Low Sodium Diet

Has anyone got some great flavorful easy ideas for a low sodium diet? I find I am really missing some of the things I loved to eat before I started this total change. 

I also find it hard to remember what I can have when I go to a fast food place with friends. Suggestions please......

Does anyone know where I can get salt free bread?

There's not much at a fast food place that is low in salt... it's not just the fat and starch that makes it an unhealthy choice.  Salt is used to mask the cheap, nasty ingredients and extend the shelf life.   Salt-free bread is the most tasteless thing you can imagine, unforunately and I don't recommend it. However, if you invest in a bread machine you can make your own bread quite easily and add a lot less salt than they would commercially.  Same goes for any other old favourites.... see if you can recreate them at home, perhaps?

If you want flavour start with good quality fresh foods.... Seasonal fruit and vegetables are always going to taste better than something old and tired after travelling a long distance or force-grown in a hothouse.   You could also try exploring herbs and spices instead of salt.  They add a ton of flavour to foods and are healthy on lots of other levels.   I particularly enjoy spicing things up with chilli peppers and indian spices.

What sort of foods are you missing?  Is it just bread?

I think gi-jane is right, preparing and baking it yourself is probably your best option.

I just did a Recipe search on this site for 'low sodium' and scored over 100 hits, including a low sodium bread recipe.  You could add a word or two for specific ingredients, but that looks like a good place to start your search.

hmmm, I have low blood pressure and have been told by my doctor to eat MORE SALT

I used to limit sodium/salt cause I thought it was the healthy thing to do, but it turns out I need to increase my intake

but in your case, spices are going to be your best friends... cinnimon, nutmeg, garlic, onion, parsley, basil, pepper, tabasco sauce, oregano, chillis.. etc. I'm sure you can find tons of flavors that appeal to you. Check out your grocery store's spice selection for new flavors and pre-mixed blends

also natural sweeteners are going to be helpful too... no artificial stuff.. opt for Stevia, Xylitol, Agave Nectar, or Brown Rice Syrup

and ever heard of No Salt? I have never tried it but it's a substitute mainly made out of potassium.. its probably worth a shot

I live on a low sodium diet.  Like Oreo, I eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables.  The more I have concentrated on these, the more I enjoy them.

Salt enhances flavor in one way by irritating or opening your palette, making it more sensitive. If we are used to it, we feel like we need it to keep food from tasting bland. 

Restaurant food and packaged foods use it to increase the flavor they want from herbs.  salt is cheaper than herbs and people have come to confuse it with flavor.

I use more herbs and less salt.  I also use cayenne to open my palette.  If you are discrete, you can add a tiny amount that is not hot and essentially without noticeable flavor.

I've lost 80 lbs. since Oct. 07 and feel great.

I think i have too much sodium in my intake, how many mg of sodium is normal, and how much should i intake for a low sodium diet?

Anything below 2400mg sodium or 6g salt is an acceptable level of salt.  We all need some salt in our diets. 

Original Post by gi-jane:

Anything below 2400mg sodium or 6g salt is an acceptable level of salt.  We all need some salt in our diets. 

Thanks for the info

:D

Does working out and drinking lots of water actually help flush sodium from your system? If so, to what extent?

Not that I would use sweating and drinking copius amounts of water as justification for increasing my sodium intake, but just out of curiosity.

Short-term drinking extra fluid helps combat excessive salt in the diet.  However, as you get older, your body become less and less efficient at removing excess salt.... and this is when things like high blood-pressure can start to emerge, especially if you're also carrying some extra weight or you smoke or you don't move around enough. 

Also, diets high in salt tend to be ones highest in processed foods, junk foods and so forth.  So there are other implications of a high-salt diet beyond the salt.  If you get a better diet with less salt early on, you're in much better shape than someone who has to make radical lifestyle changes in middle-age.