassium chloride, which can also be "dangerous" to those with chronic illnesses. See This Article for more specific information concerning potassium.
Please send me a list of foods with no sodium for my Dad who recently had a very bad heart attack. I also need to know what low saturated fats he can eat.
-- Thank you -- Nancy You can find an extensive list of foods and ingredients
at Sodium Information
Don: Can you tell me if a low sodium diet really does help? I have read so many articles and it seems that it is not clear that a
low sodium diet really helps in lowering blood pressure. My husband had a heart attack two years ago, and he doesn't feel
that cutting out all the salt in his diet really is working in lowering his blood pressure. Anna L. Much research has been done in this area. UPDATE: Recently,
research has proved conclusively that lowering sodium intake will lower blood pressure. As of 2005 researchers are convinced that lowering
sodium will reduce risk to heart disease and help reduce hypertension. Although there is a "salt war" going on among media types, the rest of us
must work with what we have. See my article for a national mag by clicking here to get a feel
for what is going on nationally and I view it. Personally however, I can tell you reducing sodium helps. Whether everyone should drop to 500 mg or not is
yet another question. For me it worked. For many with renal disease it's a must. I would say, based on my research of research, that for many, a low of
1,000 to 1,300 mg would also work to reduce hypertension.
On your recipes several ingredience have (trace). What does that mean? — Pauline Young Trace generally means an immeasurable amount or amounts totaling less than .0099 mg per serving measurement based on USDA standards. We base everything on USDA data. FDA labels on food packaging can be misleading by the way. 0 on an FDA label can mean anything up to 5 mg of sodium per serving. 130 mg can mean anything from 125 to 135 mg.
I have been put on a 200 mg low sodium diet. Can you help me?— Michele That's very low but can be done.
Get a copy of the book "The No Salt, Lowest Sodium Cookbook." You can visit Megaheart Bookstore and click on the book to get it from Amazon within 3 days. Or you can call your local bookstore and order it.
My father in-law has a low blood sodium count of 114. He has a disease called
pulmonary hypertension. Is there any kind of substitutes he can take to increase his sodium count quickly? Please respond ASAP.
Thank you in advance for your time.—R. Dwelly You'll have to speak with your doctor about that since
the count you gave us is a blood count. Blood sodium is not the same as ingested sodium. Other factors may also play in his
low sodium count (normal range is 135 to 145) such as diuretics, medications and whether he is in fact ingesting too little sodium.
See our web page at All About Sodium. You can learn more about blood sodium in
the last paragraph of the first section.
Can you tell me how many milligrams of sodium
do teenage girls need per day?—K.W. The answer to your question depends on many factors including overall health status. I suggest consulting with
a registered dietitian (R.D.) for specific information. You may locate a R.D. in your area by going to the American
Dietetic Association web site at ADA and clicking on the icon "Find a dietitian". By typing in your
zip code you will receive contact information for dietitians practicing in your area.
I noticed that none of your recipes call for
salt substitute. Is there a reason for that? Also, do you know where I could get information on the natural sodium
in food? Thanks—Lewanna
Salt substitutes, unless made of spices like my formula, either have way too much sodium in them (because many of them
contain salt) or they are flavorless and a weak attempt to provide a substitute for salt flavor. No salt substitute that I've
seen will work in cooking breads and other recipes calling for salt as a leavening or preservative agent.
My husband is on a sodium restricted diet. He has been watching the Food
Network on TV, where everyone seems to be brining their Thanksgiving turkey. He says that brining will not increase the amount of sodium in the meat. I
don't see how that is possible. Can you tell me how much of the salt in the brining liquid would be absorbed by the turkey? Thank you, — Cheri McWilliams
I hope this doesn't upset your husband but chefs and now processors brine turkeys to add more
sodium/salt flavor and to extend the shelf life. Yes, enough "sticks" to the bird to warrant great
caution. The USDA says a brined 12 pound turkey increases in sodium levels
exponentially. 4 ounces of raw, fresh baked turkey has about 72 mg of sodium
per ounce. A brined turkey for the same serving can have upwards of 980 to 1200 mg of sodium..
How much sodium in coffee?— Mary Rios Great question.
There are nearly a hundred listings at the USDA.
Basically coffee by itself varies from half a milligram per ounce to 1 milligram per ounce.
Now comes the rub.
Water.
If you use bottled - distilled water the sodium doesn't change.
If you use tap water from a municipal source then your cup of coffee will change to the level of that water. Water ranges from 1 mg per quart to 400 mg per quart in some parts of the country.
Ground water, if you have a well, must be tested to see what your sodium level might be.
The USDA averages water at 7.11 mg per cup or nearly 1 mg per ounce.
Add cream, you add sodium. The amount of sugar you may add is negligible. I have a friend who can have 2000 mg. of sodium per day. What does this
convert to in dry measurement. Is it a teaspoon, or what part of a teaspoon or tablespoon? Thanks — Thresa D. Hi Theresa, 2,000 mg a day of sodium is a lot of sodium, higher than the recommended 1,300 mg to 1,800 mg a day for healthy people.
There is no measurement per teaspoon for this. A teaspoon of salt has 2,350 mg of sodium. But when eating, we find sodium in everything and that's the trick.
Our cookbook, The No Salt, Lowest Sodium Cookbook was designed for heart and Meniere's patients as well as kidney and hypertension patients.
Doctors are gradually coming around to realizing we can get below 2,000 mg a day and still enjoy our meals and get plenty to eat. Because we have proved
it's easy to get down to as low as 500 mg a day (and in some cases lower), many cardiologists and registered dietitians are today recommending our books to
their patients. You may want to point your friend to Our Cookbooks and invest the $11.97 in our No Salt cookbook that walks them
through all the sodium levels, provides over 350 recipes with sodium levels per every ingredient and a 28 day meal planning guide your friend can use to
build her/his own daily eating plan.
Is it healthy for me to keep my sodium intake to under 500 mg. a day? I have high blood pressure that seems to be fine since the end of May when I started limiting the sodium and losing weight. Our doctor thinks 500 mg is too low and we should aim for 1500. Is there any valid problem with taking in under 500 mg? Thank you
— Bonnie Taylor
Hi Bonnie,
You didn't say if you were diagnosed with anything more serious than weight and high blood pressure. At least for heart patients
my cardiologist at Stanford Heart Transplant Clinic says that 500 is fine, especially for patients who need it. If hypertension is your sole diagnosis,
then current research pins the sodium at between 1,000 and 1,300 mg a day. You must discuss this with your doctor however.
I have been on a 500 mg a day intake for 8 years without ever having gone over that level. I also do not have to take diuretics, potassium or other meds
usually given for patients who need to lower blood pressure or help with serious heart failure by quickly expelling body fluids through these chemical means.
The logic that strikes me, a non medical person, is that if diuretics are taken, and potassium then given to replace the potassium the diuretics excrete, why would
a 500 mg a day dietary plan that negates the need for chemistry alterations be not a good thing?
Historically Doctors haven't believed we can get below 1500 mg a day, so they usually say 1500 or 2,000 mg hoping we might get close.
How long will my bread remain fresh?
You can add shelf life to all our recipes with a few changes we've listed on this site. Each of our recipes will
stay fresh in zipper lock bags or in the freezer for up to 5 days with a few simple techniques. But first let's review the care of bread, whether you make it or buy it. There are some myths about "shelf life" when it
comes to bread. Here are a few key things to remember. We hope they answer a few of the better known myths.
Are there altitude tables for Ener-G Baking Powder?
No. There are no tables, but the following was provided to us by the company that makes Ener-G.
Can I just remove
the salt from bread recipes I have?
Removing salt alone will
still give you a bread that rises but not very well. Whole Wheat bread won't work at all without something adjusted or added. White bread if you use
a bread machine flour or "best for bread" flour and Fleischmann's Bread Machine yeast will rise but the bread won't stay fresh very long. And it won't rise to the
commercial level you're accustomed too. The reason Fleichmann's Bread Machine yeast works with the "best for bread flour" is that the product has
ascorbic acid added to it. The "best for bread" flour has more gluten in it than let's say all-purpose flour. These combinations are important for producing the
rise and the gas needed to help bread get those nice air pockets. We add vinegar for the acid needed for freshness and ascorbic acid (either with orange
zest/peel or Sure Jell Ever Fresh or pure ascorbic acid) to make a combination with the gluten, the acid and the sugar in the recipe. This
combination is referred to as a bread enhancer. Other additions you can make are granular soy lecithin and potato flour, which will help add
longer shelf-life and a softer freshness. Salt in bread is not the sole leavening agent but instead was initially put into bread to help keep the
bread fresh. We recommend even with our ingredients that you store the bread in a zipper lock type bag. Most of our recipes will stay fresh on the counter
for up to about 5 or 6 days with the above ingredient combinations. Also, you may freeze our bread and it will thaw or microwave thaw as though fresh.
Back To Bread Section Top
Can I adjust your bread recipes, like adding stuff like flaxseed meal or other things? Can I take anything out if I don't like it?
Yes, and no. I encourage you to play with bread recipes. Making bread is fun and making varieties of bread from a single recipe is also enjoyable. I suggest you write down what changes you make. If you have a great
success, then you know exactly what to do next time. If you don't have a success, then you already know
where to start over. Changing recipes often requires altering other ingredients. For instance, recipes using buttermilk will require a different level of liquid or flour.
Recipes using whole wheat will change the liquid levels. Sugar and yeast levels often change as well, but
you will learn quickly when to adapt and what to adapt. You didn't say specifically what you wanted to change but I assume here you aren't going to remove the important
ingredients like yeast, flour (flour types can change of course), etc. I recommend Fleischmann's Bread Machine yeast for all bread recipes whether in a machine or by hand. Fleischmann's Bread Machine yeast has added
ascorbic acid, which works well when not using salt. However, we add more ascorbic acid since we've found that no salt bread recipes need it
in a combination of other ingredients. I would also recommend that each of your bread recipes contain the three added ingredients
ascorbic acid, vineger, gluten. The combination of these three will help develop the gas and rise. Also, Sugar or Splenda help yeast along.
Other ingredients we now recommend
for freshness and flavor are potato flour (about 2-tablespoons for every 3 cups of flour, exchanged for like measurements of flour), and granular soy lecithin. Can I make your bread machine
recipes using my Kitchen Aid? (I just want to say your trio of books are very helpful to me in the battle against salt!!
The recipe for soy sauce was amazing.) Thank you for your note, we are always please to hear good words about our work.
Yes, you can make bread in your Kitchen Aid. But not the same way we make the dough in a bread machine.
Although active dry yeast would work, we suggest using Fleischmann's Bread Machine yeast since it has some ascorbic acid in it. Before making
bread with a Kitchen Aid you'll have to make what is called a "sponge." The yeast called for in the recipe has to be mixed with some of the liquid and
let stand until it "sponges" up. The liquid should be warmed to about 80 degrees F and not much higher. Too much heat kills yeast. Filtered water should be used since tap water varies with chlorine content and chlorine also kills yeast.
Our Store went out of business that carries your Rye Bread and I can't get anyone to order it for me. Is there somewhere in the Midland,
Saginaw Michigan area that I can buy it. We miss having it on our table. Please let us know. — The McCann's
We don't carry any products for sale, but do recommend many. You may try Healthy Heart Market.
Otherwise, I'm sure we could come up with a rye bread recipe if you like.
Our Baking book has a rye bread on page 62 titled raisin rye. It's very good but does need to be store in a zip lock bag since we use absolutely no salt in it.
Is white whole wheat really whole wheat?
You may want to try our
White Whole Wheat bread recipe. The recipe answers your question with, "This flour from Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur's Flour Company is made from a wheat known as "white whole wheat." The whole kernel is used (thereby making it
whole wheat), but the wheat is different than what you are accustomed to. There are two kinds of white whole wheat. Hard white and soft white. Neither is a
"white" flour. They are in fact: whole wheat. This wheat is used for making pasta, pastries and other bakery goods. It can make you a terrific tasting whole
wheat bread as well.
Any new advice about no salt bread making?
Yes. Now that real ascorbic acid is available nationally from King Arthur's Catalog (online) we use it in our recipes in
place of listed citrus peel or Sure Jell Ever Fresh. (But you don't have to make the switch. Recipes work very well with either.
Ascorbic acid (citrus acid) is found in the orange peel and in Sure Jell Ever Fresh, which also has sugar in it.
Basically, use 1/4 teaspoon of ascorbic acid per recipe in place of the Sure Jell or orange peel recommended.
We also like to add a dash of onion powder to give a bit of that old "salt" taste. Where can I find your banana bread recipe?
The
No Salt Lowest Sodium Baking Book
has two recipes in it. You can also find a good one at our Recipes page. My sourdough starter makes my bread dough really watery. What am I doing wrong? Dale B. 2012—Kathy
Sourdough itself is tough to make successfully. Let's start from the
beginning and see how you did from the start. The following is a sourdough starter recipe I use all the time:
One of the reasons why I love your cookbook so much is that it is low
sodium, but not necessarily low calorie. So many low-sodium cookbooks (the
AHA one, for example) are heavily geared mainly towards reducing fat in the
diet. Since I am 5'4" and only weigh about 98 pounds, your cookbook helps me
maintain my weight.Your question is a good one.
You may exchange the applesauce for equal amounts of olive oil or
unsalted butter. I prefer olive oil for a little flavor and more moisture. (Oils are in bread recipes for the moisture.)
If not already in a bread recipe, you might want to add 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten and 1 tablespoon of grated
orange peel or 1/4 teaspoon of ascorbic acid (the combination makes a good bread dough enhancer). Other great bread recipes are listed at
Bread RecipesHi,
I need help on a recipe - is there anyway to cut the sandwich bun
recipe (p. 258) in half? Or can the dough be frozen?
I don't have the room to freeze the extra rolls - and I always end
up with a huge batch!
Thanks! —
Susan (Since the first edition of the book, I have
added three ingredients that help guarantee a good rise with aeration.) You can find updates and fixes at
Recipe Updates.
Just put this page into your bookmark for future reference.
Here's what you might want to try.
Hi Don
My husband had a massive heart attack 2 years ago and had CHF. I just bought a bread machine and noticed the recipes use
1 tsp and a half salt. Can I use the NU Salt instead or just cut back on the salt?
I read the yeast needs the salt.....My husband is not taking potassium anymore.......thanks — Sue I don't know what kind of bread machine you purchased but you can bake bread without salt.
You can find some great recipes at our web site by visiting www.megaheart.com and clicking on the loaf of bread. That will take you to our recipe page. Scroll down to the bread section.
Can you give me a source of recipes for making
bread in a bread making machine? We are doing this so we know what is in the bread. We would,
however, like more variety than the book offers. Or do you just improvise with regular recipes and experiment?
Thank you!—John N.
You can find additional bread recipes at:
Recipes Index
Our No Salt, Lowest Sodium Baking Book has bout 135 great break, cookie and muffin
recipes.
My husband has recently become a CHF patient (at the age of 26) and he has
to watch how much Sodium he consumes a day. I was wondering if you knew of any substitutes for salt that would have the same baking results.
For example, when making homemade bread, salt works with the yeast which makes it light and bubbly. However, using a salt substitute or no salt at all
makes the bread very heavy and dense, therefore tasting awful! Same as in cookies and many other recipes that call for salt.
Please help!!!!—Amy-Lynn H.
To answer your question about bread making right up front, it's easy to make it without salt. With a combination of gluten, sugar and ascorbic acid
you can convert any recipe you have by leaving out the salt and adding the above.
As a matter fact, our baking book with about 135 bread, cookie and muffin recipes is has been a great success.
You can order one right now at Amazon.Com for a very small investment.
If you haven't found a few bread recipes at our web site yet then visit:
Recipes
Hi, Don—I just got your book and was trying to locate the bread
machine you recommend, the Breadman TR810. Can you tell me where I can find it? Thanks—Lee I am sorry to report that Salton, manufacturer of the Breadman TR810, this year
discontinued the TR810. (Updated 2006. We recommend any of the bread machines one our Kitchen Cabinet page.)
Hello, we work with kids with ADD/aDHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder
and have read some interesting info on the effects of gluten. In your software is gluten the same as glutanic acid? We have a hard time helping families
reduce gluten when it is often not listed as gluten on labels. What do you suggest?—J. Rice You might be better off discussing this with a nutritionist (R.D.) than with me.
What I can tell you is:
Glutanic Acid is a naturally occurring amino-acid, a constituent of many proteins. It is offered in many "health food" stores, vitamin pills and other forms from
"health food" suppliers or stores.How can I make a pure whole wheat bread?—Unknown Sender
Bread made exclusively with whole wheat is difficult at best. We suggest 3 cups of whole wheat flour or wheat pastry flour, 3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten,
1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid, 1 cup of water,
1 tablespoon Grandma's Molasses (unsalted), 1 teaspoon white sugar, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast using the rapid
rise button on your bread machine.
Please tell me what vital wheat gluten is.—Regards, Robyn in Australia Hi Robyn,
Gluten is the natural protein in the wheat endosperm that when combined with water, forms a taffy-like dough. This retains the gas and steam from baking,
which gives bread its bulk or volume.
Why does a bread recipe that uses a sourdough
starter need any other yeast? Thank you. —jmanix When yeast first works with the
sourdough starter, it's used up right away. Once yeast is used up, it's no longer useable in a "second effort." Also, yeast useage is based on
the amount of flour used. A standard formula for instance would be 2 1/4
tsp for 3 cups of flour. In a sourdough loaf of 3 cups of flour, you'd use
about 1/2 cup of sourdough starter, which would contain no more than about
1/8 teaspoon of used up yeast. Hi Don:
I read your no salt baking book and learned a lot from it and the web site.
My spouse shouldn't eat bread but is NOT on a low salt diet whereas I am on a low salt
diet but allowed bread. I would like to reduce the number of loaves per recipe as I find
that one loaf lasts about a week with only two seniors living in the house. Can I just
reduce the quantitiesproportionally and still get a good bread? — John & Chris Buchanan
I usually freeze whatever I'm not going to use right away.
But to cut a recipe let's try this:
If flour is 5 to 6 cups, cut 3.
Cut water (liquid) to one cup possible one more tablespoon but wait for the kneading to find out. Cut yeast to 2 1/4 teaspoons.
Use 1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid available via mail from King Arthur Baking Catalog (online)
instead of orange peel or Sure Jell and use 1 level tablespoon of vital wheaat gluten.
Cut all other ingredients in half except for the vinegar. Use 1-tablespoon.
If using bread machine bake or make dough the same way.
You will want to keep an eye on the machine when first trying this since flour can be different from one brand to the next. If the water is not enough add
only 1 tablespoon at a time and let it work a few minutes. If it's too much, then add 1 tablespoon flour and let it work.
Next time you'll have your own recipe for that particular effort. For more softness and longer shelf-life, you can add 1 teaspoon of granular soy lecithin and
2 tablespoons of potato flour. (Removed 2 tablespoons of bread flour if you use the potato flour.)
I do need a bread machine because I am really not strong enough to work the bread up as it should be done without a machine. The bread machines I have used to not meet my expectations. I have been looking for the machine you recommend: The Breadman Model TR810. We have shopped all over Minnesota. The internet said it was out of stock and they do not expect to receive more. Can you tell me where to go next?
I have not been able to find any machine like your describe that will make a 2 1/2 loaf, up to 6 cups of flour, with the double paddle.
Hi Laurie,
Click here to find two Breadman machines. The 850 replaces the 810. The Tr2200C is one I use now for making both dough and bread. The bread in the TR2200 however is a vertical loaf.
To help that favorite bread of your husband's, add 1 tablespoon of Ever Fresh fruit freshener, and make sure to puot in a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten. You'll notce a great improvement in texture.
Each loaf should have 1 tablespoon of Ever Fresh, 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten and either 1 teaspoon of sugar or 1 packet of Splenda sugar substitute. By the way, these bread machines are tough and don't need the second paddle.
Where is Montana White Bread Flour, used in your recipes, available? Have checked Healthy Heart Market and Bob's Red Mill as your book "No-Salt Lowest Sodium" seems to suggest on page 19 under Flour and Grain topic.
Thanks, Karl
Hi,
I'm going to guess you're living in the midwest or south from your email address.
Out west we have a flour called Stone Buhr. It's one of the very best breadmaking flours available. But
King Arthur flour
also uses Montana Wheat and is a very good flour for breadmaking, equal to Stone Bhur.
While shopping at King Arthur, also pick up some ascorbic acid. (Type Ascorbic acid into their search engine) Use this with any bread recipe that uses sugar and if you want, add a teaspoon of vital wheat gluten for each 3 cups of flour to increase the rise and the texture. Use 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid. We now use this instead of the Sure Jell Ever Fresh we recommend on the web site and in some places in the baking book and cookbook.
Do you know where I can find no salt bread for Thanksgiving stuffing?
— name on File Here's a short list of what we have learned up to date as far
as commercially available low sodium bread.
In the west, Safeway has a "Mrs. Wright's Very Low Sodium Bread" with just 5 mg per slice. It's good, too.
I was
wondering if there would be a good substitute for the Chex party mix recipe
that I make every Christmas. I thought I could substitute garlic
powder for the garlic salt, but what about the season salt, Worcestershire
sauce and other ingredients. Thanks, again.
Chex is too high in sodium for our use. We substitute
Nabisco bite size shredded wheat (0 mg), stir fry it lightly in a nonstick pan with a tablespoon of olive oil,
unsalted peanuts and unsalted pine nuts. After that, we mix in golden raisins (purely a matter of taste). It works well. We use
Oregon Spice Rack "Garlic Lover's Garlic."
I have your baking book and see that a lot of the recipes rely on orange
juice for all or most of the liquid.
I'm not crazy about the taste of orange juice. Can I substitute
low-salt buttermilk, or low-fat milk? Is there a general rule for
how to change the recipe in a yeast-raised product if I don't
want to use orange juice? Can I use a little
Fruit Fresh for the ascorbic acid/citric acid that would be in the juice? — Thanks. Liz G.
Hi Liz,
Yes you may. However, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of
ascorbic acid if you don't use the orange juice or the same amount of Fruit Fresh. The orange juice
was used for our books before we had wide access to pure ascorbic acid. See: Where To Buy Ascorbic Acid
(If you use buttermilk you might want to add the same quantity plus two
tablespoons of buttermilk. Watch the beginning stages of the kneading
process and see if it needs more buttermilk. Add
ingredients at just one tablespoon at a time.)
Greetings Don!
How you doing? :)
I know this is probably on your site somewhere but my state of mind isn't
allowing me to find it /chuckle. What is the difference, when baking
something, between "regular" baking powder and Featherweight's baking
powder?
Unfortunately the well-intended AHA book is not designed for people who have heart disease or hypertension, but
instead for healthy people. It helps them keep their sodium to sane levels. Two teaspoons of regular baking
powder has 975.2 mg sodium. That's not good for us. Looked at your low sodium pizza recipe &
it said to use (Pizza Dough Thin Crust Bread Machine Preparation - Oven Baked). What if ya do not have
a bread machine & can not afford one right now. Can one make pizza dough that is low in sodium –
anyway for this recipe? — Tiger Lily Yes, first float the yeast in 1/4 cup of
the recipe's water, warmed to about 80° F. Let stand for about 5 minutes. Mix into flour , oil and warmed water.
Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes until dough ball is smooth and elastic. Follow recipe instructions from there.
Your recipes say Featherweight has some sodium in it. Why does the Featherweight bottle state 0?Looked at your low sodium pizza recipe &
it said to use (Pizza Dough Thin Crust Bread Machine Preparation - Oven Baked). What if ya do not have
a bread machine & can not afford one right now. Can one make pizza dough that is low in sodium –
anyway for this recipe? — Tiger Lily Yes, first float the yeast in 1/4 cup of
the recipe's water, warmed to about 80° F. Let stand for about 5 minutes. Mix into flour , oil and warmed water.
Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes until dough ball is smooth and elastic. Follow recipe instructions from there.Why does the Featherweight FDA label state it has 0 mg sodium and your recipes list otherwise?
— Donna Vizzo The USDA does the nutrient data testing and the FDA has set the rules for label information. Unfortunately, manufacturers are allowed to minimize the levels by lowering the serving size and following the FDA rules that nutrient levels below 5 mg per serving size may be listed as 0.
Featherweight lists its serving size as 1/8 a teaspoon. We've never seen a recipe that uses only 1/8th a teaspoon, but that measurement allows Hain to list 0 sodium. You will find this with other products as well.
The USDA listing for measurements for Featherweight and other low-sodium baking powders is as you see them with our recipes.
I make bread- How many MG's
of sodium is in my bread?As written, 2,276 mg. divide by numbers of slices to get total for each serving. This is very high by the way..
Recommendations:: Leave out the salt.
Use unsalted butter, canola or olive oil instead of margarine. Margarine is dangerously high in tri-glycerides.
Use nonfat milk or water or orange juice. (Orange juice offers a nice flavor and added nutrients and no fat.)
With nonfat milk your loaf will have only 253.4 mg sodium.
With water or orange juice: 126 mg sodium per loaf.
Can one make your bread recipes
without a bread machine?
If so--do any of the amounts of the ingredients change, etc.? Majory Yes, many of my recipes can be made without a bread machine although
baking no salt bread requires a degree of consistency that regular bread forgives.First, you use the same amount of yeast but must prepare the yeast differently.
All other ingredients are the same except possibly for the total amount of flour and the liquid.Dear Don, I just bought the ener-g baking powder because I have Meniere's disease.
When I tryed to make home made bisquit mix, bisquits, or corn bread it turns out sour. What do I need to do to adjust it to my homemade recipes? — Thanks
Doris L Hi,
The Featherweight baking powder works a bit better than the Ener-G.
It's nearly impossible to simply adjust your old recipes. The balance of ingredients often changes.
I was diagnosed with CHF two years ago this Christmas.
I need some gravy on my mashed potatoes. Can you help me out? - Dennis Morris
Try using a product called Bernard, Cream of Mushroom Soup & Gravy Base (0 mg sodium) from
Healthy Heart Market. If you follow the instructions on the can, you won't
like the gravy as it is, so here are my suggestions for making it "real gravy."
Add some beef drippings, (after cooking the beef), and the Bernard gravy base will come to life. It doesn't take much,
about three tablespoons for a pint of gravy.
I mixed 2 tablespoons of the gravy base from Bernard with 3 level tablespoons of white flour (like the container suggested),
and three level tablespoons of beef drippings. (You can add more if you like.) They suggest adding a pint of water.
I thought that made the gravy too thin. So, I backed off the water to 1 cup (half a pint), and stirred while heating
over a medium flame, bringing it to a boil. Simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
If gravy is too thick for you, add water 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time. Or, if you prefer, you can add more
drippings from your cooked beef (or roasted turkey). Another kicker is to add minced garlic to taste.
I don't know if you like garlic, but it likes your heart. I like the flavor of garlic, and add it to many cooked ingredients.
Dear Chef Don-
Are there any reduced-sodium or low-sodium lunch meat products out there? I've asked about this at several local grocery store deli counters, but have not had much success. It seems the only way to have a truly low sodium sandwich meat is to roast an unprocessed meat yourself and slice it. Any ideas?
I love this site! — Karen I. Hi. Sorry but no, there aren't any that we know of. Processed meats
have sodium nitrate and sodium nitrites in them. I roast a beef, have a meat cutter from Krups and thinly slice it. I then layer a package of
this with wax paper per amount of slices I want in a sandwich and freeze them in a zip lock freezer bag. They thaw quickly when pulling enough
out for a sandwich. I have not been as lucky with turkey or chicken, however. If you use a good herbs de provence or garlic slices inserted into the beef
when you roast it, it will give you a very good sandwich flavor.
Hi there,
I have found your website to be extremely helpful. My boyfriend is 25,
and discovered at age 19 that he has high blood pressure.
I have recently heard bits of information about the preparation of raw
chicken for retail sale. Apparently some or all chicken is soaked in
some type of sodium solution to improve shelf life. What I am wondering
is whether this happens to all chicken, and if this added sodium
exposure in taken into account in the commonly referred to nutritional
values for plain raw chicken? Do you know about this? I would appreciate
any help or ideas you might have. Thank you very much.— Allison Schroeder
Vancouver, BC Canada Hi Allison,
If there's a single question on this website that has brought me more email than others, it's this one.
The answer I have has been provided by Foster Farms and Zacky Farms. "No,
fresh chickens aren't soaked in sodium to extend shelf-life. But frozen chicken parts generally are.
We soak those in sodium for freezer protection. Also, any marinated or seasoned chicken meat is going to be high in sodium.
We label our chicken packages accurately." Where can I find recipes for smoking fish and meats that do not use salt or
high sodium ingredients for the brine mixture?—Dave Schwagler
Here's an answer from our Sporting Chef, Scott Leysath. He has a great Wild
Game Recipe book, available in any bookstore (although they probably have to
order it. Or available directly from the author. We also have some.)I'm having a large group this year and will be serving a
24 lb. turkey. I would appreciate you letting me kow if 1/2 hour per pound is correct. I plan on dinner being served at 2 P.M. Thank you.— Pamela You didn't say how you wanted to cook it, so here is a terrific website
that covers all aspects of cooking turkeys. Hope it helps you. Cooking Turkey Techniques
The recipe for Scampi in Wine on page 126 of the No Salt Low Sodium Cookbook has a footnote that reads, "You must use fresh shrimp —
not imitation or frozen." Why? Would not thawed frozen shrimp do the trick? Or is there additonal sodium in frozen shrimp? Thanks!— Robert V Monticello,
The recipe states you should use fresh shrimp only. Seven years ago when
this recipe was put into the book, frozen and imitation shrimp were very high in sodium. I haven't purchased frozen shrimp since then
so the best thing to do is check the packaging to see if things have changed (I suspect if they are fresh raw shrimp they have no salt in them now. Quite a few
manufacturers and producers are catching on to the unnecessary addition of salt to their products. Make sure you don't
buy "old" frozen shrimp. They may not hold up texture wise after cooking). If it does
not contain salt (as a preservative), and the sodium levels per serving are low, then I see no reason why you couldn't use them for scampi.
Imitation shrimp, I suspect, is still high in sodium.
Hi Don -- here's a question for you: What can you do to tenderize tough
cuts of meat, such as London broil, without using one of the commercially
available high-sodium products? Or do you know of any salt-free
commercially available meat tenderizers?—E. Sachs When I first read this question I wanted to tell
you "Just beat it to a pulp." Then I thought, NO, she'd think I was trying to be cute, or facetious. In fact, that's how it used
to be done (ala the cube steak). But there are other ways of tenderizing meat without using salt or salty products.
Hi, I hope I'm not being pretentious, but can you tell me more about Chef Don? Does he write
all the material on this website? Thank you. Jack W. This is Chef Don. I respond to all questions sent to Megaheart.com.
I have lots of help, however, from others. Megaheart is a rather large site, too large for just one person to manage. Others who have helped include volunteers like writers Judie Wilson, Tony DiMarco
a few doctors and nurses and dietitions and before his passing, Trevor Beard of Australia. (I hope I haven't left anyone out.) The original site was first developed for the web by a friend, Bill Karoly.
Then it was muchly improved in design by my son in 1999. Visitors and members have helped greatly. The best proof readers are in our audience we love it.
And then there's my wife, Maureen. She double checks and bops me on the head when I'm not quite on the money. :-) She also contributes some terrific no-salt recipes of her own. Are there any tables to show me how much a pound or volume of food is, when converted to measurements? — D. L. HarperThanks to your question we have added a few pages you might like.
Back to Conversions Top
Hi. I may have an opportunity to travel to Japan for a week. I know that
soy sauce is out, but I wonder if you have any other suggestions on
maintaining a low sodium diet in a foreign country? Thanks. — LeeAnn
Great question LeeAnn.Any thoughts about no-salt in China? I also travel to Europe a lot.
Yes, Click Here for
a pdf file created by Ms Su Liuwho has written a message for you to carry on your trips to China. We also have an extensive suggestion for varoius
European countries, based on their restaurant eating habits.
Dear Don,
I am on a low dose diuretic for high blood pressure, and have asked my doctor about a problem I have. he was not that helpful, so I am hoping that maybe you can
answer my question. the problem is that I enjoy eating in restaurants, and travel pretty often. when I consume too much salt, I retain fluid, even with the
diuretic. I hate to give up eating out, and travel is one of the joys of my life. my dining out is largely limited to weekends. is there anything you can
suggest? thank you so much for any help you give me. — Sincerely, Ellen Stern Hi Ellen,
You've answered your own question. As one who eats out when I want to, I've learned the solution. The primary one is to ask the waiter/watiress to check with the chef for what can be prepared without using salt. Then, ask if they can steam vegetables or provide you something like a sliced tomato in place of highly salted veggies or rice, etc.
If something has been marinated or pre processed or pre prepared, then don't touch it. A single restaurant meal can have as many as 14,000 mg of sodium. That's enough to kill me, frankly.
So, I insist on no salt prepared, no salt added dining and anything cooked with "grease" must be cooked instead with a light dose of olive oil (not butter, margarine or other artificial cooking oils).
I take my own homemade bread if I want bread. I don't touch theirs. Restaurant bread is high in salt/sodium because they want it to remain "fresh" and "soft" while it sits in the open.
You don't have to give up on the eating out, you just have to take control of it.
If your restaurant won't cooperate, then don't eat there. Excuse yourself and go to another.
We call ahead though, when we can. On our recent road trip from California to the east coast and back we stopped in many places and experienced a problem in only one of them. All the rest accommodated us perfectly.
Since I have cut my salt and sodium down to under 500 mg a day, I no longer have to take diuretics. Diuretics are hard on the kidneys and will eventually cause some damage, thusly my goal was not only to reshape and downsize my heart, but to save my kidneys.
You can do the same.
Let us know if you need further assistance in this regard.
Thanks for the wonderful site and service you are providing to all of us. I have been on no salt (or very low sodium) diets for almost 15 years and lately nothing seems to taste good when I cook. I used to and currently use no salt seasoning, but it does not work anymore. My question is 'How do I make the food I cook taste good without salt? Thank you very much, — Ali
Hi Ali,
Salt substitutes are usually potassium chloride and indeed that destroys our palates as much as salt does. But over a short period our palates do return to a stage where we can actually enjoy the natural taste of food.
To enhance foods and flavors we use fresh spices. We also provide ten very good spice mixes you can make for yourself in our No Salt, Lowest SodLight Meals book .
I need to know about no salt foods. alternatives for gravies, margarine, breads, main meals etc. - Catherine See Gravy for your gravy query. Margarine is taboo for heart
patients and healthy people as well. It's the most dangerous of all fats in that margarine is mostly transfatty acids. We recommend extra virgin olive oil for most
cooking and much of baking but when a hard shortening is needed we recommend unsalted butter. Crisco and any
other coconut based oil (palm kernel, coconut, cottonseed) are too dangerous for heart patients.
If I cannot purchase Ener-G Baking Soda, what is a reasonable substitute. -- rshore There are none that I know of.
You can get Ener-G baking soda at Healthy Heart Market or call 1-888 685 5988.
I'm interested in baking some of the breads,
but they call for the substitute baking powders or sodas. I'm wondering if they can be used safely if the
doctor says you shouldn't be eating potassium salt substitutes? - Mia C. You'll have to ask your doctor about the potassium
levels in Featherweight and other potassium based substitutes in relationship to your own potassium level. His advice however sounds solid.
Potassium is nothing to mess around with.
That said, we aren't sure the potassium chloride in the substitutes harms or helps — but we play it on the safe side and use it sparingly.
I don't recommend salt substitutes because they help you build a crutch through heavy use of potassium chloride — and before you know it,
you're back to eating the old way again. It's best to devise your own spice mixes. After about six months of no salt on your food, you'll discover than even
a bare hardboiled egg tastes great. Does liquid smoke contain sodium? We have the book, and love the Italian recipes! Thanks - Nancy Yes. The average for a non salted liquid smoke is about 10 mg per teaspoon.
Where can I Grandma's Chili Powder? I've searched the Web and it's just not there. Thank you —
Lou ann Grandma's Chili Powder is now named after the company that makes it: Williams Chili Powder.
You can get it at Healthy Heart Market.Where can I buy the Santa Fe Taco Mix? Thank you
Pat The Santa Fe Taco Mix is no longer recommended. The manufacturer
decided to add salt to the product and now the sodium is too high to use in a low-sodium meal plan.
Can you tell me whether the low sodium Herbox bouillon is available in Toronto/Ontario,Canada?
Maria S. Sorry not yet. Here's a response to an inquiry to Hormel Foods,
makers of Herb-Ox.
I just used the no sodium Chinese baking soda ordered from
Healthy Heart Market in my banana bread recipe.
The bread did not get as dark and it was more course. Do recipes taste and look different with that product?
I have your book and I love it. Thanks for offering a source for those of us who have to change our lives.
— Margaret
Your Chinese baking soda is really Ener-G Baking Soda from a Seattle Washington company and
sold in local natural food stores or at Healthy Heart Market.
It is calcium carbonate with some citric acid in it. It works well if used thusly:
Double or triple it when replacing standard baking soda. Mix it into the wet ingredients just before
popping it into the oven. Don't let it sit outside of the oven. If using in muffins, cakes, or other "heavy"
baked items, add one or two teaspoons of Featherweight Baking Powder for that extra kick.
That usually does the trick.
Where can you find low sodium canned whole tomatoes, beef broth, chicken
broth & soup, mushrooms, cream of celery, & cream of mushroom soup? Thanks — DG
You've compiled a list of generally not easy to find items. But here goes:
Where can I find low-sodium buttermilk used in your baking book?
— Denise
There are a few brands in the U.S. we know of. They are:I am very impressed with your web site,
it has helped me a great deal. I have been looking for bread recipes and have found some interesting ones
but have a small problem -- I don't seem to be able to find the product called vital wheat gluten can anything else be
substuted for this?
I am having a lot of difficulty making salt free bread that has a good texture. - Leone Rogers
You can find vital wheat gluten at Bob's Red Mill website. Just visit Our Where To Buy Page
scroll down to Bob's Red Mill. We are not associated with them, but this link will take you to their website. You can order from there.
You use flaxseed meal in some recipes. Why?
Flaxseed Meal is amazingly high in fiber with only a ¼ cup
providing 6 grams of fiber. It's also been credited with fighting colon and breast cancer tumors and lowers the bad
cholesterol (LDL). Flaxseed Meal with a small measure of water can replace oil, butter or margarine. Flaxseed Meal
will also add a nuttier flavor to your breads. It's great with waffles, pancakes, muffins and quick breads, and with
whole wheat or other grain breads. It's also great to mix in with your cold cereal. A formula for replacing oils
or shortening is a 3 to 1 ratio. For instance, replace ½ cup of butter, oil or other shortening with 1 ½ cups
flaxseed meal. Add about a 1/4 to a 1/2 cup liquid when you make this exchange. When substituting flaxseed for shortening, the baked good may brown more rapidly. I use the
"grainy" flaxseed meal. There is also a refined flaxseed flour.
Dear Chef
Our father has had trouble keeping his salt under control. Finally he just quit using it and found everything without taste. He was wondering if there are any
spices he can add to his foods besides garlic, onions and basil to spice up his life !
Could you please find time to write back and let us know ?
If it is a certain brand of Mayonnaise soup or anything please we will buy it, as he is tired of and wants better meals and prefers to cook for himself .
Your question is asked a lot.
First, most foods can be enhanced with spices, herbs, vinegars and the like, but each food, meal or ingredient calls for a different variety of spices. In my book I have a special spice mix I created that works with all meats.
For sauces, salad dressings and other such mixes. you might start using red raspberry vinegar.
When making your own bread (commercial bread is loaded with salt and sodium), use orange juice instead of water. Drop in some caraway seeds, or poppyseeds or fresh rosemary.
If you'll let me know what he likes to eat the most, I might be able to help you more.
Hello! I'd like to thank Don for writing and sharing all his great low
sodium recipies.
I was diagnosed with Meniere's Syndrome 6 months ago and the first thing my
doctor told me to do was go on a low sodium diet. I find your book to be
very useful for everyday cooking. My family is eating everything that I
prepare and are especially enjoying the homemade breads. I'm having trouble
finding whole wheat bread machine flour. I contacted Healthy Market and
several health food stores and they don't carry it. Do you have any
suggestions who I can contact? Again, thanks for all your help! — Sincerely,
Amy Wiles Hi Amy. You can use any whole wheat flour, not just
bread machine whole wheat or "best for bread machine." Just add 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten for each cup of flour.
In your book, some recipes call for
Contadina Natural Tomato Paste, with
102 mg sodium, rather than a no salt added tomato paste. Is there a
particular reason for this, or would either type of tomato paste work
equally as well in the recipe? (For example, on p. 165 there is a recipe
for enchilada sauce.) Thank you. I haven't yet tried all of the recipes, but I am working on it. :)—LeeAnn Contadina has no salt in it. They just don't
use the phrase "no salt added." Others may do the same, but some don't. Any tomato past without salt will work.
The sodium comes from the tomatoes used. About 10 medium to large tomatoes are used to make that one small can of tomato Paste.
I can find no overall source in the
Portland area that handles the specific foods
mentioned in your program. Health food stores may have a few things scattered
here and there, but it's difficult to find helpful clerks to locate them. Any suggestions
for source? Do I have to go to mail orders and shipping from distant sources? — Wayde H. Johnson Pete Eiden put together a collection of such items and
started his company Healthy Heart Market, which now carries nearly all
low-sodium ingredients foods you may be searching for. His toll-free number is 1-888-685-5988. By the way, shipping is
low-cost and from HHM it's quick. Also, please check our Where To Buy Special Ingredients at this Web site.
Hi Don,
I have your cookbook and have loved it. I have checked the healthyheart website and haven't been able to find where to
buy Herb-ox broth mix which is in many of your soup recipes. Where can I get it? I live in Utah-haven't found
it anywhere yet.— Herbox Low Sodium is available at Safeway and Raley's in our area, as well as
Albertson's, Ralphs, and others..
If you have a Safeway and they don't have it, ask the manager to get it.
If you can't find it in your area, it's made by Hormel Foods, a national product.
They sell it online at:
Hormel Foods
I strongly recommend however that for flavor you make your own broth. If you haven't picked up a copy of The No
Salt Lowest Sodium Light Meals Book then you may want to. It's chock full of great unsalted broths and soups and none use artificial ingredients
like Herb-Ox, which is mostly potassium chloride. You can freeze broth in amounts you would use later.
I used to be able to buy low sodium
pickles by Eden Brand, but have not seen them for years. Do you know if they still make those and if so where
I could buy them? Thank you for any information.—Jo Humber You're in luck. We have a great pickle recipe
in
The No Salt, Lowest Sodium Cookbook. It's on page 301. Make them, store them in the refrigerator. They are wonderful. Also, you can find
terrific B&G bread and butter pickles and chips at Healthy Heart Market
Whatever happened to Hain's soyanaise?
We went to Pete Eiden at Healthy Heart Market
for the answer to this question. "Featherweight made the soyanaise. They dropped it a few years ago. Hain
makes the eggless mayo. I cannot get it anymore. They were shipping it to
my wholesaler with just a month or 2 until expiration date so I am guessing
it is nearing the end of it's life." — Pete
I can't find Alpine Lace Low Sodium Swiss in any of the markets around here.
Where can I get it?
Thanks—Jim M. Alpine Lace sold out to Land o' Lakes. Land o' Lakes states that they never had a low sodium
Swiss. Probably they didn't, but Alpine Lace did. Now you have to find a regional or local Swiss. In the west we know that Safeway stores has an excellent house
brand No Salt Swiss called Best Buy. You can find this in the dairy section. Please tell me the best way to make hard boiled eggs and what to put on them instead of salt. Thank you.
I have to smile when someone asks for the "best way." With eggs
you could probably get a "hundred best ways" from a hundred different people. The way I do it, and it's successful every time, is place the eggs into
a pot/pan and cover with water. Then bring to a boil over a high or med-high flame. When it boils, turn off the heat, put a cover on the pan and let
sit in place for 15 minutes. Then take the pan to your tap water and run cold water into the pan replacing the hot water. Then let sit a minute and then cook on a plate
or rack, etc. To replace salt when eating a whole egg is yet another thing. I use white pepper and onion powder. Mix a dash of pepper with a teaspoon of
onion powder and dip the egg when eating. If you don't like pepper, then use just the onion powder.
When does your next book come out? I read somewhere where it has lots of soup
recipes that are very good. — Sally James First Sally, thanks for asking. It is due January or early February, 2005.
The book is available for pre-order at Amazon and
Healthy Heart Market at this time, though. It has a lot of great
soup recipes, salads and dressings, spice mixes and new bread recipes as well as about 25 terrific sandwich recipes. We think it may take front seat in your
cookbook shelf. Visit back soon and we'll keep everyone posted.
Please tell me how to get a copy of your No
Salt Lowest Sodium Cookbook for C.H.F. & other patients. I have read some of the testimonials and am trying to find
something to help my mother who has C.H.F. She has had this for many years but as of late it has begun to really
affect her. She is 64 yrs old. She has gained around 30+ pounds in the last 2 weeks despite the fact that she is on
2 different water pills. This is out of control!!! Send info and/or recipies a.s.a.p.—Anna H. You can purchase the book at any local large bookstore or by ordering
with a smaller independent bookstore. Just give them the title. Or you can visit Amazon.com
How do I replace the iodine in my salt now that I'm salt free? Thanks. - Suzzy This question is asked often. Dr. Trevor Beard of the Queensland Hypertension Association
has written about it in his series of "Leaflets," or
newsletters. To read his excellent rundown on iodine, Click Here. Read Next Q & A for more.
When a product is said to contain salt, is that usually
iodized salt? I am worried about developing hyperthyroidism. (I also eat
a great deal of onions which are said to be high in iodine). - Shawn H. No processed foods contain iodized salt. Food manufacturers use standard, untreated salt. Only some table salt products contain iodine.
I see CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM in my vitamins.
What is it and do I need to consider it a type of sodium that will increase fluid retention? Thank you.- Christi According to the medical and vitamin sites we visited, Croscarmellose sodium is an
internally cross-linked sodium carboxymethylcellulose for use as a disintegrant in pharmaceutical formulations. The cross-linking reduces
water solubility while still allowing the material to swell and absorb many times its weight in water. As a result, it provides superior drug
dissolution and disintegration characteristics, thus improving formulas' subsequent bioavailability. Croscarmellose sodium also resolves
formulators' concerns over long-term functional stability, reduced effectiveness at high tablet hardness levels, and similar problems
associated with other products developed to enhance drug dissolution.
The range of sodium in multi vitamins that we have found is between 5 mg and 60 mg per tablet.
Is there sodium in our vitamins and other medications?
Yes. Here's a response from one of our Megaheart members: "Hi Don,
This is a note for your hidden sodium section and for the "supplementing
with a multivitamin" paragraph of the preface to the meal planner if you
publish another cookbook: Read the label of your multivitamin/multimineral
supplement for sodium content. If sodium content is not listed, ask the
pharmaceutical company. My multivitamen/multimineral supplement had a
whopping 60.43 mg of sodium! It was the CVS Spectravite Senior which is
comparable to the popular Centrum Senior." — Susan McKnight
What is the FDA recommended amount of
iodine that should be in table salt? Please reply urgently.Thank you—P. Presser
To meet iodine requirements, the current recommended daily iodine intakes are:What can you tell me about Co Enzyme Q10? — Lee Ann
br>I am not supposed to eat any potassium. Can you send me a list of foods with potassium in them? — J. Blanchard You will find potassium in all foods. Here are four Web sites with the information
you seek. I am writing this for a friend who recently had her thyroid removed due to cancer.
She has been put on a NO Salt--not low, NO IODINE--not low, diet that she must follow strictly for
several weeks before starting iodine treatments. Would this cookbook be a good one to get her? Thanks in advance,
Theresa Yes it is. The No-Salt, Lowest-Sodium Cookbook uses no salt,
neither does it use any ingredients containing salt. Salt is however, where we used to get our iodine. Iodine is not found in foods we eat
at any levels that will affect your friend.
Do you have a
diet high in protein, no sugar, and no salt? — Ruth Anne Our cookbook, The No Salt
Lowest Sodium Cookbook has a variety of recipes
that will help you. You may leave out any of the above or add in any of the
above (such as protein) whenever you need to. Use Splenda sugar substitute
to recplace sugar in any recipe calling for it. Use equal measurements.
Splenda does not affect diabetics.
Most meat dishes are high in protein, but many bean dishes and soups are as
well. Our No Salt Lowest Sodium Light Meals Book might be the perfect
balance for you. Soups, Salads, Sandwiches each one listed as to diabetic
adaptable or acceptable. None of our recipes contain salt, not even salt in
teh ingredients we use. You really can't get much lower than the recipes in
our books. www.megaheart.com/amazon_link.html
I saw at Amazon.com where someone wrote
they didn't like your book because of a single recipe for carrot sticks. What's up with that? - W. Forbes That's gotta put a smile a guy's face, doesn't it? Carrot sticks are probably
the greatest source for beta carotene (see: for reasons why we published it.) We listed carrot sticks in our 28-day meal planning
guide, which is afterall what we are into here — saving and extending lives through a new lifestyle of no salt and low sodium. Therefore, we included
a way for readers to prepare and preserve carrot sticks for daily "grazing" or just a one-a-day snack. We still think it's a darned good idea.
I can't eat vitamin K because I'm on blood thinners. So, what can I eat?
You can eat vitamin K. Just eat a balanced diet. Your blood thinner can be adjusted to fit your lifestyle, you don't have to adjust to it.
For an excellent read on Vitamin K and blood thinners, Click Here for clot control.
Canned vegetables contain quite a bit of salt.
If I were to drain off the liquid in the can, rinse off the vegetables under running salt free water
and then boil them in salt free water, would this lower the salt content to any noticeable extent? - R. Shore The canned vegetables have been marinating for months in those
cans and you can wash, beat, drub, scrub, but according to the USDA, you're still going to get all the sodium listed.
Can you tell me which foods
have sodium nitrites and nitrates in them? B. Laird Sodium Nitrates and Nitrites, often linked to cancer, can generally be found in
processed meats; usually deli-meats. It's also found in bacon, hams and in some packaged foods.
The best thing to do to make sure, is to read the FDA labels. If no labels are attached, your grocer (by law) must provide you with a
nutrient list of the food you are buying.
Can you tell me where the USDA figures for food
values or nutrients are located online? Thank you. WB
First click on USDA. This is
where you'll find the text entry box to look up
foods while you're at their website. Type in your word and hit "enter" on your keyboard. Type in just one word if you can, such as: Carrot. Don't use plurals when possible. The complete list
for carrots will appear. Use your browser's back key to return to the search box.
Can you tell me if Mocha Mix is bad for us? Thank you. - Susan Mocha Mix is comprised mostly of hydrogenated soybean oil. Hydrogenated fats
are not generally a product we want to consume because they are basically transfatty acids. (See Margarine question and answer below). However, if you use Mocha Mix in
less than moderate dosages, such as a teaspoon in a cup of coffee, I'd say it shouldn't cause any harm. Remember, all oils generally have the same amount
of fats, with some having more saturated than others. Try to choose those with higher monounsaturated fats
than they have saturated fats. Below are the nutrient data for hydrogenated soybean oil per tablespoon. See next question and answer for more about this subject.
Can you elaborate on why margarines are so bad for us?
Have been using Brummel and Brown and thought I was making a healthy
choice!! I do use unsalted butter and lots of olive oil, but still crave
that margarine on my sandwiches. Thanks - Betty Margarine is vegetable oil (i.e., soybean, corn, canola, etc) that has been
hydrogenated. During hydrogenation, the unsaturated fat becomes more
saturated, causing the fat to become more solid at room temperature (think
butter). It is during this process that trans fatty acids are formed. The
more trans fatty acids there are, the more the fat will act like saturated
fat.
Hydrogenated fats, although not saturated, act like saturated fats in our
bodies and can do as much, or maybe even more harm. Unfortunately,
hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats are found in not only margarine
but in almost every prepared food (i.e., crackers, cookies, potato chips).
I've been keeping track of my diet on www.fitday.com and it works pretty well. My only complaint is I can't easily add a
complete recipe with combined ingredients such as spaghetti..I have to add each ingredient separately. Is there a site or
some software that might make this easier? Jan L. Fitday is a website where you may
practice at what
you are searching for, but it can't be all the things you want. The only way to put recipes into a program and get back a
full reading, one that will help you, is to buy a piece of software that you install in your own computer. In our research, we've
not found a single online service (free that is), that provides this service at a level desired. I personally use a program from
The Nutrition Company, called Foodworks. You will find their latest version when you visit the site.
This is a company that supports its product, too. It's easy to learn, completely reliable and far better than any online service.
Hi,
I’m wondering if you know of any natural (other then eating oatmeal until the cows come home) remedies to lower cholesterol.
I’m already doing the watch the fat thing, watch salt, ( of course I have your great cook book too!) and lose weight.
Maybe some vitamin or something that isn’t wacky or off the wall? -- Jessica Bad Heart Bull This is another area for R.D.s to help you with.
There remains some controversy over what will lower and what will simply maintain cholesterol levels.
I too eat oatmeal nearly every morning, but have not had any recognizable lowering of cholesterol (although my "good" cholesterol has risen).
I confer with my cardiologist and R.D. about this all the time and suggest to all others to do the same. It's
really the best way to get help since they know our records much better than we do.
Hi, I just read the answer to the question (below) and wondered what you know about fat free foods. Are they really beneficial
for us? Thank you. -- Tony D. I am not an R.D., but heres a response, quoted straight
from a company that provides a nutrition newsletter on a daily basis. "You won't see "fat-free"
as a sales pitch on foods that are generally healthy for you like whole-grain bread. Most foods labeled "fat-free"
are foods that should be eaten on occasion. If you are hung up on fat, these fat-free products are for you. But what
advantage is there? Most of these foods have similar calorie contents to their full-fat cousins because the fat is
replaced with enough sugar to make up for the
missing fat."I love soups, I also have high blood pressure.
I've started to make my own stocks for soups and stews. I have purchased a few low sodium and no-salt cookbooks and I am
confused by the nutrient analysis page. For example, in the American Heart Association
low-salt cookbook (copyright 1990), page 44-45 the sodium analysis for those stocks is
60 for the chicken and 56 for the beef. Now for the confusing part. In the American Heart
Association Cookbook (5th Edition) copyright 1991 on page 86-87, the chicken and beef
stock lists 56 mg per serving. Please note that each of these recipes adds a whopping
tableSPOON of salt. How can this be? What happens to the salt during the cooking?
Ps. I have made them both ways and the one with the salt has a better flavor
which makes me think the salt is still there. Please help if you can as I have
not been able to find anyone who can answer this. Thank You— Bruce Smith You are right to question all cookbooks and their nutrient
columns. Many are inaccurate. The AHA book was written for healthy people not for those of us with chronic diseases.
You would need to make about 125 cups of broth with all that salt in order to get it down to 56 mg per serving or per cup.
Salt does not "boil away." Instead, it intensifies in the food it is cooked with — one reason chefs centuries ago started
adding salt to foods (along with its benefit as a preservative). Most of the broth helpers are high in sodum also, even those
labeled "lower sodium." Look out also for "lower sodium" soups and broth from Swanson's, Campbells and others. The sodium is
lower than their regular cans of soups, but way too high for our diets. Most of these brand names also add MSG. In the end,
it's best to make your own broth.
Our teenage daughter was recently diagnosed
with Crohn's. I have purchased your No Salt Lowest Sodium Cookbook and thank you so
much. She is on prednisone and we want to reduce the weight gain
secondary to prednisone. Can you recommend foods that have natural
diuretic properties? She cannot have high fiber veggies and fruits. We
would appreciate any info. Thanks again.—Mary L. We asked our resident R.D. this question and the response was
that there are no known foods that serve as diuretics. For a better plan for your daughter it was suggested that you visit
the Registered Dietitian website and try to locate an R.D. near you who can help plan out
your daily dietary needs. Keeping your sodium low is certainly a help in keeping body fluids down, but you also will also want to watch
the daily caloric intake. An R.D. might be able to put all this together for you.
Hi, I've been using some of the Monthly special recipes at
the American Heart Association website and this month's Scalloped Potatoes seem to be off target as to sodium levels. Either that
or I'm reading the recipe wrong. Can you take a look at it and help me? Thank you. Marevic J It's tough for one author to critique another or
find errors in their book. My own has a few. The AHA has a long history with their Low Salt cookbooks. Straight up we have to
remember that their books were designed for healthy people, to help them stay healthy. A healthy person can ingest more sodium
than those of us with heart disease or other maladies requiring a no-salt or low-sodium diet. That said, I checked the recipe
for you and you are right. They have nearly halved the sodium level if we input exactly what they list in the ingredients.
Here is what they listed, followed by what the USDA
listing for the same ingredients are:I'm looking for a menu planner for my neighbor.
She has trouble keeping her sodium at the level it is suppose to be, so I am trying to get her a menu on what she can and cannnot eat.
Have checked lot of web sites but no luck. So I was hoping you could help me on this matter?
Thanks so much for your time!— DIANE LAMBERT The best meal planner is the 28-day meal-planning guide in the back of
The No Salt, Lowest Sodium Cookbook . Your neighbor can use this plan to develop her own and use the recipes in the book to help keep her
sodium levels low. Click on the book image at the top of this page and you can pick a copy up for your neighbor for just $11.97 at Amazon.com.
I have used recipes from other websites that claim to be low sodium,
but today realized some of them really aren't. Some recipes use baking powder or soda, sea salt, etc. and claim to be low in sodium. Then I discovered that
a recipe I really liked, had bad nutrient data. Apparently they don't seem to really get into it with this. Now, I must ask, are your numbers accurate?—
Frank S., Los Angeles Our nutrient data are supplied by Foodworks from Nutrico. They are based exclusively
on the latest USDA figures. These figures change annually although minutely. Each year the USDA also adds new figures and new products. As to the other websites,
I caution everyone who asks – to be very careful. Our lives depend on accurate numbers. I would feel inexorably awful should I intentionally or accidentally
not provide accurate numbers. I live by this program, so you can bet I work hard to make sure they are accurate. I have, as you have however, discovered inaccurate
figures in newspapers, magazines and throughout the web world. Some who claim to be "no salt chefs," others who claim to have the "secret" low sodium recipes,
are not always on target. It's tough to pick through them. My wife who is an excellent chef (a word not used loosely around here), and I create each recipe from scratch. Sometimes
that takes a long time for a single recipe and then we end up often with a recipe that's familiar to other recipes although much different. It takes a single item sometimes
to throw it out of the loop when considering sodium, fats, cholesterol, tri glycerides and now trans fats. We are always experimenting, too. We have just
recalculated all our bread recipes and added a new ingredient to nearly each of them. This slight alteration will not affect sodium or fat levels, but will make
each bread recipe a joy to produce. The next printing of the baking book will reflect this minor change and our website recipes will all change too. That's what we do.
Constantly stay on top of this no salt low sodium world and try to present to all visitors the latest in what is good, healthy and accurate. Megaheart and our
books are our only job. We are not part-timers. This website provides 24/7 service. If ever you think one of our recipes is not on target, please let us know.
So far, that's not happened and we've been at this for 7 years now. Megaheart was the first online low sodium service and our history and record for accuracy and helping
to save lives is thus far impeccable. We really hope and intend to keep it that way.
I Need Help! My 67 year old mother has just come home from the hospital after a
quadruple coronary bypass. She is also in kidney failure and is a Diabetic. None of these conditions were diagnosed before surgery. The heart doctor gave her a
cardiac diet; the renal Doctor gave me a renal diet and the diabetic teaching nurse gave me a 1800 calorie ADA diet for her. But no one has told me how to integrate
them. It seems what is allowed on one is not on the other two or vice versa. Is there a cookbook or diet plan that can assist me with this difficult dilemma?
Any assistance is greatly appreciated. — Sincerely, Cyndi Hi, here's the response to your question from our registered dietitian. "She needs
to meet with a registered dietitian. Send her to The American Dietetic Association website
and have her put in her zipcode to find a dietitian in her area. Most
health insurance plans and Medicare will now cover diet consultation for a
diagnosis of renal failure and/or diabetes, so she should be able to get
some good diet counseling from an RD covered at least in part by insurance."
Is the low carb diet good for heart patients? My father wants to
go on it.
I am neither an R.D. nor a doctor, but I read a lot of material. Below, find a
reprint of
a section of a report from Jane Brody who writes for the New York Times. The article is dated July 4, 2004. She is reporting on the findings of studies concerning
potassium loss and/or intake, released by the National Academy of Sciences Insitute of Medicine. Keep in mind that small changes of potassium levels can
be harmful to your health and your heart especially.
My son has just been diagnosed with Meniere's disease and looking for information I found your site. We are very new in making a life style change! Finding things that taste good have been a challenge for him. Salt substitutes have tasked so bitter and we have invested so much money trying all we find. Are you familiar with AlsoSalt? I found a site for it but before I tried it I thought maybe you might know something about it.
Thank you so much for any help —Judy Lightfoot Hi,
Also Salt is just another of the many "substitutes" to hit the market since 1996 when Megaheart first began to supply those with Meniere's and Heart Disease with salt free recipes that taste very good.
Also Salt is mostly potassium chloride much like many others and that includes Featherweight Baking Powder. It also includes a bit of L-lysine mono-hydrochloride and some calcium stearate. (L-Lysine is an essential amino acid, which means your body cannot manufacture it. It must be obtained through the diet or by supplementation. L-lysine has been shown in a few studies to increase the absorption of calcium and it may reduce its excretion.)
Can you put your Thanksgiving
Turkey Stuffing recipe into the turkey? - LeeAnn S. Yes. But I wouldn't eat it afterwards.
You can use plain bread to stuff a turkey or add celery, onions, garlic, cloves, etc. as well. Stuffing adds no
flavors to the turkey but does absorb a lot of the turkey's juices, remaining blood and other inedible juice. I recommend against
the use of edible stuffing inside a turkey. We don't serve or eat stuffing cooked inside a turkey for a few important reaons. The
primary reason is that salmonella can be transferred to the stuffing. Other toxins may also be transferred to the stuffing. A hot enough
temperature cooking the turkey will kill salmonella in the meat, sometimes leaving the residue in the stuffing which may or may not get
as hot as the "insulator" or turkey meat itself gets. Note: Next time you hear someone tell you their "turkey" must have been spoiled because they
became ill after eating it, might very well have eaten contaminated stuffing that was cooked insided the turkey. I was happy to find some Thanksgiving
recipes on your site. I would like to make the stuffing, however I am too lazy to make the bread myself!
Is it possible to use the low salt bread from Publix instead? It has only 15 mg. for two slices. It's a little
sweeter than regular bread. Thanks, — Margaret Davis As long as you account for your sodium it will be fine
to use the bread you mention. Dry it out first, so that it's crunchy hard.
I've read where canola oil is made from rapeseed. I've also read that it's made from a canola plant. Is it made from rapeseed?
No, canola hasn't been made from rapeseed now for more than two decades. Rapeseed proved too toxic so the "canola plant" was devloped and that's where canola oil comes from today. It's perfectly safe and it's healthy.Do you have a substitute recipe for Miracle Whip?
Sorry, but no. Haven't successfully matched MW's unique flavor. We tried, but after much effort, stopped. Most substitute recipes I've seen for MW use a great deal of oil and raw eggs,which MW uses. Our Yo Cheese proved to be a good base, but the flavor provided by the high level of oil and fructose corn syrup in MW along with eggs and sugar was too overwhelming for our goal.
I received some recipes in the mail today from the makers of Coreg. They seem a bit high in sodium, well, most of them do. Are they okay to use on our low sodium diet? They don't list any nutrient values.—Donna D.
The recipes in the booklet do not list nutrient values. Some ingredients may also
include partially hydrogentated fats (margarine) (unhealthy for anynone), salt, and other high sodium ingredients like black olives, double-acting baking powder, etc. We recommend that if any of these recipes
appeal to you, you write us for adjustsment or make adjustments yourself. We wrote to Glaxo/Smith/Kline about this matter. They replied with a standard form letter that failed to respond to our questions.
Our recommendation is to file this booklet/pamphlet away as just another pharmaceutical company promotional effort. For sample nutrient Values of Glaxo/Smith/Kline's pamphelet, Click here. If you want one of the recipes evaluaged by us, then plesae E-mail us using the Ask Don link at the top of this page.
Don - I have your No-Salt, lowest Sodium cookbook and really find it helpful.
My husband, Greg, has a multitude of concerns - He has a family history of high blood pressure and high colesteral. He has recently been diagnosed with
another problem - kidney stones. I am constantly trying to feed him good food - with all medical constraints in mind. Do you know of any guide books
and/or cookbooks that detail foods with low oxalate? I have a short list of do's and don'ts, as far as foods he can and cannot eat, but I am looking
for a more detailed list and/or a cookbook.
Any help you can give me would be much appreciated. And, thank you for your wonderful web site and all of the information you have provided!!
— Linda Garmong Just click on the below. sites
I would like to know why does the
thin layer appear on the milk when its being boiled. Thank you— Hans John Water boils at 100° Celsius (212° F)
and 1 atm. pressure (i.e., pressure at sea level). Variation in boiling point and expansion of liquids
are due to the presence of various other substances. When a low boiling liquid is present along with water,
the mixture will boil at even lower temperatures. But only the low boiling liquid will be evaporated.
In case of milk, during heating, fatty organic substances present in the milk separate out and float on the surface
due to their light weight. Those fatty matters cover the surface like a blanket, and prevent any loss of water
or any other substance by evaporation. This increases the pressure beneath the layer and leads to expansion.
Milk consists of mostly water and some fats, proteins, lactose and minerals. Milk fat is a mixture of glycerides of
fatty acids with a density less than that of the milk serum. The solid fat is dispersed in the serum in
the form of small globules. When the milk is heated up, these fat globules rise to the top and at
a temperature around their melting point, about 50° C (106° F), form a layer of skin on the hot milk.
Hi, I really enjoy the recipes that are on
this site. Now the question is: can I print these recipes that I use and share them with the other
patients at the CHF align that my husband goes to? We are always looking for recipes that are tasty and
low enough in sodium that heart patients can use.— Thanks,
Elly Yes you may. What you can't do is republish them.
My publisher might get a bit upset about that. :)
Is there that much difference between the bottled water your recommend and our home water? We do have a filter on our refrigerator water. Would that make a difference?
.— Thanks,
Pam We recommend bottled or filtered low-sodium water unless your municipal system has low sodium water and you filter out the chlorine in cold water system. You can call your municipal water company and get the level of sodium per liter. If it's below 4 mg per liter then you're okay. Some water in the U.S. reaches as high as 440+ mg per cup (8-oz).
However, some municipal water also has a great deal of chlorine in it and that can affect your bread making by killing the yeast. Since it's impossible to come close to everyone's individual water supply in a recipe book we chose to use a "known" quantity.
Bottled water will have some sodium in it (read the ingredients), but the levels are generally below 1 mg per pint or liter. Purified or Distilled water has nothing in it including nutrients. It's okay to use
for cooking but you don't want to drink that during the day. You need the nutrients normally found in water. We have a two-stage filter in our house. It does not get rid of sodium but it does get rid of MTBE, chlorine and other spores. The sodium in our municipal water system is less than 1 mg per liter. Well within our limits.
As to your refrigerator: If the filter is kept fresh, that is changed at manufacturer's recommended times, then it should be useable. Read the data on the filter
box next time you get a replacement.Help! I've scoured the internet without success.
My mother is sugar diabetic and cannot eat sugar. I have a recipe for green tomato chow (like pickles)
that takes sugar but I was thinking that I could just substitute splenda. However, my wife womders if that will cause
a problem as these will be preserved in the form of canning. Will splenda still work? -- Sam Updated Answer, February, 2010: Splenda does have carbohydrates. Although the "nutritional facts" label on Splenda's
packaging claims that a single serving of 1 gram contains zero calories, each individua yellow packet (1 gram) contains 3.31 calories and .9 carbohydrate and .8 sugars. The FDA permits
this labeling in the U.S. by allowing a product to be labeled as zero calories if the food contains less than 5 calories per reference amount customarily consumed and per labeled serving size.
This also applies to sodium listings. Splenda contains a relatively small amount of sucralose, little of which is metabolized. Most all of
Splenda's caloric content is from the dextrose or maltodextrin bulking agents that give Splenda its volume. Like other carbohydrate, dextrose and maltodextrin have 3.31 calories per gram. This 1 gram measurement
equals 1/4 teaspoon of Splenda, which is equal to the sweetness of two-teaspoons of sucrose (sugar). The granulated version however has a different sweetness level and a change ni the dextrose, maltodextrin
levels.
Why don't you like salt substitutes?Many products billed as salt substitutes today are nothing
more than potassium carbonate or potassium chloride with some adding Lysine to mask the potassium bitterness. We need potassium but it is already naturally in most all our food. Too much potassium can be just as dangerous to our heart as too little. Check the FDA ingredient label of each
product you buy to make sure you're not getting too much potassium.
At Megaheart, we say the best salt substitute is you. Let your palate take over and actually taste the flavor of fresh foods. You might even like them and you won't get hooked on chemical substitutes. (It takes about three months without salt in your diet for your palate to heal. Salt damages our
palate, but it will repair in that 90 days if you don't eat any salt.)
Is the product Spike high in sodium?Products like Spike are generally high in sodium and MSG. MSG comes under different titles like "Added Flavorings," "Hydrolized Protein," etc.
See: Truth In Labeling Make sure when reading FDA labels that you check the nutrient data against the serving size. The
USDA has no listing for SPIKE, but reading the ingredient label I'd say their original is heavily laced with salt and MSG. However, read on:
What can I replace the orange peel/zest with in your bread recipes?
I don't care for the taste of orange. J.M.We used orange zest for bread recipes to work with the sugar and
gluten to build what we referred to as a "bread enhancer." The orange zest provided us citric acid. Thanks to Carol Desmond, a Megaheart member, we now have
King Arthur's pure
citric acid. Before, we recommended orange or lemon zest or Sure Jell Ever Fresh, which has
ascrobic acid in it, unfortunately along with sugar.
Sure Jell and Fruit Fresh also work as mentioned in most of my recipes, but if you're diabetic you won't want to use these brands. When using pure ascorbic acid,
you need use only a 1/4in place of the measurements listed in my recipes.
I read about a product from Con Agra called Amplify. It's supposed to be a salt substitute. Where can I get it? Is it good?
I wrote to Con Agra and a gentleman called and explained that Amplify
is indeed a salt substitute. I asked how much potassium it had in it and it's minimal. However, you can't purchase Amplify as a substitute. It's strictly a product
for manufacturers to use as a sodium lowering ingredient. As a matter of fact, at this writing, he explained that McDonald's and other similar chains are becoming
very interested in the product in order to cut the salt way down in their food products, which of course would lower sodium impressively.
Can egg substitutes (Scramblers,
for example) be used in your recipes? Jim F. - It depends on which recipes you are addressing.
Ener-G Egg Replacer can be used in any of my bread or waffle/pancake mixes in place of real eggs. Egg Beaters has 80 mg sodium per 1/4 cup while
Ener-G Egg Replacer has only 40 mg for the same measurement.
I have a question on a substitution in
your recipe for "Legal" Brownies. You use applesauce in it, but state that
it can be substituted for with unsalted butter. Unfortunately, you
don't state how much butter to substitute for the applesauce -- is it a
straight 1 to 1 conversion? I am anxious to try this recipe, but don't want
to use too much/too little butter. Any help is appreciated.—Elizabeth Whamond Yes, unless otherwise shown all suggested exchanges in the book
are measurement for measurement.
My question is concerning substituting the white flour with spelt flour. I am trying to stay away
from wheat. I have never made bread and would like to know how. Idon't know if your book addresses
substituting spelt flour or not. I guess I will find out today. Thank you for this website so that I can
receive support in this lifestyle change. — S. Witwell
I tested spelt flour a few years back and we had success with even exhanges, sometimes with just a bit less but it was
inconsequential. Remember to check the dough during the kneading stage if using a machine. If it's
too sticky, add some more spelt -- about a tablespoon at a time. If it's too hard or doesn't ball up,
add liquid one tablespoon at a time. For more bread recipes check Megaheart Recipes, Or
pick up a copy of The No Salt Lowest Sodium Baking Book.
What can I substitute for mayonnaise in recipes?
Thanks for your help.—W. Faulkner
The No Salt, Lowest Sodium Cookbook has a good
mayonnaise replacment recipe on page 306. Sodium is much lower and you can "flavor" it anyway you want. Try it as written first, though, since it works quite well.
In regard to salt free foods,
what is your opinion regarding the salt subtitute "VEGE-SAL." I have relatives in Mexico who have
discontinued using regular table salt, and use'veg-esal" extensively. Does "VEGE-SAL" HAVE ANY HARMFUL EFECTS?—Cleatus Vege-sal contains 355 mg sodium per 1/4 teaspoon. That's high at about 1420 mg per teaspoon.
Vege-sal's main ingredient is salt. Add a few spices and some dehydrated vegetables and you have a shaker nearly as bad
as pure salt.Could you please tell me how to substitute any of these baking powders
or baking soda for regular high-sodium products in the making of
biscuits? Can I expect to get basically the same cooking results
(rising) with the product when making biscuits or are biscuits something
better left untried with this product? —Gehlin Menti Hi, when trying to replace baking soda and
baking powder with Featherweight Baking Powder and Ener-G baking soda, you will either have to double or triple the amount
orginially called for. And you must mix the substitutes into the batter last, just before placing into oven. This is very
important. These two products begin their "rise" right away and wear out very quickly. They need to be in the oven when they do it.
Will they perform the same as real soda/powders? Sometimes. If put into oven as mentioned, they will give you terrific rise
but if you don't have the correct amount or it sits in the wet mix on the counter for even a few minutes, the rise won't be
as good. With our bicuit
recipe you'll come very, very close to getting the "real thing." For the biscuit recipe see: Dons Biscuits.
I read your article on Salt and Sodium and
found the answer to why blood sodium being low is more. It totally confused me and talked to my doctor about this.
You stated that people taking diuretics should have high blood sodium. My doctor states that taking diuretics purpose
is to lower sodium levels not raise them.—Jean I confess that this can be confusing. Here is the paragraph you refer to:
"A word about "blood sodium" when you see this on your blood chemistry forms. Blood Sodium does not indicate what we are ingesting or the sodium we are
concerned about unless we get too little or far too much. The kidneys keep the blood sodium
constant within narrow limits, and they do it by dumping all surplus
sodium into the urine. That is why a blood test tells you nothing
about your sodium intake except that you are getting enough. A
24-hour urine collection may reveal that your sodium intake is
excessive and that your kidneys are doing a lot of work to get rid of
it."How much sodium do we need?
Humans need only 8 to 10 mmol/day. That translates to 144 to 180 mg of sodium per day.
I read on the Net (site included) that too little salt would make my blood sodium
drop and cause something called hyponatremia. Is this true? Can you check out this Web site for me? — F. C. This question is more medical than "recipe." However, I did research this subject a few
years ago and renewed my research with your question. (See my comments about my own low sodium lifestyle since 1997 at the end of this.) But first, let's talk about reliability of sites on the Web.
The site you sent is owned by the Salt Manufacturer's Association of Great Britain. The suspicion immediately is: What else are they going to say?
At this particular site they also failed to
point out whose study they were quoting. A more reliable information-website (there are many) is one known as LabTestOnline.org
The bottom line from most legitimate sources (ask your own doctor) is that salt/sodium intake does not affect blood levels and does not cause hyponetremia except in
rare cases. Here is the explanation from that site and one that I generally find
at other legitimate medical oriented sites: Hi Don, I have been told that Celery is very high in sodium, is this true?
Thanks, MaryAngelhorse
Sort of. But the rest of nutrients are too good to pass on. You can use a small, medium or large stalk of celery in soups, salads, etc.
A large stalk has: 55.7 mg
A medium stalk has: 35 mg
Here are the total nutrients you need to know concerning a large stalk of celery:I am making a great potato salad and it uses red potatoes. I can't
find any information about them..calories, sodium, protein. White potatoes, I would guess, are different. I have this huge book that gives nearly
everything, but not that. It calls for a lot of the potatoes. The recipe was in a recent issue of Penzey's spices catalog, and I have done some adapting.
Anyway, if you could give me that information, I'd be grateful. - Jo Knight. To learn all about red potatoes, visit:
USDA Nutrient Database
Or, you can access the USDA Nutrient Database at our website. Scroll to the bottom of this page and click on the USDA button in the Site Map.
You'll discover medium red potatoes have about 5 mg sodium each.
I just discovered truffels at the base
of our old chestnut stump. How are truffels fixed for eating? - D. Ham Truffles are a subterranean fungi, generally referred to as a Tuber.
Similar to mushrooms in taste, the truffle may be used in salads. You can also make with trout a la bourgeoise, poached eggs with truffles,
or make a truffle omelet, and better yet -- stuff a turkey with truffles, etc.
Hi Don,I was referred to your site by a CHF nurse. I had called her
asking about Thai food. Before diagnosis last June, we had enjoyed eating at Thai restaurants occasionally.
I have a friend with whom I worked a few years. His name is Picha Srisansansee.
Together we ventured to many Thai restaurants. He knew what he was doing since he was Thai. He is back in Bangkok now, making movies there
instead of in the high-paced world where we worked.
I notice that in your recipes for chicken broth in your cookbook, you say
to discard the chicken and vegetables simmered with the broth. Isn't
it possible to use the cooked chicken for anything? — LeeAnn Yes, pull the meat off the bone, discard bones and fat, use it for anything you
want even put back into the broth for chicken soup. It will be soft. Or try it in a casserole or chicken salad. Bottom line: It is usable.
I recently purchased your book, and in the recipe,
they call for a stalk of celery. This seems like a large amount. Are they instead meaning a rib of celery?
thank you — Mary Ann Johns It's a "rib." The USDA calls a "rib" a stalk, so we went with that.
My husband is on a very low-salt diet.
My question: A can of green beans has 400 mg of sodium per 1/2 cup. If the beans are drained of all liquid and rinsed well,
wouldn't the sodium count be less? How much less?—J. Allen Sorry, but draining and washing doesn't change a thing.
It's the same for other canned goods, too. Olives are a good example. They are very high in sodium because they are soaked
in brine. So were the beans. Washiing them changes nothing. Beans, beets others in cans are soaked to the point of absorbing the sodium from
the salt water. They are blanched in salt water before canning and therefore we can't wash it out.
There are products out there with no salt added. A no salt added, lowered sodium can of green string beans has about 1.5
mg per 1/2 cup. Check with Healthy Heart Market to see if they carry these beans.
Fresh beans are easy to prepare by the way. They dont' have to be boiled, either. Snip only one end of the beans after
cleaning. Steam for about 5 to 8 minutes. Serve hot. Delicious and far mroe nutritious than a can of beans.
Does
it significantly reduce the sodium to drain and rinse canned veggies?
If it does, is there a way to determine how big of a difference it
makes? I would like to include more beans in my diet but they all seem
to have so much sodium in them. Thank you for your time— Julie Travis If a recipe calls for liquid in a can to be drained, then
the sodium listed is for the beans alone. They remain high since the beans are generally cooked in the "brine" that comes
with them. You can check the USDA website by scrolling to the bottom of this page and clicking on the USDA NUTRIENT DATABASE
button in the Site Map. I suggest you either purchase Eden Organic (no salt added) beans or that you prepare fresh beans for
consumption. You can find Eden Organic at Healthy Heart Market
I feel if I really understood the physics and chemistry of roasting meat I might be able to buy a piece of meat specifically for making gravy and somehow extract much more gravy out of it than is obtained by normal roasting.
by Scott Leysath, America's Favorite Sporting ChefI've recently been diagnosed with hypertension, and am trying to
revise my diet. Any thought on where I can find suggestions for a quick & healthy breakfast? — Wendy M. Unfortunately "quick" and "healthy" don't often go hand in hand.
It is suggested by dietitians that we have a grain/fruit/calcium breakfast.
Fiber and nutrients. That's why, we suppose, an unsalted breakfast cereal
with a fruit and a 1/2 cup of milk or yogurt has been our suggestion for
years. There aren't a lot of unsalted cereals. Spoon Size and some whole
grains are about all we've found. (About 60 mg of sodium total.)Can you tell me how many calories are in a gram of carbohydrates?Is the
suggested daily diabetic menu at this site from Quaker Oats okay? It seems to be awfully high in sodium. — Sally Graham Hi Sally. In a word, no it isn't. I'm not sure who designed that plan but although it might help with
carbs and fiber, it's a killer with sodium. I don't know how Quaker can consciously publish a dietary plan that has 3,900 mg of daily sodium when they claim it's "heart healthy." I have tried to
find an e-mail address to contact them but no luck thus far. With the American Cardiologist Association, the JAMA, NIH and other orgs each recommending between 1300 to 1800 mg of sodium per day
for healthy people, 3,900 mg is way over the top. Also, I noted that the oats themselves have 27 carbohydrates per one-half (½) cup. That's equal to two Carb Choices and that doesn't include
any milk or other liquid you might use. In most diabetic literature I have read orange juice is taboo, whole the orange itself is the choice diabetics should make. If anyone reading this can provide me with an
e-mail address to a responsible party at Quaker or a telephone number to someone other than the outsourced general help, I'd appreciate. Visit our Contact page and
send me the info. Thank you.
Very informative site......I'm 67 and can't get the b.p. below 158 or so even
on medication. Doc wants it no more than 140. Bottom seems okay......like in the 80's. I LOVE SaltY FOODS......can I do this? — Pat Yes, you can get the bp down, but you can't eat those salty foods anymore.
I'm not a doctor but I've enough experience as a patient with the same condition to guide you a bit.
First, researchers have proved over and over that exercise works best for lowering blood pressure. I walk between 2 and 7 miles a day (I know the mileage on the routes I take). I also keep my sodium below 500 mg a day. I've been doing the latter so much, that I find it difficult to eat more than 500 mg.
With two blood pressure medications and the above program, my daily average blood pressure is 90/60. Five years ago when I started this, I could barely walk into the doctor's office. I couldn't breathe in bed without propping up a bunch of pillows, and I was too weak to do much else.
Today I can breathe practically normally without any pillows and I walk a very hilly route without stopping to breathe. You can do it too. It takes perseverance, and the adoption of a mission.
I might also tell you that there are no forgiving sources for believing you can do it one day and not the next. It's a 100% effort, day in and day out. You will change your lifestyle, but once adapted to it, the new lifestyle will seem normal to you and all those you know.
Greetings, Don!
My question is about my Mom: She has had heart problems and is now on a reduced salt diet. But it seems her doctor has told her to avoid -any- salt
substitutes. Are you aware of any reasons why she must do so, and since she must, how would this affect so many recipes (or over-the counter products)
where manufacturers -are- using such (alternative) ingredients to keep the ~real~ salt content low? In other words, HOW would the average consumer
have any way of knowing what chemical combinations to avoid? Thank you, so very much, for the courtesy of your reply. I really appreciate
it. — - 4OH Mom Some salt substitutes are nothing more
than pure potassium chloride. To use these could imbalance your mother's medications. Potassium levels in the body
are generally kept in balance by a healthy diet. If she's taking a diuretic however, she's probably also taking a potassium tablet.
The term "Salt Substitute" generally means "I'm going to use it everyday." Not a good idea.
My friend who's husband has CHF, is on a no salt diet,
low potassium diet, is doing very well. She has accepted this challenge and has done extremely well I think. I am in awe of her.
Anyway, what do you put on popcorn? She is wondering what you can suggest, or if one of your members have a suggestion.
We would greatly appreciate it. They are not happy with the air popped popcorn. Thanks a lot. -- Carole You can buy the very best unsalted popcorn on the market at
Healthy Heart Market. You pop it in the microwave for about 3 minutes or slightly more at the high
setting. After it's done, you sprinkle it with onion powder. I like to spray a bit of olive oil on it as it's transferred from the paper bag
to the bowl. Then sprinkle the onion powder. Hmmmm, very, very good.
I grew up in San Bernardino and have thought of those cream puffs that were on that helms truck a million times. Would you happen to know the recipe for those? I loved the story about the truck and how wonderful it was. Those were the days.
— Nipper
For a terrific Helms Bakery type cream puff, Click Here. By the way, I remember those
Helms Bakery guys quite well. Hmmm, they were good.
I am planning on canning tomatoes this summer, my husband who loves these in the winter, has had a heart bypass and needs to cut out salt. Would you have any suggestions on canning tomatoes without salt? You don't need salt to can any vegetables. However you do need to use a pressure canner for all vegetables except for tomatoes. Tomatoes have a high acidity so they don't need the salt. Salt is added to vegetable canning only for the flavor of salt.
You can read more about canning vegetables safely from this file from Iowa State University:
Iowa State Publication
I found a new "energy" drink called Xango. Do you know what is in it concerning sodium, etc.? Xango might be considered a fad food in that it appears to be another "snake oil" fix-it-all product.
The nutrition label seems to mislead
unless they've changed it. It shows nutrient levels for 1 ounce, yet a bottle has about 25 ounces and the assumption is you'll drink the bottle contents. A bottle then has 250 Kcalories. As to sodium, I'd have to take a guess it has as much as 75 mg for the bottle. Processors are allowed to list up or down a difference of 5 mg. So if each ounced actually had 4.99 mg of sodium they can list 0 mg. Every ingredient listed has sodium and some of the ingredients have as much as 55 mg per cup.
Below is a copy of their ingredients and nutrient list. XanGo Ingredients: Reconstituted garcinia mangostana
juice from whole fruit puree (Don's Note: this is really mangosteen juice and has about 15 mg of sodium per cup), apple juice concentrate, pear juice
concentrate, grape juice concentrate, pear puree, blueberry juice
concentrate, raspberry juice concentrate, strawberry juice concentrate,
cranberry juice concentrate, cherry juice concentrate, citric acid,
natural flavor, pectin, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate.
Supplement Facts
 |
|
Serving
Size: 1 Fluid Oz. (30 ml) Servings Per Container: 25 |
|
Calories |
10 |
Calories
from fat |
0 |
Total
fat |
0 g |
Sodium |
0 mg |
Total
Carbohydrates |
3 g |
Sugars |
2 g |
Protein |
0 g |
|
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