- 24,553
- Frankfort, KY
- GTP_FoolKiller
- FoolKiller1979
In my bionic health thread we got to talking about my diet. I had considered sharing before, and Danoff suggested it recently. I have been hesitant because low sodium eating, while healthy is not easy and requires a bit of transition. Hearing that something tastes bland or awful because someone has not adapted their taste buds isn't something I wish to deal with. But today I was making a couple of things for a family dinner tomorrow, and realized my choices were due to the fact that the rest of my family can eat these dishes without problem, so here goes.
First, a disclaimer: Low sodium is an acquired taste. You have spent your life eating foods designed to sit on shelves for months. Often this is possible due to salt. It took me months to adapt, and I could only do it because I had an infant daughter and it was life or death.
And a warning: I use potassium based salt substitutes. If you are on a heart healthy diet and taking things like diuretics, check with your doctor first before using these. A potassium imbalance can be dangerous.
Recipe List:
Pasta Salad
Dill Dip
Stir-Fry
Chili
Baked Pork Chops & Apples
Grilled Whole Chicken
Buffalo Chicken Soup
Ranch Pumpkin Seeds
Ranch Seasoning
Apple Cider
Barbecue Black Beans
Now, the quick explanation of how I got here. I was born with a severe heart defect. Due to medical science and a touch of stubborn will power I had gotten along with a mostly normal life. But when I was 31 my ability to do that came to an end when my heart finally reached a point where it was worn out. I am currently awaiting a heart transplant. While I can work, a flight of stairs is enough to wear me out. At that time I was told I had to go on a low sodium diet. I was given very doom and gloom scenarios. But I had a 6-month-old daughter, and I was not going to surrender a normal life for her or myself. I went home and tossed out everything I could not eat and restocked with a $500 grocery trip. I hunted online and found more options. I began paying attention to cooking shows, like Alton Brown, where the focus is on the science, the why we do certain things. Culinary science became my obsession, for I love food, and I would continue to have my favorites.
Now, many of my ingredients can be found in chain grocery stores these days, as sodium is slowly becoming the next target of the food police. What I can't find is either available on Amazon or Whole Foods type stores, and the final place I go to is http://healthyheartmarket.com/. I still buy microwave popcorn from them, as they are the only oil and salt free that I can find.
But the lifestyle:
A low sodium diet requires two things: 1) An ability and willingness to cook at home. And 2) A well stocked kitchen.
Here is how I measure a well stocked kitchen:
Do you have multiple various forms of stove top and oven cooking pots, pans, etc?
Multiple wooden and plastic/silicone cooking spoons and spatulas?
A pepper grinder and at least black and white whole peppercorns (I also have red, green, and coriander)?
Most common herbs and spices?
Finally, do you have fresh, whole turmeric, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon on hand at all times, along with a microplane grater?
See, I have found most people don't even know what nutmeg is. They buy the stuff in the little tin can and call it a day. Pre-ground spices lose flavor fast. Now keeping fresh herbs on hand all the time requires a bit of gardening as well, so I don't get picky, especially since you can pick up a pack of fresh herbs in any grocery. But a whole nutmeg. That is a trick.
And no, nutmeg is not just for eggnog and pumpkin pie. I even use it on pork chops.
A couple of tricks for low sodium eating:
Acids trigger the same taste buds as salt. Vinegar and lemon juice are your friends. They have zero glycemic effect (won't affect blood sugar) and may even have positive health effects.
Butter and oils can help transfer flavors the way people often use salt.
And finally, never be afraid to up your seasonings to overcome blandness. I can now taste the hottest sauce in a hot sauce store with little more than a slight sweat.
A quick note on shopping:
Now on to my first recipes. These are recipes I am giving to my family at dinner.
The first is a pasta salad. The dressing I use also tastes good on a salad as an Italian vinaigrette. This went over well at work last week and tonight my daughter kept stealing the noodles, saying she wanted more salad noodles. So, this is toddler approved. 👍
The ingredients:
Box of rainbow pasta (it's made from vegetables). It adds color and when you have kids you learn to sneak veggies in wherever possible.
Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved. They absorb some dressing, exploding with flavor when you bite in.
Black olives. You can get them whole with reduced sodium. Today I was lazy and bought regular sliced cans. 95mg of sodium per serving.
Mushrooms. Typically buying fresh sliced is easy, but I got lazy and grabbed two cans of no salt added sliced that I had on hand. 55mg of sodium per serving.
Red onion. Red adds color. Had a fresh half leftover from making this for work.
Olive oil. One warning, this will congeal after about three days in the refrigerator. Don't make too far in advance. If you will have that much leftover, consider a smaller batch by cutting everything in half.
Red wine vinegar. Tastes great. You could also use apple cider vinegar, but it will be a bit sweeter.
Garlic powder. One of two things I do not say must be freshly ground. Garlic powder does not taste the same as garlic. Same for onion powder.
Dried basil. Without cooking dried will add more flavor than fresh immediately. Save the fresh for soups.
Dried oregano. Same goes for this as the basil.
Fresh ground pepper. Use prepackaged if you must. But there is a stronger (and better, in my opinion) flavor in fresh ground.
Splenda. Sugar works too. But it is pasta salad. Do we need more carbs? And I use Splenda as it is the easiest sugar substitute to adjust for. Any artificial sweetener will do. I prefer xylitol, but it is hard to find.
Now, let's start making.
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
Tips:
1) Heat the water to boiling on high, and then turn it down to the lowest you can and still boil. Water boils at only one temperature 212*F or 100*C. It cannot exceed that temperature. That is why it boils, the excess thermal energy is escaping. So, save your energy, and your pot, and turn down the burner.
2) Stir every few minutes. Don't be scraping off chunks of pasta that have cooked to the bottom of the pot. Turning down your burner also helps here.
Now, while your pasta is boiling use that time to cut up your vegetables. I set them aside in a bowl.
Tip: It's cutting vegetables, what tips?
1). Use a sharp knife. Don't crush your stuff.
2). Buy a Kevlar glove. You're using a very sharp knife. Accidents happen. Don't ruin the holidays.
Also, if you use a Slap N Chop to cut the onion, we don't judge in my kitchen. Burning eyes and knives don't go well together.
Now, because we have fresh vegetables and oil I like to drain my pasta, rinse it with cold water and then let it sit while I make the dressing. If it is hot it could make your vegetables mushy or thin the oil, allowing the oil and vinegar to separate easily.
Now mix the oil, vinegar, and seasonings.
Now, if you do not have a handy dandy dressing emulsifier, like mine there, use a whisk and a large bowl to avoid splattering. Whip it good. You want it to be frothy and well mixed up.
Now mix your vegetables and pasta in a very large bowl. Get them mixed together well. Then you pour your dressing over top. You may need to mix it again if your oil and vinegar began separating. Then pour it on and toss everything well.
Optional: Some fresh grated Parmesan is good if you find one that isn't too salty. In my picture you will see I added some.
So, three cans of olives at 95mg of sodium per serving, 4 servings per can or 12 servings total. And two cans of mushrooms at 55mg per serving, 1.5 servings per can or 3 servings total.
95*12=1,140
55*3=168
168+1,140=1,305.
1,305mg of sodium in the entire dish. I am feeding 10 people with this. If there are no leftovers (and there will be, my serving size is guesstimated) then that 130.5mg per serving.
I didn't count in the Parmesan because I didn't measure it and just sprinkled some over top. It wasn't even the 4oz amount it measured as on the label as a single serving.
Next up: Dill dip.
This is for a vegetable tray. Can be good with chips too.
Now, this has been requested of me for two years now at every family function. I am now the garnish tray guy. I also have a French onion dip recipe, but that is for later.
For my purposes, I am cutting this recipe in half.
The ingredients:
Miracle whip, or your store brand whipped dressing. Look for lower sodium. I didn't track this here since this is all using low sodium ingredients and expecting people to stick to just a two tablespoon serving is ridiculous. I also know some people prefer mayonnaise. Mayo is even lower sodium, but here whipped dressing is key in making the flavor. I tried mayo before. You have to add paprika, sugar, and salt to get close but something is still missing. Don't be that guy that says, "The recipe called for X, but I used..." No one likes that guy, or his food. Unless you have a culinary degree or are my grandmother, just stop.
Sour cream. Almost always very low in sodium. Get your favorite.
Dill weed. It's not an insult, I promise. Dried here is best for a tiny package, large flavor. Fresh dill goes on fish and pickles.
Parsley. Dried is honestly the only way to get flavor out of parsley.
Dried minced onion. Using dried adds a texture as well as a non-hot onion flavor.
Onion powder. May be optional, but I think it adds a little extra bite.
Paprika. Just adds a hint of something to offset the obvious whipped dressing and sour cream tastes.
This is the hard part: Mix it all together in a bowl.
Tip:
I did this after my picture above. Save half your sour cream until after you add your dry ingredients. This traps them in the creamy stuff and prevents things flying about when you start mixing.
And let sit for a couple of hours, minimum, before serving.
Sitting is important. The dried onion needs to reconstitute and the flavors need to mingle. If you taste it immediately it won't taste right, and it will be crunchy.
So there we go. These were two simple recipes that were quick and easy and good enough to get requested repeated times. It is a great way to start in to low sodium foods.
Ask me questions. I'll give more tips and recipes as time goes on.
First, a disclaimer: Low sodium is an acquired taste. You have spent your life eating foods designed to sit on shelves for months. Often this is possible due to salt. It took me months to adapt, and I could only do it because I had an infant daughter and it was life or death.
And a warning: I use potassium based salt substitutes. If you are on a heart healthy diet and taking things like diuretics, check with your doctor first before using these. A potassium imbalance can be dangerous.
Recipe List:
Pasta Salad
Dill Dip
Stir-Fry
Chili
Baked Pork Chops & Apples
Grilled Whole Chicken
Buffalo Chicken Soup
Ranch Pumpkin Seeds
Ranch Seasoning
Apple Cider
Barbecue Black Beans
Now, the quick explanation of how I got here. I was born with a severe heart defect. Due to medical science and a touch of stubborn will power I had gotten along with a mostly normal life. But when I was 31 my ability to do that came to an end when my heart finally reached a point where it was worn out. I am currently awaiting a heart transplant. While I can work, a flight of stairs is enough to wear me out. At that time I was told I had to go on a low sodium diet. I was given very doom and gloom scenarios. But I had a 6-month-old daughter, and I was not going to surrender a normal life for her or myself. I went home and tossed out everything I could not eat and restocked with a $500 grocery trip. I hunted online and found more options. I began paying attention to cooking shows, like Alton Brown, where the focus is on the science, the why we do certain things. Culinary science became my obsession, for I love food, and I would continue to have my favorites.
Now, many of my ingredients can be found in chain grocery stores these days, as sodium is slowly becoming the next target of the food police. What I can't find is either available on Amazon or Whole Foods type stores, and the final place I go to is http://healthyheartmarket.com/. I still buy microwave popcorn from them, as they are the only oil and salt free that I can find.
But the lifestyle:
A low sodium diet requires two things: 1) An ability and willingness to cook at home. And 2) A well stocked kitchen.
Here is how I measure a well stocked kitchen:
Do you have multiple various forms of stove top and oven cooking pots, pans, etc?
Multiple wooden and plastic/silicone cooking spoons and spatulas?
A pepper grinder and at least black and white whole peppercorns (I also have red, green, and coriander)?
Most common herbs and spices?
Finally, do you have fresh, whole turmeric, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon on hand at all times, along with a microplane grater?
See, I have found most people don't even know what nutmeg is. They buy the stuff in the little tin can and call it a day. Pre-ground spices lose flavor fast. Now keeping fresh herbs on hand all the time requires a bit of gardening as well, so I don't get picky, especially since you can pick up a pack of fresh herbs in any grocery. But a whole nutmeg. That is a trick.
And no, nutmeg is not just for eggnog and pumpkin pie. I even use it on pork chops.
A couple of tricks for low sodium eating:
Acids trigger the same taste buds as salt. Vinegar and lemon juice are your friends. They have zero glycemic effect (won't affect blood sugar) and may even have positive health effects.
Butter and oils can help transfer flavors the way people often use salt.
And finally, never be afraid to up your seasonings to overcome blandness. I can now taste the hottest sauce in a hot sauce store with little more than a slight sweat.
A quick note on shopping:
- Hint of salt/lightly salted: Less sodium than their regular, but could be anything.
- Reduced or Lower sodium: 25% or more less sodium than the original. Not specifically low sodium.
- Low sodium: 140mg or less per serving.
- Very low sodium: 40mg or less per serving.
Now on to my first recipes. These are recipes I am giving to my family at dinner.
The first is a pasta salad. The dressing I use also tastes good on a salad as an Italian vinaigrette. This went over well at work last week and tonight my daughter kept stealing the noodles, saying she wanted more salad noodles. So, this is toddler approved. 👍
The ingredients:
Box of rainbow pasta (it's made from vegetables). It adds color and when you have kids you learn to sneak veggies in wherever possible.
Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved. They absorb some dressing, exploding with flavor when you bite in.
Black olives. You can get them whole with reduced sodium. Today I was lazy and bought regular sliced cans. 95mg of sodium per serving.
Mushrooms. Typically buying fresh sliced is easy, but I got lazy and grabbed two cans of no salt added sliced that I had on hand. 55mg of sodium per serving.
Red onion. Red adds color. Had a fresh half leftover from making this for work.
Olive oil. One warning, this will congeal after about three days in the refrigerator. Don't make too far in advance. If you will have that much leftover, consider a smaller batch by cutting everything in half.
Red wine vinegar. Tastes great. You could also use apple cider vinegar, but it will be a bit sweeter.
Garlic powder. One of two things I do not say must be freshly ground. Garlic powder does not taste the same as garlic. Same for onion powder.
Dried basil. Without cooking dried will add more flavor than fresh immediately. Save the fresh for soups.
Dried oregano. Same goes for this as the basil.
Fresh ground pepper. Use prepackaged if you must. But there is a stronger (and better, in my opinion) flavor in fresh ground.
Splenda. Sugar works too. But it is pasta salad. Do we need more carbs? And I use Splenda as it is the easiest sugar substitute to adjust for. Any artificial sweetener will do. I prefer xylitol, but it is hard to find.
Now, let's start making.
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
Tips:
1) Heat the water to boiling on high, and then turn it down to the lowest you can and still boil. Water boils at only one temperature 212*F or 100*C. It cannot exceed that temperature. That is why it boils, the excess thermal energy is escaping. So, save your energy, and your pot, and turn down the burner.
2) Stir every few minutes. Don't be scraping off chunks of pasta that have cooked to the bottom of the pot. Turning down your burner also helps here.
Now, while your pasta is boiling use that time to cut up your vegetables. I set them aside in a bowl.
Tip: It's cutting vegetables, what tips?
1). Use a sharp knife. Don't crush your stuff.
2). Buy a Kevlar glove. You're using a very sharp knife. Accidents happen. Don't ruin the holidays.
Also, if you use a Slap N Chop to cut the onion, we don't judge in my kitchen. Burning eyes and knives don't go well together.
Now, because we have fresh vegetables and oil I like to drain my pasta, rinse it with cold water and then let it sit while I make the dressing. If it is hot it could make your vegetables mushy or thin the oil, allowing the oil and vinegar to separate easily.
Now mix the oil, vinegar, and seasonings.
Now, if you do not have a handy dandy dressing emulsifier, like mine there, use a whisk and a large bowl to avoid splattering. Whip it good. You want it to be frothy and well mixed up.
Now mix your vegetables and pasta in a very large bowl. Get them mixed together well. Then you pour your dressing over top. You may need to mix it again if your oil and vinegar began separating. Then pour it on and toss everything well.
Optional: Some fresh grated Parmesan is good if you find one that isn't too salty. In my picture you will see I added some.
So, three cans of olives at 95mg of sodium per serving, 4 servings per can or 12 servings total. And two cans of mushrooms at 55mg per serving, 1.5 servings per can or 3 servings total.
95*12=1,140
55*3=168
168+1,140=1,305.
1,305mg of sodium in the entire dish. I am feeding 10 people with this. If there are no leftovers (and there will be, my serving size is guesstimated) then that 130.5mg per serving.
I didn't count in the Parmesan because I didn't measure it and just sprinkled some over top. It wasn't even the 4oz amount it measured as on the label as a single serving.
Next up: Dill dip.
This is for a vegetable tray. Can be good with chips too.
Now, this has been requested of me for two years now at every family function. I am now the garnish tray guy. I also have a French onion dip recipe, but that is for later.
For my purposes, I am cutting this recipe in half.
The ingredients:
Miracle whip, or your store brand whipped dressing. Look for lower sodium. I didn't track this here since this is all using low sodium ingredients and expecting people to stick to just a two tablespoon serving is ridiculous. I also know some people prefer mayonnaise. Mayo is even lower sodium, but here whipped dressing is key in making the flavor. I tried mayo before. You have to add paprika, sugar, and salt to get close but something is still missing. Don't be that guy that says, "The recipe called for X, but I used..." No one likes that guy, or his food. Unless you have a culinary degree or are my grandmother, just stop.
Sour cream. Almost always very low in sodium. Get your favorite.
Dill weed. It's not an insult, I promise. Dried here is best for a tiny package, large flavor. Fresh dill goes on fish and pickles.
Parsley. Dried is honestly the only way to get flavor out of parsley.
Dried minced onion. Using dried adds a texture as well as a non-hot onion flavor.
Onion powder. May be optional, but I think it adds a little extra bite.
Paprika. Just adds a hint of something to offset the obvious whipped dressing and sour cream tastes.
This is the hard part: Mix it all together in a bowl.
Tip:
I did this after my picture above. Save half your sour cream until after you add your dry ingredients. This traps them in the creamy stuff and prevents things flying about when you start mixing.
And let sit for a couple of hours, minimum, before serving.
Sitting is important. The dried onion needs to reconstitute and the flavors need to mingle. If you taste it immediately it won't taste right, and it will be crunchy.
So there we go. These were two simple recipes that were quick and easy and good enough to get requested repeated times. It is a great way to start in to low sodium foods.
Ask me questions. I'll give more tips and recipes as time goes on.
Last edited:
