Hold the Salt and the fat!

While eating a very low sodium diet, it's important to find new spices and new ways to flavor your food. Remember, as I've said before, it does take about a month for your taste buds to adjust to your new way of eating but you will end of loving low sodium foods. Also remember, we were not born with a taste for salt, we "acquired" it! My food tastes so much better now because I actually taste the "food" and not the "salt."

Here are some tips for sorting out sodium on nutrition labels. Food labels use certain names or blurbs to describe the sodium content of the food. Each has a meaning defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Knowing what each means can help you make the best choices.

"Sodium free" means 5 mg sodium or less per serving.

"Very Low Sodium" means 35 mg sodium or less per serving.

"Low Sodium" means 140 mg sodium or less per serving.

"Reduced Sodium" means the usual sodium level is reduced by 25 percent. (hint: many items that say reduced sodium are still extremely high in sodium!)

"Unsalted" or "No Salt Added" means no salt added during processing.

These terms refer only to sodium content and do not mean the product has less fat or saturated fat. It's important to read labels carefully since somes foods that are low in sodium but high in fat.

Here are recommended fats: canola oil, olive oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, poyunsaturated margerine.

Here are some fats for occasional use only: vegetable shortening ( I NEVER use shortening!), regular stick margerine, butter, bacon, chicken or turkey fat, meat fat. Use this list sparingly!

Look for the American Heart Association's white check mark on labels. These foods meet the food criteria for saturated fat and cholesterol for healthy pepole over age 2. Be sure and check the sodium though....these do not always fit into a low sodium diet! For more information on certified products, visit www.heartcheckmark.org.

I'll be back tomorrow to post some seasonings you can use to help flavor your food so you don't even miss the salt!


WATCH OUT for salt substitutes, most doctors DO NOT recommend them because they have potassium chloride and some salt in them. Make sure you check with your doctor before using. With some meds you may be one, this could cause you to get too much potassium, which is very dangerous for your heart! Be smart.....check first!