Apparently, I am always going on hiatus. In this case, the causes were many: we moved, we lost internet access, and I had a computer virus. Luckily for all of you, at least two of the three issues were corrected (we're still working on internet connectivity to some degree). I'd like to thank the good folks at Carolinas Medical Center for allowing me use of their network in order to download the anti-virus software I needed.
So how's the low-sodium diet going? Well, I'm glad you asked! It's not going all that well. Salt is in everything. If I go to Olive Garden, I can have one (one!) breadstick OR half of a salad OR marinara dipping sauce. But no dipping sauce with the breadstick. I wasn't frequenting Olive Garden anyway, but now I have a real reason not to go there. I don't always have the wherewithal to cook at home, so most of the time I just take my chances when we eat out. Showmar's has some great salads, although I can't eat the taco bowl. I can have burgers and chicken tenders at Steak 'n' Shake, so that's our most common go-to. I did cheat and have Chipotle the other night, and it was worth a little "water weight gain". I have to do all of my cheating now. I've been told that, once I get my defibrillator implanted, the doctors will be able to tell how much sodium I'm eating. Eeeek!
In my quest to (sometimes) eat less sodium and stay on track, I found two guides to assist me. What to Eat When You're Eating Out was my first attempt at navigating the salted waters of the restaurant world. And those salted waters turned out to be scarier than I imagined. 900+ milligrams of sodium in a 6" tuna sub at Subway?? I'm allowed 600mg per meal. 1700+ milligrams in one of the angus burgers at McD's. Huh--death by angus burger. The most surprising thing for me was finding out that the majority of the sodium is in the bread/bun. I didn't get a strange look when I ordered the Filet O' Fish sans bun (and cheese).
What to Eat When You're Eating Out is not the type of book that you take with you. Unless you want to trade heart problems for back problems. I needed something a little more portable. Then I ran across Pocket Posh Complete Calorie Counter at a local bookstore. Not only does it provide a limited section on restaurant foods, but the majority of the book is dedicated to grocery store items. Yes, you can just look at the label on a package of Oreos, but you can also know what's in store for you before you ever leave home. The best part? There are two actually: it's small enough to fit into a purse or bag, and the cover has a cute design on it so no one will know you're carting around a nutrition guide. I carry mine in my purse. Then again, I could survive the apocalypse (or zombie attack) with everything in my purse.
The good news is that most restaurants have their nutrition information available online. Since I have internet access on my phone, I can look up the best items for me when I arrive at the restaurant. Or say to hell with it and get whatever I want. No more cheating after April 14th!
Showing posts with label low-salt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label low-salt. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Life in the Low-Sodium Lane
Four weeks ago, I began my new journey with cardiomyopathy (a weak heart) and congestive heart failure (CHF). This journey brought with it the need for a low-sodium diet. This was reasonably easy to accomplish in the hospital, as the catering group knew that I was on a special diet. Of course, that didn’t stop them from occasionally bringing me something not on my diet. Sometimes I sent it back, sometimes I didn’t. The three weeks spent eating hospital food prepared me for my return home. Basically, I came home with the knowledge that I could make food that tasted so much better than what I was served during my hospital stay. Tastier, and more interesting.
Along with the aforementioned burger, crustless quiche, and breakfast burrito, I also made a Southwest chicken lasagna from a recipe I’d printed out in 1998. The recipe came from a “healthy living” website, but only the fat and calorie content could be considered low. I didn’t calculate the sodium content, but I knew it couldn’t be good. I did my best to lower this by using all low-sodium products and adding more veggies than called for. I’m sure it still exceeded my limit of 600mg of sodium per meal. LA loved the lasagna and gave me the greatest compliment on it: This doesn’t taste healthy. Since we both enjoyed it so well, I plan on making it again, but there will be additional adjustments to make it healthier and lower in sodium. Once I have created a great version, I will be posting a recipe. Until then, you’ll just have to wait.
The home health care group sent out a cardiac nurse to check on me today. She asked if anyone had told me about the diet I was to follow. Only 6 different people, providing me with pages and pages of dietary information. All of which I read, partially out of boredom. So, to answer her question, yes, I am aware of the diet. I ordered two low-salt cookbooks, which arrived yesterday. LA and I both read the labels on everything at the grocery store (if you want to extend your grocery-shopping experience, take the time to read the labels of every item you buy. You’ll be there for hours!). I keep a food log in which I write down everything I eat and drink. Sadly, or maybe not, I actually kept a food log even before I went into the hospital. The nurse looked over my food log and challenged me on a couple of items. “Can you explain how chips and salsa are low sodium?” Yes, I can. The chips only had 30mg of sodium per serving. I may have gone over a serving, but that is beside the point. She did recommend that I start listing the amount of sodium that I am consuming with each item, to ensure that I am staying under 2000mg per day. After doing that for only half a day, I am convinced I’ve been going waaaay over my limit. A serving of Triscuits (135mg) is only 6 crackers. I did know that one, so I’d been pretty good about it. Some of the others were a little more challenging. The garlic melba crackers I love only have 130mg in them, but a serving is 4 crackers. Who only eats 4 crackers? 6 crackers is borderline ridiculous!
With the two new low-sodium cookbooks I got, I now have recipes for everything from low-sodium soy sauce to condensed cream of mushroom soup to fried chicken. I’m looking forward to trying those books to see how things turn out. Both were highly reviewed on Amazon, but I’ll save my reviews until I’ve cooked from both. Tonight’s dinner, sadly, won’t be coming from the new books, but is a recipe from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. The dish is essentially only lentils, black pepper, and brown rice. She also calls for an onion carmelized in an unholy amount of oil, but I am omitting that for the sake of my already weakened heart. LA enjoys the dish with a bit of feta cheese in the onion’s place.
Low-sodium cooking is harder than it may seem, but also easier than I expected. The hardest part is getting used to the taste of normal foods without salt. If you don’t know what I mean, go to McDonald’s and order unsalted fries. LA said it best with, “They taste like potatoes!” The salt does allow the natural flavor of food to come through, and I’m sure the natural flavor is something few of us have tasted in quite some time. As I continue cooking and experimenting, I will be posting more recipes, including the Southwest chicken lasagna. Even salt-eaters are going to like these!
Along with the aforementioned burger, crustless quiche, and breakfast burrito, I also made a Southwest chicken lasagna from a recipe I’d printed out in 1998. The recipe came from a “healthy living” website, but only the fat and calorie content could be considered low. I didn’t calculate the sodium content, but I knew it couldn’t be good. I did my best to lower this by using all low-sodium products and adding more veggies than called for. I’m sure it still exceeded my limit of 600mg of sodium per meal. LA loved the lasagna and gave me the greatest compliment on it: This doesn’t taste healthy. Since we both enjoyed it so well, I plan on making it again, but there will be additional adjustments to make it healthier and lower in sodium. Once I have created a great version, I will be posting a recipe. Until then, you’ll just have to wait.
The home health care group sent out a cardiac nurse to check on me today. She asked if anyone had told me about the diet I was to follow. Only 6 different people, providing me with pages and pages of dietary information. All of which I read, partially out of boredom. So, to answer her question, yes, I am aware of the diet. I ordered two low-salt cookbooks, which arrived yesterday. LA and I both read the labels on everything at the grocery store (if you want to extend your grocery-shopping experience, take the time to read the labels of every item you buy. You’ll be there for hours!). I keep a food log in which I write down everything I eat and drink. Sadly, or maybe not, I actually kept a food log even before I went into the hospital. The nurse looked over my food log and challenged me on a couple of items. “Can you explain how chips and salsa are low sodium?” Yes, I can. The chips only had 30mg of sodium per serving. I may have gone over a serving, but that is beside the point. She did recommend that I start listing the amount of sodium that I am consuming with each item, to ensure that I am staying under 2000mg per day. After doing that for only half a day, I am convinced I’ve been going waaaay over my limit. A serving of Triscuits (135mg) is only 6 crackers. I did know that one, so I’d been pretty good about it. Some of the others were a little more challenging. The garlic melba crackers I love only have 130mg in them, but a serving is 4 crackers. Who only eats 4 crackers? 6 crackers is borderline ridiculous!
With the two new low-sodium cookbooks I got, I now have recipes for everything from low-sodium soy sauce to condensed cream of mushroom soup to fried chicken. I’m looking forward to trying those books to see how things turn out. Both were highly reviewed on Amazon, but I’ll save my reviews until I’ve cooked from both. Tonight’s dinner, sadly, won’t be coming from the new books, but is a recipe from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. The dish is essentially only lentils, black pepper, and brown rice. She also calls for an onion carmelized in an unholy amount of oil, but I am omitting that for the sake of my already weakened heart. LA enjoys the dish with a bit of feta cheese in the onion’s place.
Low-sodium cooking is harder than it may seem, but also easier than I expected. The hardest part is getting used to the taste of normal foods without salt. If you don’t know what I mean, go to McDonald’s and order unsalted fries. LA said it best with, “They taste like potatoes!” The salt does allow the natural flavor of food to come through, and I’m sure the natural flavor is something few of us have tasted in quite some time. As I continue cooking and experimenting, I will be posting more recipes, including the Southwest chicken lasagna. Even salt-eaters are going to like these!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year and All That
Happy 2011!! I am happy to report that I was able to ring in the New Year in the comfort of my own home, having been discharged from the hospital on Tuesday. Now that I am no longer being served low-salt, low-taste food on a regular schedule, I am forced to cook my own. I can't go out to eat--there's too much salt in everything. I can't buy prepared foods--there's too much salt in everything. That leaves me to fend for myself.
Having watched (and smelled) LA eat some sad-looking burgers from the hospital cafeteria, I was craving a burger. I'm sure I could make a healthy version. And I did. 96% lean ground beef seasoned with black pepper and garlic powder, low-sodium sliced Colby-Jack cheese (thank you, Sargento), lettuce, tomato, and a whole-wheat roll. The burger was a bit overcooked and dry, and the roll was overtoasted. Even so, we both agreed it was the best burger ever. I guess context is everything. Had we not been burned out on hospital food, we may not have been so enamored of the burger. As it was our first post-hospital meal, we were thrilled by it. The meal was rounded out with a baked potato. I thought about making potato wedges, but just didn't have the energy. Baked potatoes would have to do. Fat-free sour cream, low-sodium shredded Cheddar (thank you again, Sargento!), and imitation bacon bits topped the spuds. Who knew low-sodium could taste so good?? On a side note, imitation bacon bits have lower sodium than real bacon bits, so I am allowed to have them. On another side note, Morningstar bacon (which we call "facon") tastes just like imitation bacon bits. Don't waste your money.
The next evening, we were having company and I was feeling a bit lazy. I cooked up some frozen "Southern-style" hashbrowns, chopped broccoli, and green peas. This I dumped into a small casserole dish and seasoned with black pepper, my stand-by garlic powder, and some chipotle powder. I mixed Eggbeaters with milk to create the custard, then poured it over the veggies, then topped it all with more of my low-sodium shredded cheddar. I baked it for 50 minutes at 375 degrees, and it came out puffed up and golden. I'll admit it was a tad spicy, but LA and I were thrilled with the outcome. He even went back for seconds! The leftovers were combined with more Eggbeaters and hashbrowns, then wrapped in a tortilla, and we had breakfast burritos the following morning.
I won't lie and say that this whole low-sodium thing is easy, but it's turning out not to be as difficult as I thought. I can't buy a lot of my old standards at the supermarket, and I'm having to cook a lot more than I was before, since we can't just pop out and grab something. But it's totally worth it, to keep me alive and keep LA healthy. More to come on the low-sodium lifestyle!
Having watched (and smelled) LA eat some sad-looking burgers from the hospital cafeteria, I was craving a burger. I'm sure I could make a healthy version. And I did. 96% lean ground beef seasoned with black pepper and garlic powder, low-sodium sliced Colby-Jack cheese (thank you, Sargento), lettuce, tomato, and a whole-wheat roll. The burger was a bit overcooked and dry, and the roll was overtoasted. Even so, we both agreed it was the best burger ever. I guess context is everything. Had we not been burned out on hospital food, we may not have been so enamored of the burger. As it was our first post-hospital meal, we were thrilled by it. The meal was rounded out with a baked potato. I thought about making potato wedges, but just didn't have the energy. Baked potatoes would have to do. Fat-free sour cream, low-sodium shredded Cheddar (thank you again, Sargento!), and imitation bacon bits topped the spuds. Who knew low-sodium could taste so good?? On a side note, imitation bacon bits have lower sodium than real bacon bits, so I am allowed to have them. On another side note, Morningstar bacon (which we call "facon") tastes just like imitation bacon bits. Don't waste your money.
The next evening, we were having company and I was feeling a bit lazy. I cooked up some frozen "Southern-style" hashbrowns, chopped broccoli, and green peas. This I dumped into a small casserole dish and seasoned with black pepper, my stand-by garlic powder, and some chipotle powder. I mixed Eggbeaters with milk to create the custard, then poured it over the veggies, then topped it all with more of my low-sodium shredded cheddar. I baked it for 50 minutes at 375 degrees, and it came out puffed up and golden. I'll admit it was a tad spicy, but LA and I were thrilled with the outcome. He even went back for seconds! The leftovers were combined with more Eggbeaters and hashbrowns, then wrapped in a tortilla, and we had breakfast burritos the following morning.
I won't lie and say that this whole low-sodium thing is easy, but it's turning out not to be as difficult as I thought. I can't buy a lot of my old standards at the supermarket, and I'm having to cook a lot more than I was before, since we can't just pop out and grab something. But it's totally worth it, to keep me alive and keep LA healthy. More to come on the low-sodium lifestyle!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas!
LA and I weren't exactly anticipating spending Christmas in the hospital, but that's exactly where we were. We decided to make the best of it and share Christmas dinner. By coincidence, today's lunch menu included roast turkey with gravy. Happy Day!
We have two women who work for Nutrition and bring our meals each day, Wanda and Tanisha. They are two of the nicest women, and I look forward to their arrival each day. And not just because they bring the food. Wanda was lucky enough to have the day off today, so Tanisha was bringing our meals. As she was picking up the breakfast trays, I asked if we could possibly have a tray of turkey if she had any spares at lunch. She said that she definitely would, so LA and I would both be able to have turkey dinner.
I am on the low-sodium, low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, and the meal LA received had no restrictions. My Christmas dinner consisted of three slices of roast turkey breast with gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans. LA had the same turkey and green beans, but he had cornbread stuffing instead of the potatoes. He was also kind enough to give me a little of the stuffing. While it was salted, I only had a few bites and it really completed the meal. Last year, LA and I had gone to Emma's in Concord for Thanksgiving. We both agreed that today's meal was equally as good as that we had at Emma's. And it was hospital food! I am getting used to the blandness of my food, but I did put some "butter" on the potatoes for a little extra oomph. Close inspection also revealed that the gravy is simply broth mixed with cornstarch. It was still gravy-like enough to make a decent meal. LA's cornbread stuffing was actually very good. I wished they had accidentally given it to me! Cranberry sauce was included on the side, but neither of us tried it. I did look at it, and it didn't look canned.
For dessert, we had red jello with mandarin oranges and whipped cream. I ate a couple of the oranges, but the jello wasn't made right and was quite stiff. LA doesn't eat jello at all. Being Christmas, we also got a special treat. I had pumpkin mousse with whipped cream, and LA had a mini pumpkin pie. Apparently the pie crust wasn't low-fat, so I didn't get it. The mousse was very good, but I was getting full by that point and was unable to finish it.
While we had hardly anticipated spending Christmas in the hospital, we were at least able to spend it together. The food was respectable, and we were surrounded by friendly and caring people. This definitely qualifies as a good Christmas, and we even get a funny story out of it.
We have two women who work for Nutrition and bring our meals each day, Wanda and Tanisha. They are two of the nicest women, and I look forward to their arrival each day. And not just because they bring the food. Wanda was lucky enough to have the day off today, so Tanisha was bringing our meals. As she was picking up the breakfast trays, I asked if we could possibly have a tray of turkey if she had any spares at lunch. She said that she definitely would, so LA and I would both be able to have turkey dinner.
I am on the low-sodium, low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, and the meal LA received had no restrictions. My Christmas dinner consisted of three slices of roast turkey breast with gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans. LA had the same turkey and green beans, but he had cornbread stuffing instead of the potatoes. He was also kind enough to give me a little of the stuffing. While it was salted, I only had a few bites and it really completed the meal. Last year, LA and I had gone to Emma's in Concord for Thanksgiving. We both agreed that today's meal was equally as good as that we had at Emma's. And it was hospital food! I am getting used to the blandness of my food, but I did put some "butter" on the potatoes for a little extra oomph. Close inspection also revealed that the gravy is simply broth mixed with cornstarch. It was still gravy-like enough to make a decent meal. LA's cornbread stuffing was actually very good. I wished they had accidentally given it to me! Cranberry sauce was included on the side, but neither of us tried it. I did look at it, and it didn't look canned.
For dessert, we had red jello with mandarin oranges and whipped cream. I ate a couple of the oranges, but the jello wasn't made right and was quite stiff. LA doesn't eat jello at all. Being Christmas, we also got a special treat. I had pumpkin mousse with whipped cream, and LA had a mini pumpkin pie. Apparently the pie crust wasn't low-fat, so I didn't get it. The mousse was very good, but I was getting full by that point and was unable to finish it.
While we had hardly anticipated spending Christmas in the hospital, we were at least able to spend it together. The food was respectable, and we were surrounded by friendly and caring people. This definitely qualifies as a good Christmas, and we even get a funny story out of it.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Where's Lula?
I know it's been ages since I last posted. As I said before, sometimes life just gets in the way. In my case, it happened in a big way. Spending the month of November with an unspecified illness, I, and my intrepid sidekick, was unable to visit any restaurants, markets, or points of interest. Early in December, I visited the doctor and learned that my unspecified illness was actually congestive heart failure, and I've been in the hospital ever since. I suppose I could write reviews on the food that I've been eating for the past two weeks, but that may be a little boring and redundant: Today's meal was ok, but a little bland.
Once I am released from the hospital, I will be on my own to follow my new low-fat, low-salt, low-iron diet. I will be taking you on those adventures, including things I make and how restaurants respond to my dietary restrictions. It will be a much different direction for me, but I'm sure it will still be interesting.
Once I am released from the hospital, I will be on my own to follow my new low-fat, low-salt, low-iron diet. I will be taking you on those adventures, including things I make and how restaurants respond to my dietary restrictions. It will be a much different direction for me, but I'm sure it will still be interesting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)