Shopping at Whole Foods: Part II

From Whole Foods - Hot Dogs, Cream Cheese, & Roast Chicken

It was time to make another trek down the hill to shop at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. I picked up the usual culprits at both stores. But, I got a few things at Whole Foods that were relatively new finds.

Nancy's Cultured Cream Cheese
Only 35 mg Sodium per 2 Tablespoons

The first was Nancy’s Cultured Cream Cheese. I discovered it at my local grocery store several years ago and even wrote about it (Click HERE). But, as often happens, they stopped carrying it. “Out of sight; out of mind.” I forgot about it until I was in Whole Foods a couple of days ago and re-discovered it. Only 35 mg sodium for 2 tablespoons. I’m happy to have a new source for this fine product. I'll stock up whenever I shop at WF.

Nature's Rancher Uncured Pork & Beef Hot Dogs
250 mg Sodium for Each Link

I also came home with two packages of Nature’s Rancher Uncured Pork and Beef Hot Dogs. As an experiment, the last time I made the TJ/WF trip, I got a package of Applegate Organic Uncured Beef Hot Dogs (280 mg sodium per link) at TJ and a package of Nature’s Rancher Uncured Pork and Beef Hot Dogs (250 mg sodium per link) at Whole Foods. My husband and I liked both brands. But since that shopping trip, Applegate has changed their formulations and their hot dogs are now 500 mg sodium per link. Such a disappointment! I was happy to find that the Nature’s Rancher links hadn’t changed and are still 250 mg sodium per link, so I got a couple of packages. When I got home, I packaged them up into bundles of 4 links each for freezing. Each bundle is perfect for two days worth of hot dog lunches. Another product to stock up on when I shop at WF.

According to its website, Nature’s Rancher products are exclusive to Whole Foods. However, not all WF stores carry all Nature’s Rancher products. The website advises checking with your local WF market’s meat manager for availability.

Whole Foods "Perfectly Plain" Unsalted Roast Chicken

Finally, I bought a Whole Foods hot, ready-to-eat roast chicken — Perfectly Plain. The chickens are supposed to be free from any salted injections, brines, or seasonings. I was shopping around noon, so by the time I got to the hot food section, most of the seasoned chickens were gone. Not a problem for me, though. I picked up a Perfectly Plain chicken, paid for all my purchases, and headed out to the car.

Even though the chickens were supposed to be salt free, I wanted to make sure for myself. So, once in the car, I opened the package, and tore off a leg. One bite confirmed that the chicken, was, indeed, salt free, and I drove straight home. No need to worry about that day’s lunch.

WF "Perfectly Plain" Unsalted Roast Chicken

Although the roast chicken was fairly small in comparison to the 4-5 pound birds I can get at the grocery store, we didn’t eat all of it in one sitting. The next day, I fixed chicken salad with some leftover breast meat. Plus, I saved the all the bones and skin, combined them with some chicken backs languishing in my freezer, and made broth in my electric pressure cooker. So, I sort of got my money’s worth.

The judgment: The WF salt-free roast chicken tastes fine. However, my husband said he preferred my home-cooked roast chicken. Me too. After all, I season our roast chicken with various herbs and spices. Also, a WF bird is quite expensive. Stands to reason – It’s organic and the work is done for you. I can find salt free Foster Farms whole chickens at all my local grocery stores, and they’re often on sale for 79¢ - 99¢ a pound.

Would I buy one again? Probably only if I found myself in a similar situation –— It’s mealtime, I need to get home, and I don’t want to chance anything from the WF deli/salad bar section or stop at a restaurant on the way home.

For more good products from Whole Foods, click HERE. For a printable shopping list, click HERE.

Shopping at Whole Foods

I stopped by Whole Foods yesterday on the way back from a family get together and came home with a few products recommended by members of the Low Sodium Cooking Facebook group. Whole Foods is about a 35 minute drive from my home, and, as a result, I don’t shop there often. Plus I’m fortunate to have four well-stocked supermarkets and a natural foods store nearby, so I’m able to find quite a lot of low sodium products locally.

I didn’t do a careful investigation of each aisle. Instead, I mainly looked for items that I can not find easily at my local grocery stores. And I picked up a few things from my regular shopping list. I'm in Northern CA, so the Whole Foods products from my closest store may differ from what's available elsewhere.

I was particularly pleased to find 3 varieties of frozen NSA french fries ‒ crinkle cut, shoestring, and steak cut. Not necessarily something I’d use every day but great for gussying up a ho-hum sandwich lunch. The sweet pickle relish was almost 50% lower in sodium than other famous name brands. The 365 mayo is quite low too, as is the store brand fresh mozzarella. I was surprised to find 365 NSA almond and cashew butter. I already knew about the Kerrygold butter spread and needed to pick up some more. I didn’t get a bag of the NSA white tortilla chips because I’m still working on one from Trader Joe’s. I wanted to try the sweet white miso. It’s the lowest in sodium I’ve ever seen. I’m able to get Spicely products locally (they have a huge selection of NSA spice blends), but I couldn’t pass up buying a couple of extra packages of the breakfast sausage blend.

All in all, I was happy with the results of my shopping trip. The Whole Foods market is not too far from the Trader Joe’s I shop at, so I figure I’ll hit both stores about every two months. The more I visit Whole Foods, the more new low sodium products I’ll discover. I'm sure there are lots more to find. What are your favorites?

Here’s what I found so far:
(Printable List)

• 365 Organic Sweet Relish: 65 mg sodium/Tbsp (between 120 - 140 for brand name versions)
• 365 Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast Slices: 240 mg sodium/2 oz
• 365 Cashew Butter, Creamy: NSA
• 365 Almond Butter, Creamy: NSA
• 365 Mayonnaise: 40 mg sodium/Tbsp
• 365 Organic Shoestring French Fries: NSA
• 365 Organic Steak Cut French Fries: NSA
• 365 Organic Crinkle Cut French Fries: NSA
• 365 White Corn Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips: NSA (not pictured)
• Whole Foods Fresh Mozzarella: 55 mg sodium/oz (not pictured)
• Kerrygold Reduced Fat Irish Butter - 50% less Sodium: 45 mg sodium/Tbsp
• Miso Master Organic Sweet White Less-Sodium Miso: 135 mg sodium/Tbsp (lowest sodium I’ve found so far)
• Spicely Organic Breakfast Sausage Seasoning Blend: NSA

ABC: Always Be Checking!

Always Be Checking!

As I was working through past blog entries to create the Index, I realized that several posts needed to be updated. There were many changes in products and even vendors. That’s why it is important to "Always Be Checking!"

Since we started living low sodium 11 years ago, SaltWatcher and HeartWise Foods have gone out of business (they were online sellers of low/no sodium food products). Thankfully, Healthy Heart Market is still standing. B & G have stopped making any NSA pickle products. Delicious Concepts has closed up shop, so no more of my husband’s favorite NSA cornichons. Sargento came out with a bunch of lower sodium cheese products but stopped production on all but one cheese snack stick. Safeway stopped offering its NSA Swiss cheese blocks. Sol de Oro changed its formula for burrito sized tortillas from 140 mg to 350 mg/tortilla. Thai and True did something similar with their Thai red curry paste. My local grocery store used to carry Featherweight sodium-free baking powder, but it doesn’t any longer. These are just a few examples of what’s happened over the years. I’ve run into more changes, and I bet you have too.

Dealing with low sodium products is an adventure. The formulas change, and not always for the better. Often times, the manufacturer decides to discontinue a really good low sodium product. If you’ve followed a sodium restricted diet for any length of time, you know that products can appear and then quickly disappear. That's why constant vigilance is required.

It’s like being a sleuth. Spending who knows how much time reading and re-reading labels. Checking out all the various sections of a grocery store just in the hopes of finding a good low sodium product. Checking online, doing Google searches, and plowing your way through all the offerings on Amazon. It’s a never ending process.  But you need to keep aware of what low sodium options are offered and grab them when you can.

Be a Low Sodium Sleuth

Remember the old saying, “Here today & gone tomorrow?” Supermarkets try out new products all the time, and manufacturers revamp their products all the time too. Food producers constantly introduce new products and discontinue others. Never assume that because there isn't any low sodium canned tuna available one month, that it won’t be available the next month. Keep checking those aisles. Conversely, don’t assume that a favorite low sodium product will always be available. Your market may decide to drop carrying it. There are no guarantees because it’s all dependent on sales. Sometimes the additions or changes are great, sodium wise. Sometimes they're a bust. But you need to keep on top of it.

And don’t just focus on grocery stores. Keep your eyes peeled whenever you go shopping, no matter what kind of store. You might just come upon a hidden trove of low sodium options. I’ve found great loso spice blends and flavored pasta at TJ Maxx and World Market. As I said before, “Always Be Checking!” You never know what you may find. And don’t lose heart. I know it’s frustrating when a much loved product disappears. But give it enough time, and another great product will appear. To quote Scarlett O’Hara, “After all… tomorrow is another day!”

Low Sodium Living: Getting Started (Article for Pathlight Magazine)

Several months ago I was approached by a representative of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) about possibly writing an article for their quarterly magazine, Pathlight. Pulmonary hypertension is increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs to pick up oxygen. PH patients are routinely prescribed low sodium diets.

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association is the largest and oldest PH association in the world, providing a patient and caregiver support group network, lifesaving early diagnosis awareness and education programs, specialty care resources, and research to find ways to prevent and cure PH. It has evolved into an international community of over 16,000 pulmonary hypertension patients, caregivers, family members and healthcare professionals.

The representative suggested writing about getting started on a low sodium diet and including a recipe or two. “I think the community would really benefit from your tips…;” “...you encourage flexibility and easing into low sodium. I can imagine that many people try to eliminate salt and end up reverting back to their sodium-filled style.”

The article I submitted was a modification of my original Getting Started post and page-tab and was published in the Spring edition of Pathlight. The magazine is chock full of medical information and inspiring life stories. The article I wrote is below. If you’d like to view the online Pathlight version, click HERE.

Low Sodium Living: Getting Started

About ten years ago my husband was hospitalized and diagnosed with congestive heart failure, an irregular heartbeat, an enlarged heart, and a massive fluid buildup in his lungs. Before coming home, he was prescribed a regimen of several drugs to stabilize his condition and told to restrict his daily sodium intake.

After my husband’s diagnosis, I determined to not only cook low sodium meals for him but to also join him – whatever he ate, I would eat. I was a pretty good cook to start with, so I was confident in my ability to master good tasting low sodium fare. However I was frustrated by some of the challenges in transitioning from a "full salt" kitchen to a low sodium lifestyle. Like spending so much extra money replacing lots of "high sodium" pantry items. Taking way too much time at the store reading labels. Trying to figure out a way to keep track of which store carries which items.  And, of course, dealing with the inevitable flops: new recipes that didn't taste right; experiments that were abysmal failures; or low sodium products that weren't worth buying again. Not to mention annoyance with rebellious taste buds that weren't adjusting fast enough.

There were times when both my husband and I despaired of ever making a go of this low sodium thing. It's pretty easy for a doctor to say you should eat a very low sodium diet, but it’s a very different thing to try to live it – day after day, week after week, for years upon years. But we didn't give up, and we're still alive and kicking ten years later.

I know from my own personal experience that following a low sodium diet can initially be a daunting task. You can become so bogged down calculating each tiny milligram of sodium that you run the risk of losing all your zest for life. It doesn't have to be that way! Below is my very personalized list of helpful tips for others who are just beginning the journey. Thoughts that hopefully will encourage those who are new to low sodium living. Every little bit of help makes the journey easier.

Know your target! Be sure you discuss your new low sodium diet with your healthcare provider and understand what your objectives are. Know how much sodium you should consume per day. In the beginning, it might be easier to set targets for each meal – something like 400 mg. sodium each for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a 200 mg. snack. Also, know how much “wiggle room” you have to play with. Trying to lower your sodium intake just a bit to prevent hypertension is not the same as coping with congestive heart failure. There's a big difference between a low-sodium diet of 1,500 mg. sodium per day and a restricted diet of only 800 mg. sodium, so you really want to understand the numbers to begin with. Also, be sure to ask your doctor about salt substitutes. They often contain potassium chloride which can be problematic for those with diminished kidney function.

Don’t panic! Living a low sodium lifestyle is challenging but not impossible. You don’t have to be a master chef or a totally “from scratch” cook to survive. You will be able to produce and eat satisfying and delicious food.

Be patient! It will take a while to get used to the taste of lower sodium dishes, and there’s a learning curve when it comes to cooking. It will take time to become familiar with the lower sodium products available in your local grocery stores. It will also take time to transition from a “full salt” kitchen to a low sodium kitchen. Modifying favorite recipes and building up a repertoire of new recipes will take a while, and developing techniques to enhance dishes will be an ongoing learning experience.

Fight one battle at a time! Don’t try to do too much. Just concentrate on lowering your overall sodium consumption. Don’t expend energy on anything else, and don’t jump on any bandwagons –  avoiding gluten, eating only whole grains, going vegetarian or vegan, eating local, avoiding carbs, buying organic and/or sustainable – the possibilities are endless. Give yourself ample time to tackle the low sodium lifestyle before worrying about any other food and dietary choices.

“Know Thyself!” The ancient Greeks got this right. You’re the only one who understands your tastes, your schedule, your cooking abilities, your finances, what’s available in grocery stores nearby, and what you’re willing to do in order to eat lower sodium. Don’t beat yourself up because you miss the taste of salt. It’s normal. Don’t feel badly if you don’t want to bake your own bread or blend your own spice mixes. What works for others may not work for you. Going low sodium is not a "one size fits all" proposition. You are the only one who can develop a lower sodium routine that fits your unique personality. You can glean ideas and inspiration from a lot of sources, but everything you do needs to satisfy you and you alone. After all, it's YOUR low sodium program.

This is one of my favorite low sodium recipes. It comes by way of my friend Ann from Thibeault’s Table.  It's easy, quick, tastes great, and is super versatile. When I can't think of what to cook, I often turn to this recipe.

Taco Salad

TACO BEEF
(Printable Recipe)

1 pound lean ground beef

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 small onion chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt-free chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

No-Salt-Added beef broth

Sauté beef in a small amount of oil until the pink is gone. Add the onion and garlic and seasonings and continue to cook for a few minutes until onion is tender. Add one cup beef broth, cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. (The simmering results in nicely tender meat that is permeated with the wonderful seasonings.) Remove lid and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

The meat is great in tacos, taco salads, tostadas, and burritos. Mix it with already cooked rice for a quick bell pepper stuffing or use it to top a Mexican-style pizza, omelet, or baked potato.

What's Your Low Sodium Program?

Checking Nutritional Labels

I think everyone approaches going low sodium differently. It definitely is not a "one size fits all" proposition. The way I see it, you’re the only one who understands your likes and dislikes, your schedule, your cooking abilities, your finances, what’s available in grocery stores nearby, and what you’re willing to do in order to eat lower sodium. Everyone has different skills, tastes, and levels of motivation. What works for you may not work for others. You are the only one who can develop a lower sodium routine  and regimen that fits your unique personality. You can glean ideas and inspiration from a lot of sources, but everything you do needs to satisfy you and you alone. After all, it's YOUR low sodium program.

Here’s my story:

About ten years ago, my husband spent over a week in ICU. He was horribly weak and diagnosed with congestive heart failure, an irregular heartbeat, an enlarged heart, and a massive fluid buildup in his lungs. Before coming home, he was prescribed a regimen of several drugs to stabilize his condition and told to restrict his daily sodium intake to about 2,000 mg daily or less.

I immediately began researching low sodium living – shopping, cooking, and eating. I spent hours pouring over product labels in the grocery store, bought cookbooks, and signed up for online newsletters. I gleaned a lot of good information but was not sold on tracking the sodium content of every item in every recipe. For me, a recipe was basically a guideline or inspiration. I learned to cook the way my mother and grandmother did – a pinch of this, a spoonful of that – no exact recipes. I would call it “ad lib” cooking. I mainly adjusted and adapted recipe ideas, very rarely ever following a recipe as written. Most main dishes – from spaghetti sauce to meatloaf to tuna casserole to beef stew to split pea soup – I just winged, not even glancing at an official recipe. I was (and still am) an avid experimenter and fiddler. So detailed tracking of sodium in recipes didn’t really fit with my cooking style. What to do?

Early on, for my purposes, I identified four (4) food groups:

Minimally Processed Foods

Minimally Processed Foods

For example, meat, fish, and poultry naturally contain sodium. But there’s nothing I can do to a pound of raw ground beef that will lower its sodium content. To use a hackneyed saying, “It is what it is.” All I can do is to make sure I don’t add any more sodium, either in the form of salt or high sodium products. I also can make sure that I don’t accidentally purchase “enhanced” pork, turkey, chicken, or seafood. The same basic principle applies to vegetables. They all contain pre-existing sodium, and there’s nothing I can really do about it. But I can avoid using salt and high sodium products when I prepare them. And I can avoid vegetables frozen with salt. Ditto for minimally processed grains like brown rice, bulgur wheat, rolled oats, etc.

NSA Products

No-Salt-Added Products

I look for products that don’t have any additional sodium in the form of salt. From canned tomatoes to potato chips to frozen corn to instant mashed potato flakes to chicken broth to puffed corn cereal to spice blends. The products don’t necessarily have to be labeled as NSA or geared to a low sodium diet. But if there is a NSA version of something, that’s what I buy. However, I read the labels carefully just in case some hidden salt appears. Many times I also determine that even if I made the product myself, I wouldn’t be able to end up with a significantly lower sodium count. (Good examples are NSA canned tomato products and NSA broths.)

Low Sodium Products

Low Sodium Products

When we first started out, there weren’t many low sodium products available in local grocery stores. But things have changed quite a bit. Now there are a lot of NSA/loso options. But not all supposedly loso products are helpful. A good example is so-called low sodium chicken broth. One-third less sodium than regular sounds good, but the reality is that it’s a whopping 570 mg of sodium per cup. That’s still a lot!

So, often times, dealing with loso products is tricky. That’s where careful label reading comes in. I’ve actually come across certain loso products that are higher in sodium than their regular salted counterparts. Portion control is also important. Generally speaking, however, if a NSA version is not available, I’ll choose products that  are labeled as reduced sodium.

Regular Salted Products

Regular Salted Products

These are products that are neither NSA or loso. I try to find the products with the lowest sodium content and use them wisely. Careful label reading is important because the amount of sodium can be all over the place when it comes to a particular product or even within a particular brand. For example, marinara sauces at my local grocery store range from a low of 380 mg sodium per half cup to a high of 560 mg. So, if I couldn’t find a NSA/loso version, I’d purchase the 380 mg jar and add a can of readily available NSA tomato sauce to lower the sodium content a bit. This is another situation where portion control is important.

So what’s my low sodium program?

First of all, I don’t add salt to what I prepare. (The only exception is for yeast breads where I reduce the salt by 50% - 75%.) I know it may seem heretical, but I don't bother calculating the sodium for basic foods like unadulterated meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, and grains. There's nothing I can do to lower their naturally inherent sodium content. I can control portioning, preparation, and some ingredients but not the raw materials. So I don’t track minimally processed foods.

I apply a similar principle to NSA products. Even if I made homemade versions, I doubt that I could get them significantly lower in sodium than what is offered in grocery stores. I check the nutritional label and usually determine that the sodium amount per serving is negligible. So I don’t track most NSA products.

 Checking Sodium Content

Instead, I try to provide a diet with lots of fresh meats, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains — foods that have undergone minimal processing.  If available, I always choose no salt added products. And I choose lower sodium or regular sodium products carefully. Those last two classifications are my focus.

For example, when I make chili for dinner I don’t attempt to calculate the sodium content. After all, it’s filled with minimally processed or NSA ingredients: meat, onions, garlic, salt free chili blend, and cumin simmered in NSA beef broth (sometimes I may add NSA tomatoes or corn). Thickening is water and masa. The only significant sodium comes from the possible toppings ﹘ cubed avocado, chopped onion, chopped tomato, chopped jalapeno, chopped cilantro, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, or sour cream. For me, the chopped vegetables don’t count at all. Pico de gallo can be made at home or purchased without any salt added too. Sour cream is pretty low in sodium, about 15 – 25 mg sodium for 2 tablespoons. So the only ingredient worth worrying about is the cheese (175 mg sodium for 1 oz. of shredded cheddar), and it could be eliminated altogether. I don’t calculate the sodium level of my homemade chili because everything is either minimally processed or NSA except for the optional cheese topping. As far as I’m concerned, that one ingredient is the only thing I need to monitor.

That’s my program in a nutshell. It’s been ten years, but I really haven’t changed my cooking style. I still pretty much “wing” it when it comes to main dishes. I use recipes mainly for inspiration, more as jumping off points. I don’t fret about the sodium content of basic ingredients like meat, vegetables, and grains. I choose NSA products when possible. I choose low sodium products carefully by reading labels. and I do the same for products that are not NSA/low sodium. I watch portions, and I adjust and modify recipes and ingredients as needed in order to produce tasty yet low sodium dishes.

This blog reflects my approach to cooking. I’ve found that sharing low sodium recipes complete with detailed nutritional information is difficult because of the variables involved. Not everyone has access to the same low sodium/no salt products. So what I make with ingredients available to me may not be the same as what someone else makes. For instance, I make lasagna with a creamy layer using NSA cottage cheese. But if that particular product wasn’t available locally, I wouldn't advise anyone to follow my example.

This is what works for me, but it may not work for you. As I’ve often said before, everyone is different. So it should be no surprise that everyone approaches low sodium living differently. What’s your low sodium program? What’s your unique strategy?

In case you need some help developing your own personalized low sodium program, here are some online sources:

Sodium Dietary Guidelines from the CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Dietary Guidelines from USDA - United States Department of Agriculture

SuperTracker from USDA - United States Department of Agriculture

Sodium and Your Health from AHA - American Heart Association

Low Sodium Spotlight - from THE DAILY DISH

Better late than never! About a year ago, my friend, Christy of The Daily Dish fame decided to "interview" fellow low sodium bloggers. Here's the post and below is the interview:

Low Sodium Spotlight: Susan Tweeton

by Christy Posted on August 8, 2011

In the past 4 years of blogging I’ve made some wonderful friends and a couple weeks ago I got an idea. Why not showcase some of the people I’ve met through The Daily Dish? “Low Sodium Spotlight” is my way of celebrating individuals within the salt-free community. I hope you find their stories inspiring. So without further ado, meet Sue Tweeton!

I discovered Sue’s blog, PLEASE, Don’t Pass the Salt! months ago and have since returned time & time again to marvel at the resource base she’s created. Sue covers so many low sodium basics, from salt-free product finds to complete how-to posts describing bread making and much more. She’s always creating new recipes, offering tips and ideas, and generally being the amazing and encouraging person she is. PLEASE, Don’t Pass the Salt! is a low sodium site to bookmark and read, start to finish.

When/why did you start following a low sodium diet?  What has been the impact on your health (and life in general)?

About six years ago my husband was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He was seriously ill and spent over a week in ICU.  He was horribly weak, suffered from atrial fibrillation (arrhythmia), had an enlarged heart, and had massive fluid buildup in his lungs. The doctors said his heart was working at only 15% capacity. While in the hospital he was prescribed a regimen of several drugs to stabilize his condition. The doctors also told him to restrict his daily sodium intake and to limit his fluid consumption. That’s when we first learned about the connection between heart failure and sodium intake.

When did you start blogging about low sodium cooking, products or lifestyle?  How has that affected you?

I grew up in a Greek household and learned to cook the way my mother and grandmother did – a pinch of this, a spoonful of that – no exact recipes.* My dad insisted on mainly Greek food, so that’s what I grew up eating and first learning how to cook.  My mother was a great cook and had a large collection of cookbooks. I used to read them while watching TV at night with my folks. My mom and I watched the Galloping Gourmet and Julia Child TV shows together, and even after marrying, I’d watch cooking shows on PBS every Saturday morning. All that to say this: I was a pretty good cook, well versed in the use of various herbs and spices and familiar with a lot of different cooking techniques. However, I rarely followed recipes. I used them mainly as guides and inspirations.

After my husband’s diagnosis, I determined to not only cook low sodium meals for him but to also join him – whatever he ate, I would eat. I started this adventure by researching the low sodium lifestyle and found several resources online. I especially appreciated Dick Logue’s Low Sodium Cooking site and Donald Gazzaniga’s MegaHeart site. I also discovered two really good sources for low sodium products – Healthy Heart Market and SaltWatcher  (Update: SaltWatcher is no longer in business). I even attended some classes at our HMO dealing with congestive heart failure. I gleaned a lot of good basic information, but was a bit frustrated.

Most of the advice simply emphasized the dangers of too much salt in your diet, why you didn’t need so much salt, and what products to avoid. The few helpful hints offered were pretty pathetic – Mrs. Dash & lemon juice! What do you do once you get sick of the Mrs. Dash products and get tired of having everything lemon flavored? Also the focus seemed to be on following recipes rather than explaining how to make food taste good. My dilemma was that most of the recipes I read or tried were rather blah. Adding a clove of garlic here or a sprinkle of lemon juice there was not enough to make dull food sparkle. I knew that I couldn’t expect my husband to stick with a low sodium diet if his food tasted boring. I also knew that I wouldn’t want to cook or eat ho-hum food. I wanted some basic techniques for making low sodium food interesting.

As I began low sodium cooking, I realized that I had it rather easy. I was a good cook to start with, and I was retired. I could spend several hours each day making everything from scratch.  But I remembered back to my hectic days as a teacher, wife, and mother of two children. Coming home late in the afternoon, tired and with a load of papers to correct. I needed to fix something for dinner but had little energy or inspiration. So I relied on some convenience foods – cream of whatever soups, rotisserie chicken, fully cooked sausages, etc.

I began to wonder about other people who had been told to follow a low sodium diet. I was sure some of them didn’t have the time to dedicate to making everything from scratch. Probably some weren’t skilled cooks. Or maybe they didn’t enjoy cooking at all. Perhaps some couldn’t afford to order tons of stuff from online sources. What were they supposed to do? It's pretty easy for a doctor to say you should eat a very low sodium diet, but I bet that very few of them have ever had to try to live it – day after day, week after week for years and years. I'd love for doctors to try living on a sodium restricted diet with their current (and probably limited) knowledge of cooking and see how well they handle it.

I decided to start blogging about my experiences trying to create good tasting low sodium dishes. I wanted to focus on helpful techniques rather than just recipes. I also wanted to discuss how to make readily available grocery store products work in a low sodium diet. But more than anything, I wanted to be honest and realistic about the challenges and pitfalls.

What is your favorite low sodium recipe?  Cookbook or magazine (low so or not)?  What low sodium or cooking blogs do you read weekly or daily, or find particularly helpful or inspiring?

To this day my cooking style hasn’t really changed much. I’m still not one to follow recipes. However, I’ve become more experimental. I keep trying to improve the taste of old favorites. I try to assess each dish I make to see where I could do better.  I’ve learned which dishes adapt well to a low sodium version and which do not. And, yes, there are some dishes that do not transition well to low or no salt. I’ve pretty much mastered low sodium yeast breads, and I’ve become quite the sleuth at the grocery store, searching out lower sodium products. My husband and I have become fairly adept at ordering lower sodium dishes in restaurants too. So from time to time we are able to join friends and family when dining out.

I enjoy being a member of Garden Web’s Cooking Forum. The members there share all kinds of recipes, tips, and useful information. I actually prefer to adapt regular recipes than to follow strictly low sodium recipes. That’s especially true of yeast bread recipes. I receive the free e-newsletters from Dick Logue and Donald Gazzaniga, and I enjoy reading Christy’s “The Daily Dish.” She always has some really interesting recipes that are low sodium friendly. (Thank you, Sue, for that shameless plug…)

What do you miss most on a low sodium diet?

I don’t care what anyone says, food prepared without salt tastes a bit flat. It doesn’t taste bad, but you sense that something is missing. I think it’s important to recognize that fact and accept it. I’ve had people tell me and I’ve read that if you cook without salt, your taste buds will change after a few months and you won’t miss the salt. I have not found that true. I notice that the salt is missing. But, again, that doesn’t mean the food tastes bad, just different. However, the dishes I prepare must taste pretty good because we’ve kept on this low sodium diet for six years now. My husband is doing pretty well, all things considered, and he’s very appreciative of all my efforts.

It’s a challenge but not an impossible one. Since we started this adventure, many new products have appeared in grocery stores and there is a heightened awareness of the high sodium levels in processed foods. Every little bit helps make the journey easier.

Were you interested in cooking before this life-altering change?

Years ago my husband & I worked together on a Greek cooking show that aired on the local public access TV stations in the Sacramento area. The biggest challenge was quantifying the ingredients in order to create “official” recipes. I discussed the family recipes with my mother many times on the telephone. We both knew what was supposed to go into the dishes and how they were supposed to be prepared. But neither one of us could give exact quantities. Our cooking style was – a can or two of tomato sauce, a little bit of oregano, maybe some mint – nothing very definite. I researched Greek recipes online and in cookbooks, talked with my mom a lot, and “test drove” the recipes before taping the shows. The end result was video documentation of our family recipes and an accompanying cookbook we printed for our family members. Now our cooking heritage is preserved. To view the recipes and cooking shows, go to its YouTube Channel or the PDF Recipes at Tweeton.com.  The stuffed grape leaves show features a special guest appearance from my mother.

Last, I must ask.  In many of the comments you sign your name as “Shambo.”  What’s that all about?  How did you get that nickname??

Christy, the name SHAMBO is one of those weird tales that demonstrates just how nuts our family really is. Years ago my daughter had a boyfriend whose mother had a cat named Sham. I have absolutely no idea why the cat got that name. Anyhow, the boyfriend’s mother decided she wanted to get a Corgi. And in her mind, if she got the dog, she’d have to get rid of the cat. So one day my daughter & her boyfriend showed up with Sham, the cat. Well, as we always do with everything and everyone, we started calling the cat various nicknames. I believe Shambo was the first nickname. You know – Sham… Rambo… Shambo! It made perfect sense, right? We also called her Shambala after Shambala Green, one of the defense lawyers the prosecutors dueled with during the early years of the original “Law & Order.” And then, of course, there was Shama-lama-ding dong! I’m sure there were others, but I’ve forgotten them.

For some reason when I started posting to the Cooking Forum, I picked Shambo as my user name. And it’s stuck with me ever since. By the way, Sham was the nastiest cat we ever had. And eventually the boyfriend’s mother got sick of the dog, so we ended up with the corgi.  That’s the story. Aren’t you sorry you asked?

MANY THANKS to Sue for sharing with us!

Be sure to check out Sue’s low sodium blog: PLEASE, Don’t Pass the Salt!(And be sure to check out Christy's wonderful blog: The Daily Dish. It's full of wonderful recipes, helpful hints, and lots of encouragement. Search for "Low Sodium Spotlight" for other inspiring posts about interesting people.)