Low Sodium Supermarket Dining: The Produce Aisle, Part 2

Let's keep exploring the wonders of today's modern supermarket produce section and how it can help in the low sodium diet battle. Most produce sections are filled with all kinds of whole vegetables and ready-to-use fresh vegetables. The choices are up to you. Don't mind a bit of chopping? Then buy whole vegetables to slice & dice yourself. Prefer convenience? Time constraints? Under the weather? Then look for already prepped fresh veggies.

Main Dish Salad Ideas
Sizzling outside? How about a main dish salad? Nothing could be simpler, thanks again to the produce section. Grab a bag or two of your favorite lettuce mix. Take a look at all the prepped vegetables available and pick out your favorites ‒ sliced mushrooms, chopped red peppers, snow peas, grated carrots, cherry or grape tomatoes. Be sure to also pick up some green onions. What’s a salad without some onion? Then head over to the canned food section and grab a can or two of lower sodium tuna. Or maybe some low sodium sliced turkey at the full service deli. If you’re ambitious, you could pick up a couple of fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts to either grill or poach. Maybe even a fillet of salmon. Don’t forget some naturally lower sodium Swiss cheese to grate, chunk, or julienne. Or some fresh mozzarella. For some extra crunch, how about throwing in a handful of slivered or sliced toasted almonds or some toasted pine nuts. Some salads lend themselves to the addition of fruit – grapes, dried cranberries, pear slices, apple chunks, etc. Put it altogether, and you’ve got a filling yet delicious main dish salad perfect for those hot summer days.

Creamy Store-Bought Salad Dressings
You could even use a creamy salad dressing from the produce refrigerated section. There really are ways to lower the overall sodium content. The serving size for most bottled dressings is two tablespoons, but that’s probably not going to be enough for a main dish salad. If the refrigerated salad dressing is really thick, simply blend it with some plain old water. I usually use equal parts dressing & water. That will extend the dressing so you can use more but not increase the sodium content. Also, the thinner dressing will cover the greens better. But you could also use 2 parts dressing to 1 part water and 1 part sour cream. For a thinner creamy salad dressing, blend it with equal parts of sour cream or Greek style yogurt. This will lower the salt content somewhat, yet keep the consistency about the same. You can modify the purchased dressing each time you serve a salad by blending everything in a small bowl. An added plus, is that you’ll save money by stretching your salad dressing dollars. And finally, another trick is to pre-dress the salad greens with vinegar and oil. Then add just the serving size of prepared creamy dressing. The pre-dressing will flavor the greens and also add moisture so that the creamy dressing will cover the salad more easily.

Spaghetti Ideas
In the mood for some spaghetti? Simple! Head off to the grocery store and pick out the jarred pasta sauce with the lowest sodium content. Then pick up a package of your favorite pasta shape. From there, hit the canned vegetable section to get a can of no-salt-added tomato sauce. Mosey on over to the butcher shop and pick up some ground beef, pork or turkey. And finally, breeze through the produce aisles. Get some sliced mushrooms, green onions, chopped bell peppers, fresh basil, and your favorite form of convenient garlic. Once home, get the meat sautéing and add all the vegetables. When the meat is browned and the vegetables are tender, throw in the jarred sauce and salt-free tomato sauce. Let this all simmer together for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the amount of pasta needed in unsalted water and drain. Return the pasta to the pot, add a bit of the sauce, some chopped up fresh basil, and let it cook over low heat for a few minutes so the pasta can absorb some of the sauce’s flavor. Serve the pasta with a few additional spoonfuls of sauce, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, maybe another sprinkling of chopped basil, and just a dusting of Parmesan cheese or Pasta Sprinkle. The resulting dish will be tasty, convenient, yet a whole lot lower in sodium content than using spaghetti sauce straight from the jar.

Stir Fry Ideas
How about a stir fry? Nothing could be easier. Pick up some salt-free boneless & skinless chicken breasts at the butcher’s section. Or maybe some boneless pork chops. Slice them thinly when you get home. If you don’t want to fuss with all the slicing, just get some ground pork, chicken, or turkey. At the produce section, get every kind of prepared vegetable that appeals to you ‒ coleslaw cabbage mix, chopped peppers, shredded carrots, sugar peas, green onions, bean sprouts, sliced mushrooms, broccoli and/or cauliflower florets ‒ whatever strikes your fancy. Or just pick up a couple of bags of already prepared stir-fry fresh vegetable mix. Be sure to pick up your favorite convenient garlic & ginger and some cilantro. At home, marinate the meat briefly with a couple teaspoons of low sodium soy sauce, a dribble of toasted sesame oil, some garlic, and a dash of five spice powder. Brown the meat in some oil and begin adding vegetables, starting with the ones that would take longest to cook. Serve the mixture over rice and garnish with chopped cilantro and perhaps a sprinkling of toasted sliced almonds.

Rice/Stuffing Mix Ideas
Need a one-pot wonder? Pick up one of the Rice-A-Roni low sodium mixes. At 730 mg. sodium per serving, they’re not really low sodium. Better than the regular stuff, but nothing to brag about. However, there’s a way to work with them. While grocery shopping, be sure to pick up some regular old fashioned plain white rice. Grab some ground beef, pork, or turkey too. And finally decide on the vegetables you’d like. They’ll need to be able to stand up to about 20 minutes of cooking. See what's available in the fresh produce section. Chopped celery & carrot sticks would work, as would sliced mushrooms and chopped green onions. When you get home, sauté the meat in a bit of oil. Add the vegetables while the meat is cooking, Once the meat is slightly browned, begin preparing the Rice-a-Roni according to package directions. But… add about ¼ cup plain white rice to the packaged rice mixture. Increase the liquid by about ½ cup to accommodate the additional rice quantity. Combine the meat/vegetables with the cooked rice. If you want, throw in a handful of frozen peas at the end to boost the vegetable content even more. Serve with a sprinkling of sliced almonds or chopped chives. The end result will be a whole lot better sodium-wise than if you simply followed the Rice-a-Roni package directions.

For a Spanish rice flavored dish, follow the same technique. Just use a can of no-salt-added tomato sauce for part of the Rice-A-Roni liquid. Add some chopped onions and peppers and a hefty handful of frozen corn or no-salt-added canned corn to the rice mixture. Season with some salt-free chili blend and a bit of cumin powder. Toss in a well rinsed & drained can of low sodium/no-salt-added black beans before serving and garnish with chopped cilantro.

You can use this basic technique with any of the packaged rice mixes including Zatarain’s. Just start with the lowest sodium mix you can find, always add at least ¼ - ⅓ cup plain white rice, and throw in all kinds of extra vegetables.

You can do something similar with Stove Top Stuffing Mix. There’s a lower sodium version that’s only 250 mg. per ½ cup serving. If you sauté some chopped celery, green onions, and sliced mushrooms in a bit of oil before starting the package directions, you’ll lower the sodium content even more. You can even throw in a handful of frozen corn for more nutrition, fiber, and less sodium.

You can even modify Hamburger Helper. Read about my adventures using this product here. First choose a flavor that’s not over the top in sodium content. Then follow the basic package instructions but be sure to remove at least ⅓ - ½ of the flavor packet. Then just toss in an abundance of freshly sautéed vegetables right before serving. Pick the veggies that seem to go best with the flavor you’re working with. Lower sodium and easy!

Salsa/Guacamole
In the mood for snacking? How about some easy lower sodium salsa or guacamole? Just pick up some fresh or jarred salsa. Look for a brand with a relatively low sodium content. Then simply add a tub of pico de gallo from the produce section. For guacamole, smash up an avocado with some lemon or lime juice (bottled or fresh). Then add some pico de gallo and a couple of spoonfuls of salsa. Combine well, chill a bit, and serve with raw vegetables and unsalted corn chips.

Canned Baked Beans
Craving baked beans? B & M Original, Maple, & Vegetarian baked beans are 340 - 380 mg. sodium or less per ½ cup serving. If you add some sautéed onions, bell peppers, and garlic from the produce section, you can lower that number a bit. Skip cooking the beans with sausages or hot dogs. Instead, brown some ground pork or even salt-free pork chops and then simmer with the beans and the additional vegetables. Add more liquid as needed and throw in half a can or more of well rinsed and drained low sodium/no-salt-added beans.

Chili
Want chili? Unfortunately most canned chilis run close to 1000 mg. sodium per cup serving. That’s really high and difficult to modify. You’d have to read labels carefully and search for the lowest in sodium. Then you’d need to add at least one full can or more of well rinsed and drained low sodium/no-salt-added beans. While you’re in the canned vegetable department, you probably should get a can of no-salt-added corn. If you can’t find that, then be sure to grab some frozen corn to add to the chili. Finally head over to the produce section to pick up some green onions, chopped bell peppers, cilantro, and pico de gallo. Sauté the fresh vegetables in a bit of oil until softened and combine with the canned chili, the rinsed beans, and the corn. Let it all simmer a few minutes and serve with a couple additional spoonfuls of pico de gallo and a sprinkling of cilantro and/or chopped green onions. Leave off any cheese because even with the modifications, the chili probably doesn’t need any more salty additions.

Or just make a fast partially from-scratch version. Pick up some ground beef, pork, or turkey at the store. Head over to the spice section to get a sodium free chili blend and some ground cumin. Then grab a couple of cans of low sodium beans, a can of no-salt-added tomato sauce, and either a can of low sodium canned corn or a bag of frozen corn. Finally head over to the produce section to pick up some green onions, chopped bell peppers, cilantro, and pico de gallo. Sauté the fresh vegetables along with the ground meat.Add one tablespoon of chili powder and a ½ teaspoon of cumin while the meat and vegetables are sautéing. Then add the rinsed beans and corn, the can of tomato sauce, and enough water to cover. You could also include a packet or two of sodium-free beef broth granules. Let it all simmer a few minutes. Taste to see if more chili powder or cumin is needed. Serve with a couple additional spoonfuls of pico de gallo and a sprinkling of cilantro and/or chopped green onions. A dollop of sour cream might be nice too. Since this chili will be much lower than modified canned chili, you could even sprinkle on a bit of cheese.

It’s easy to see that the produce section of your local grocery store can be a great help to anyone following a low sodium diet. The abundance of pre-prepped vegetables makes using convenience foods almost acceptable. By adding all kinds of vegetables, even packaged & processed foods can fit into a low sodium diet. This is especially good news for people with busy schedules, people with limited physical abilities, people who live alone, and those with limited cooking skills.

Low Sodium Supermarket Dining: The Produce Aisle, Part 1

Grocery store produce departments have changed quite a bit in the last several years. And that’s good news for those following low sodium diets. Not only is there a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables available now, but the variety is unbelievable too. And there are so many pre-prepped options offered for the home cook. That’s particularly good news for low sodium dieters with busy schedules, physical limitations, or minimal cooking abilities. Let’s take a look!

The refrigerated salad greens section is bursting with packages of all kinds of lettuce mixes. You can easily “gussy” up any dish by serving it on a bed of fancy salad greens. The leafy lettuces are good for you and, as an added bonus, cut down the total sodium content of a dish too. But beyond just salad greens, you’ll find packages of coleslaw mix, sliced mushrooms, spinach leaves, broccoli and cauliflower florets, sugar snap peas, snow peas, bean sprouts, baby carrots, shredded carrots, celery & carrot sticks, chopped kale and other dark & leafy greens... and more!

Depending on the store, you might even find ready-to-cook green beans, cubed butternut squash, radishes, stir-fry mixes, etc. My local stores all carry tubs of diced celery, bell peppers, and onions. They also carry tubs of pico de gallo (diced tomatoes, onions, chili peppers) and miripoix (diced onions, carrots, celery). Some stores even carry ready-to-cook potatoes! As always, you have to check the ingredient labels of these ready-to-cook packaged vegetables to make sure there is no salt added. But, happily, you’ll find that most of them are just cleaned and prepped and ready to use.

And then there are the herbs… Most supermarkets sell bunches of parsley, cilantro, and basil. But now you can choose from an array of fresh herbs in smaller plastic snap-shut containers. The great thing about these is that you’re only buying a few sprigs. Just enough to use in one or two dishes ‒ not enough to go bad before you can use them all up. I can find fresh mint, chives, thyme, sage, rosemary, dill weed, tarragon, oregano, and more in those little packs.

Don’t forget garlic & ginger. Along with the fresh versions, most stores carry jars of whole, peeled fresh garlic in their produce department’s refrigerated section. You usually can find jars of minced and crushed garlic (packed in oil or water) displayed near the potatoes & onions. Nearby you should also find dried tomatoes, either plain and in bags or jarred packed in oil. Jars of crushed ginger are generally close at hand too. If you’re not a fan of chopping big onions, consider picking up green onions or scallions. They’re a lot easier to deal with. And, last but not least, you can get fresh lemons and limes. However, if squeezing lemons isn’t your thing, nowadays, most produce sections also carry the plastic bottles of lemon & lime juice.

You can pick up already sliced fresh apples, pineapple chunks, and even grapefruit sections in the refrigerator cases too. Sometimes you can find packages of nuts and dried fruit in the produce section too. I’ve picked up slivered and sliced almonds, along with pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, & even peanuts. I’ve found raisins, dried cranberries, dried pineapple rings, and dried apple slices there too.

OK, so I’ve proved that you can pick up a wide assortment of pre-prepped vegetables, herbs, & fruits in your local grocer’s produce department. So what? Well, these conveniently packaged produce items can make a big difference when following a low sodium diet. I’m a mainly from-scratch type cook. But I realize that not everyone trying to eat & cook low sodium has the time, skill, or inclination to prepare every meal from scratch. Sometimes we all need shortcuts. That’s where your local grocery store and the abundance of prepared produce now available in most supermarkets comes into play. Here are some examples:

Soup Ideas
It’s winter and soup sounds really good for supper. But the chief cook (let’s pretend that’s me) is under the weather. Canned soup all by itself, although convenient, is not a great option because of the high sodium content. So I write out a list for my husband. Stuff he can buy and then throw together with a minimum of fussing and a great certainty of success. From the produce aisle: Pick up some baby carrots or carrot sticks, celery sticks, green onions, jarred minced garlic, sliced mushrooms, baby spinach greens, and some fresh thyme. Then pick up a pound of lean ground beef (or turkey or chicken) from the meat section. Get a can of NSA tomato sauce, a package of NSA beef or chicken broth, and a package of orzo.

Once he gets home, I direct things from my sick bed. Chop up the carrots, green onions, & celery sticks and add them to the sautéing meat. For added nutrition I could tell him to toss in a handful some frozen vegetables from the freezer too. Pour in a package of NSA broth, stir in a  spoonful of the minced garlic and the tomato sauce. Season with some dried thyme or oregano and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and 1/3 cup of dried orzo. Continue to simmer until orzo is tender, adding more water if necessary. Toss in the spinach leaves and let them wilt. Sprinkle with the fresh herbs and add a splash of lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Voila! Fresh, tasty, & homemade low sodium soup prepared by a non-cook. Thanks to the produce aisle.

Want something even easier? Do essentially the same thing but use a can of Campbell’s Healthy Request soups to start with. Most of them weigh in at 410 mg. sodium per serving. Just simmer the chopped vegetables in a cup or two of plain water. Once the vegetables are done to your liking, add the canned soup. Heat and serve. Again, a tasty lower sodium soup, chock full of fresh vegetables but with little culinary effort. Thanks to the produce aisle.

Stew Ideas
Stew is super easy too. Just grab your favorite stewing meat (cut up beef, chicken pieces, or even pork). Then go wild in the produce section ‒ potatoes (baby or fingerling potatoes are great because you won’t have to fuss with peeling or cutting up), baby carrots, celery sticks, onions, sliced or whole mushrooms, garlic, turnips/rutabagas, green beans, squash ‒ whatever strikes your fancy. When you get home, all you need to do is brown the meat (you can even omit that step if you want), add some liquid, and simmer until the meat is just about tender. Season the stew with your favorite dried herbs. You could even add a bit of wine to the cooking liquid. Then add the vegetables you've chosen and continue cooking until both vegetables and meat are tender and done to your liking. If you’re making beef stew, use NSA beef broth. A couple of packets of salt-free beef broth granules would boost the beefy flavor too. NSA chicken broth could be used for chicken stew. If you like a gravy consistency, thicken the stew with some Wondra flour or cornstarch. Be sure to add plenty of freshly ground pepper and a healthy dose of your favorite fresh herbs right before serving. Once again, an easy yet hearty & tasty low sodium meal thanks to the supermarket produce department.

Low Sodium Supermarket Dining: The Refrigerated Foods Aisle -- Part 2

Just as a reminder, the goal of this series of posts is to find ways to create a truly low sodium diet using regular grocery store products, including convenience & processed foods. Together we’ll “visit” the different aisles of a typical grocery store and discover how many easily available items can be used and modified to fit a low sodium diet. This stop, we’ll finish visiting Refrigerated Foods:

Fully Cooked Sausage

Fully cooked sausages, like Hillshire Farms brand products, are difficult to deal with. Most 2 ounce servings range from a “low” of 450 mg. up to more than 700 mg. The only way to use such a product is to limit yourself to working with the minimum serving size for one, usually 1 link or 2 ounces. Look for the sausage with the lowest sodium per serving.

You can create a skillet dinner for 2 by sautéing some sliced or chopped potatoes, onions, and bell pepper strips in a bit of oil and then tossing in some thinly sliced or chopped sausage a few minutes before serving. Obviously, the more potatoes you use, the better for you sodium-wise. To save time & effort, you can even use frozen hash browns likes the Ore-Ida Southern Style or Potatoes O’Brian. They’re both unsalted and ready to use. You could use other vegetables too. Cabbage goes really well with sausages. Be sure to divide the resulting dish into at least 2 equal servings and try to have everything else you serve with that meal very low sodium. This kind of sauté will give you the sausage taste but with a lot less sodium. If you use only 1 sausage for the two servings, that's even better.

You could do the same thing by tossing the sausage with different kinds of pasta or rice. Add the sliced or chopped sausage as toppings for low sodium soups right before serving. That way you can control the amount of sausage for each serving. Do the same with cooked bean dishes. You can also sprinkle sliced or chopped sausage on pizza or a main dish salad. By slicing the sausage thinly, you stretch the flavor. Just make sure that everything else in the meal is made with low sodium ingredients. Freeze unused sausage in serving size portions for use another time. Again, if you can use just one sausage for two servings, you'll lower the sodium content considerably. Stretching one link to create 2 servings will give you the sausage flavor without the salt overload.

The key to using fully cooked sausages is to use them only as a flavoring agent. If you’re on a low sodium diet, the days of having a couple of huge links or chunks of sausage at one meal are over. But you can still enjoy the sausage taste from time to time.

Hot Dogs

Speaking of fully cooked sausages… Grocery store hot dogs are just as problematic as other fully cooked sausages. Checking the labels is imperative. You can slice or dice up a single hot dog to flavor beans and soups. As with the other fully cooked sausages, stretching one link to create 2 servings is necessary

in order to avoid salt overload.

When it comes to the all-American hot dog sandwich, you will have to limit yourself to just one link and make sure everything else you eat that day is really low in sodium. No jumbo dogs or bun-sized dogs either.  Oscar Mayer offers an uncured Angus Beef hot dog as part of its Selects line that only has 370 mg sodium per link. That's the lowest I've found so far.  Sometimes uncured sausages or frankfurters are lower in sodium. Ball Park has a few franks under 450 mg./link. If you’re a hot dog aficionado, you might want to conduct a taste test to determine which frankfurter appeals the most to you. Obviously, eating a hot dog sandwich can’t be an every day occurrence, but it can be a special treat every once in a while.

Packaged Deli Meats

What an assortment to choose from… Yet hardly any are low sodium! You will find package after package touting their low fat content and many sporting the American Heart Association seal of approval. As though lowering fat was the only consideration for heart health! And don’t even get me started on the packaging labels. Some serving sizes are per slice while other are per ounce and still others are per gram. What’s a shopper to do?

The bottom line, though, is that most deli meat products are so high in sodium that you’d have to restrict yourself to only one slice or just a couple of those super skinny slices per sandwich. By the time you pile on lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard, & mayo on the bread, the flavor of the luncheon meat will be lost. What’s the point? You might as well just make yourself a veggie sandwich or a Swiss cheese sandwich. Nevertheless, if you really crave a deli type sandwich, read the labels carefully and try to limit yourself to between 200 – 350 mg. sodium for the meat portion of your sandwich. That may mean just one slice of deli meat or it may mean just a portion of the supposed serving size: only 2-3 slices instead of 4-6 slices. (For more on deli-meat products, check out this post and this more recent post.)

You may be fortunate enough to find low sodium salami. Gallo makes a dry salami product that’s only 260 mg. sodium for five slices.  Columbus also makes a low sodium salami with 290 mg. for a 5 slice serving. And salami is very tasty, so you could make yourself a salami sandwich using only four slices and still get a flavor punch.

Low sodium salami is great for pizza too. And julienned salami adds a lot to an entrée salad: lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, low sodium garbanzo beans, homemade croutons, chopped hard cooked egg, fresh mozzarella chunks, salami strips, and salt free Italian dressing. Served with low sodium crackers or bread. What a great summertime meal!

Fresh Salsa

Salsa can be a wonderful addition to a low sodium diet. It adds so much flavor and texture, especially when it’s the fresh variety. Most grocery stores carry a variety of fresh salsa brands, so the trick is checking the labels and finding the one that is lowest in sodium content. My personal favorite is La Mexicana Mild Salsa with only 75 mg. sodium for a 2 tbsp. serving. A tablespoon or two spooned on top of grilled chicken or fish is wonderful. You can serve salsa with scrambled eggs or use it as an omelet filling. You can use it to top a bowl of chili or Mexican flavored soup. The possibilities are endless. You can make a great guacamole dip by just smashing up some avocados and adding some fresh salsa. Now that’s something low in sodium that you can dip no-salt-added corn chips into. If you want to extend the salsa for some serious dipping, throw in equal parts unsalted pico de gallo from the produce department. Or you could add some freshly chopped tomato or even some chopped low sodium canned tomatoes.

With a little creativity, imagination, and determination, even the refrigerated aisle of your local grocery store offers some opportunities for low sodium dining.

Low Sodium Supermarket Dining: The Refrigerated Foods Aisle -- Part 1

Just as a reminder, the goal of this series of posts is to find ways to create a truly low sodium diet using regular grocery store products, including convenience & processed foods. Together we’ll “visit” the different aisles of a typical grocery store and discover how easily available items can be used and modified to fit a low sodium diet. This stop, Refrigerated Foods:

Cheese Spreads

Most flavored cheese spreads are much higher in sodium content than plain cream cheese.  You can lessen the sodium content of a cheese spread by blending in equal parts plain whipped cream cheese or NSA cottage cheese. The flavor will definitely be milder, so you might want to punch it up with a generous sprinkling of your favorite salt-free herb blend. Be sure to let the cheese spread soften, though, before trying to blend it with anything else. As always, be sure to watch your portions and serve the spread with something super low in sodium, like unsalted crackers. On the other hand, you might be better off just making your own cheese spread. Combine softened plain whipped cream cheese with some garlic powder, dried minced onions, and your favorite fresh or dried herbs. You can also add a couple of dollops of something savory/sweet like hot pepper jelly.

Dips

Refrigerated dips are easy to deal with: simply add some plain sour cream or yogurt. Find the brand with the lowest sodium content and then blend in at least ½ cup of sour cream -- maybe even equal parts. If you find the flavor too bland, sprinkle in a spice blend that compliments the dip’s flavors and add a couple of squirts of lemon/lime juice or low sodium Worcestershire Sauce. Chill for at least an hour and you’re set.


Bacon

Be sure to look for lower sodium bacon. Some supermarkets, like Safeway, carry their own store brand, and Oscar Mayer has come out with a lower sodium version too (170 mg./2 slices). Costco also carries low sodium bacon in three pack bundles. If you can find it, buy several packages and freeze them. Cook up an entire package at a time. I bake the slices in the oven or use my large George Foreman Grill. Then I package up 2 slice portions in plastic wrap and freeze in a large freezer bag. Whenever I want to add some pizzazz to cooked vegetables, salads, soups, or sandwiches, I pull out a couple of slices. You can also save the bacon grease.


Fresh Sausage

There are no really easy solutions when using prepared fresh sausage like Jimmy Dean’s breakfast sausage. The regular sausage has a whopping 520 mg. for a 2 oz. serving. However, the Jimmy Dean Light version has only 350 mg. for the same 2 oz. serving. The Bold, Italian, and Extra Mild sausages have even lower sodium contents. Different varieties and other brands may be higher in sodium content. Link type breakfast sausages are so high in sodium that you’d have to limit yourself to just one link. Again, read the labels carefully.


Nevertheless, the chub packages offer you a bit of flexibility. For example, if you wanted to use the sausage crumbled, you could mix equal portions sausage and unseasoned ground pork, turkey, or chicken. Squish everything together, like you would with meatloaf mix. Or if you're in a hurry just fry the meats up together in a sauté pan without thoroughly mixing together. You’d get some of the sausage flavor but not as much salt. The resulting sausage/ground meat combo could be used for pizza, spaghetti, omelets, and casseroles – all kinds of things. This idea works well with bulk breakfast sausage and also bulk or fat links of Italian sausage. Just remove the link sausage from the casings and combine with the unseasoned ground meat before using. You could do the same kind of thing to make homemade sausage patties. But for patties, you'd really have to mix up the raw meats together. I use vinyl disposable glove for that job.

So there are ways of dealing with items from your grocer's refrigerated foods case. You just have to be vigilant regarding reading labels and watching portion sizes. Also, you have to be willing to do a little extra work in order to meet your low sodium requirements.

Low Sodium Supermarket Dining: Dairy Aisle

Just a reminder, the goal of this series of posts is to find ways to create a truly low sodium diet using regular grocery store products, including convenience & processed foods. Together we’ll “visit” the different aisles of a typical grocery store and discover how many easily available items can be used and modified to fit a low sodium diet. First stop: THE DAIRY AISLE

Buttery Spreads

There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that every grocery store carries unsalted butter. Nothing can beat the taste of butter. The bad news is that just about all those vegetable oil spreads that purport to be “heart healthy” contain too much sodium for anything but the thinnest smear on morning toast, anywhere from 80 – 120 mg. sodium per tablespoon.

Many grocery stores carry a product similar to Challenge Whipped Unsalted Butter. This has no added salt but is a bit more spreadable than plain stick butter. Another Challenge product combines butter and canola oil for better spreadability. Challenge Spreadable Butter has only 70 mg. sodium per tablespoon.

Smart Balance supposedly has a low sodium spread with only 30 mg/tbsp, but I haven't seen it anywhere. The Smart Balance spreads with Extra Virgin Olive Oil have 70 mg. sodium per tbsp. Although I have found these products at my local grocery stores, they may not be readily available elsewhere. (For another low sodium spread option, check out this POST about Kerrygold Reduced Fat Butter.)

If you’re hankering after one of the supposedly healthier vegetable oil spreads, compare sodium content and pick one that has between 70 – 80 mgs. per tablespoon. And watch your portions. Don’t go overboard. Too thick a spread on your toast or too big a dollop on your vegetables means too much salt ingested. My advice would be to stick with unsalted butter. After all, mankind has been consuming butter for thousands of years. It’s a good choice with lots of flavor and no weird ingredients; plus it’s available everywhere. Nothing tastes better than vegetables, potatoes, or pasta drizzled with browned butter. And even the lightest smear of real butter on bread is out of this world.

If the thought of using butter sends shivers up your spine, then make your own salt free buttery spread. Just blend two sticks of unsalted butter with 1/2 cup of your favorite “heart healthy” vegetable oil. Let the butter soften and dribble in the oil until everything is blended. You can soften the butter a bit in the microwave and then use a dinner fork, whisk, or electric hand mixer for beating in the oil. The result is a tasty spreadable mixture that’s also good for sautéing and contains some of those ubiquitous “heart healthy” oils. For lower calories, check out this homemade version: Low Sodium Butter Spread.

Cheese

Cheese can be a problem with low sodium diets. Most cheese delivers anywhere from 170 mg. to over 400 mg. sodium per 1 oz. serving. And low sodium cheeses are hard to find in most grocery stores. So what’s a cheese lover to do?

First things first – remember flavor! When you’re on a low sodium diet, you need to always be punching up the flavor. So very mild cheeses like Monterey Jack, Muenster, or Colby are not the best choices. They’re lovely and melt well, but they don’t add much in the way of taste. Sharp cheddars are zesty; Parmesan, blue, & feta cheese deliver a strong punch too. But these more flavorful cheeses are also more salty.

One easy solution is to combine a more flavorful and salty cheese with a lower sodium cheese. Swiss cheese (sold in blocks or chunks) is naturally low in sodium, usually about 60 mg. per oz. Chunks of Swiss can be found at almost all grocery stores, in the refrigerated self service section and at the deli counter. Check the labels for the brand with the lowest sodium content.

So when you want to sprinkle some cheese on a casserole or make a cheese sauce or whatever, combine equal parts of extra sharp cheddar and Swiss. Parmesan & Swiss complement each other too. The resulting flavor will be good, but the sodium content will be lowered. Also, remember portion control. If you use less cheese, you’ll also be consuming less sodium. So be sure to use the cheese where it will have the most impact, usually as a topping.  And try my Pasta Sprinkle recipe for a crispy, yet tasty topping.

You can shred cheddar as needed or even buy the pre-shredded cheese. Just remember to combine it with some lower sodium Swiss. Unfortunately Swiss cheese doesn’t come pre-shredded, so you’ll have to grate it yourself.

For sandwich cheese, get some sliced Swiss or lacey Swiss at the refrigerated self service section or at the deli counter. You won’t find anything else as low in sodium and most grocery stores have a selection of two or three different kinds of block Swiss ready for slicing. Ask the counter person to give you the sodium content of each variety and pick the brand with the lowest count. You don’t need to get overly thick slices either. For the most part, Swiss cheese slices don’t stick together so they’re easy to deal with.

Most grocery stores also carry fresh mozzarella. Its sodium content can sometimes be as low as 25 mg. per oz. (check the labels, though). It’s usually a whole lot better, sodium wise, than regular mozzarella. However, because it’s fresh, it’s also very soft. It doesn’t grate well, but cutting into cubes is a good strategy. Then you can slice it for using in dishes like pizza and lasagna. It’s also a bit watery, so blot it well before using. If you can’t find a low sodium fresh mozzarella, just combine equal parts of shredded regular mozzarella and shredded Swiss. Some stores also carry smoked fresh mozzarella. This is a great product when you want to impart a different flavor. Great in salads!

Most ricotta cheese often is fairly low sodium and can be used in pasta dishes like lasagna and stuffed shells, in enchilada fillings, and casseroles. When making a filling, add some chopped fresh spinach, mushrooms, or other vegetables to stretch the cheese and bring the sodium content down. Sauté them first in a bit of oil to eliminate excess water.

Cottage cheese is a good product, but don’t use regular cottage cheese. It’s way too salty. Unfortunately, unsalted cottage cheese is hard to find. So far I’ve only been able to buy Lucerne unsalted cottage cheese at Safeway. Check your local grocery stores. If you can find it, by all means use it. It can be used like ricotta cheese in pasta dishes, enchilada fillings, and casseroles. You can add a couple of spoonfuls to scrambled eggs or omelets. You can “stretch” store bought dips and spreads with unsalted cottage cheese or make your own homemade dips. You can toss it with hot pasta or add it to tuna sandwich filling. The possibilities are truly endless.

Cream cheese is not too bad sodium wise, anywhere from 105 - 110 mg. per oz. Whipped cream cheese is even lower in sodium because the extra air from whipping is salt free. An added bonus is that the whipped version is easier to spread. Just watch the portions, spread thinly, and check the labels. If you want it flavored, you’re better off doing it yourself. You can add herbs & spices for a savory spread or a favorite jam for a sweet spread. For better spreadability (and a bit less sodium), soften the cream cheese block a little in the microwave and then blend in some heavy cream using a dinner fork. Some goat cheese brands are pretty decent as far as sodium content too. Montchevre Natural is only 40 mg sodium per ounce. They can be used in the same way as cream cheese and are good crumbled onto salads.

As mentioned before, the key to using Parmesan cheese, feta cheese, and any other higher sodium cheese is portion control. Use just enough to give a flavor boost. For example, use just a sprinkling of blue cheese crumbles on top of a salad dressed with a salt free vinaigrette instead of globs of creamy blue cheese dressing. And use the cheese where it will have the most impact. Remember that the less you use, the less sodium you will consume. All in all, relying on grocery store cheese is not an impediment to a low sodium diet.

Milk Products

Heavy cream comes in handy and is found at every grocery store. Just a bit can enrich and add sumptuousness to any so-so sauce or gravy. It doesn’t curdle when heated so it’s great as a last minute touch for all kinds of things

Sour cream is another staple that’s easily found in local grocery stores. The regular style usually has less sodium than the low fat version. It’s another product that adds rich flavor and texture to foods. And its wonderful tang perks up low sodium dishes. Just be sure to have it at room temperature and add it slowly to hot foods. You can also use sour cream when making any kind of creamy salad like potato salad, coleslaw, or tuna salad. Cut the salad’s sodium content by using half prepared mayonnaise and half sour cream.

Sour cream can be used to make wonderfully easy low sodium dips. Forget about Lipton Onion Soup Mix or Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix. Combine plain sour cream with a spoonful of dried toasted onions, about 2-3 packets of Herb-Ox salt free beef bouillon granules, and a couple of dashes of low sodium Worcestershire sauce for a much lower sodium onion dip. Or combine sour cream with fresh/dried herbs or your favorite spice blends. For real convenience, you can also combine equal parts sour cream and an already prepared dip. Not as low sodium as homemade but better than the unmodified store bought versions.


Plain unflavored yogurt can be used in the same way as sour cream. It’s a bit tangier though and not quite as creamy. You can find plain yogurt everywhere.

You can add sour cream or plain yogurt to creamy style prepared salad dressings to cut down the sodium content. Sour cream, yogurt, or buttermilk also add a nice tang to mashed potatoes made without salt too. Be sure to compare labels, though, when buying buttermilk. Knudsen brand has only 130 mg. sodium per cup, but other brands are much higher.

Watch out for “lite” or lower fat dairy products. When fat is removed, taste & texture suffer. Manufacturers make up for that by adding salt, so be sure to check the labels. When you’re on a low sodium diet, you’re often better off eating less of a full fat product.

Having an assortment of easily available dairy items in the fridge is helpful when preparing low sodium meals. Just a touch of butter, cream, sour cream, cheese, etc. can enliven and enrich just about any ho-hum dish. Plus many dairy products can be used to lighten the sodium content of supermarket convenience & prepared foods.

Low Sodium Supermarket Dining: Introduction

Cooking & eating low sodium can be a real challenge. There is a plethora of wonderful low sodium products available, but unfortunately, many local grocery stores only carry a few. Cooking almost completely from scratch is the best solution. It’s the only sure fire way of controlling the sodium content of the foods you eat. I’m a “from scratch” cook, but I also know that sometimes even cooking from scratch can be difficult. For one thing, it’s very time consuming. Some days you just may not have the time or energy necessary. Perhaps you’re under the weather or physically unable to do “real” cooking. Maybe your culinary skills are somewhat lacking. So, what are you supposed to do? Revert back to a high sodium diet? Start depending on fast food or restaurant meals? Of course not! There are ways to create a truly low sodium diet using regular grocery store products (including convenience & processed foods) with a minimum of online shopping and limited “from scratch” cooking.

My goal in this series of posts is to “visit” the different aisles of a typical grocery store and discuss how many of the easily available items can be used and modified to fit a low sodium diet. I will try to include some brand names just so you know exactly what kinds of food items I’m referring to. Of course, there are many, many grocery store products that absolutely cannot be used when on a low sodium diet no matter how inventive you are, so don’t expect to see everything. And, one last note: I realize that my local grocery stores may carry items not readily obtainable in other areas, but I’m hoping my ideas will be helpful nonetheless.

Before we begin, there a few important guidelines to follow when using items purchased from your local grocery store:

Read the Labels

The amount of sodium in any given product can vary tremendously from brand to brand. Just because one brand of tomato sauce is prohibitively high in sodium doesn’t mean another brand will be as bad. And conversely, just because one brand of fresh mozzarella is exceptionally low in sodium doesn’t mean other brands will be similar. When figuring out the sodium content, make sure the items you’re comparing have a similar serving size. And don’t let the manufacturers frustrate your efforts. Often you’ll find that one manufacturer will measure serving sizes in metric and another will measure in English (or Imperial), making it difficult to compare. A convenient conversion guide would be helpful. The Nourish Interactive website has a printable guide you can print out and carry with you. (Follow the directions to download a printable PDF file) Also make sure that the serving size is realistic. A low sodium count for a serving size consisting of two mini pretzels is hardly practical. The reality is that you’d actually consume 3-4 hypothetical serving sizes of that supposedly low sodium product. Finally, Do NOT let the nutritional percentages fool you. They are based on a 2,400 mg per day diet. Most people on a low sodium diet must stay within a range of 1,500 mgs. to 2,000 mgs. per day (or less). So the posted percentages are deceptive.

Learn Portion Control

Watch the portion sizes carefully. Just because a product is moderately low in sodium does not mean that you can eat unlimited supplies of it. Keep the cumulative effect of your sodium intake always in mind. And if you’re going to use a relatively salty product, then be sure to use the smallest amount you can get away with. The less you use, the less sodium you will consume. Carrying a calculator with you when you’re shopping is also helpful.

Learn to Compensate, Offset, & Mitigate

It goes without saying that most grocery store convenience foods are going to be high in salt. But you can learn strategies to offset the onslaught of sodium found in most supermarket prepared foods.

For example, let’s say you’ve studied all the jarred spaghetti sauces available at your local grocer and have decided that Classico Roasted Garlic is the lowest in sodium. When you fix a spaghetti dinner, you can offset some of the jarred sauce’s sodium by always adding a can of no-salt tomato sauce (most supermarkets have at least a few no-salt-added tomato products available). You can also stretch the sauce and lessen the sodium content somewhat by adding ¼ - ⅓ pound of unsalted browned ground beef. Throw in a package of pre-sliced fresh mushrooms from the produce section, and you’ve effectively mitigated quite a bit of the sodium content of the jarred sauce. If you’re up for some “from scratch” type prepping, toss in some chopped onion and celery, even grated carrot or zuchinni, while the ground beef is browning.

After cooking the spaghetti in unsalted water, drain it and toss it with a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a few ladles of the sauce over a very low heat. Let the sauce soak into the pasta a bit to flavor it. Then serve the spaghetti with just a spoonful of the reserved sauce. Top with just a dusting of Parmesan or follow my recipe for Pasta Sprinkle. The resulting spaghetti & meat sauce entrée may not be as low in sodium as homemade sauce with all no-salt-added tomato products, but it’ll be a whole lot better than if you used the store bought sauce straight from the jar.

Be Wary of Reduced Fat Products

Watch out for “lite” or lower fat products. When fat is removed, taste & texture suffer. Manufacturers make up for that missing “oomph” by adding salt. Be sure to check the labels. When you’re on a low sodium diet, you’re often better off eating less of a full fat product.

Remember ABC: Always Be Checking

Supermarkets try out new products all the time, and manufacturers revamp their products all the time too. Never assume that because there is no 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. Sometimes the additions or changes are great, sodium wise. Sometimes they're a bust. But you need to keep on top of it.

Keep Track of Products

When you follow a low sodium diet you should become very familiar with the items carried by your local grocery stores. That's because you spend so much time examining the labels of everything stocked on the shelves. The problem is that not all grocery stores carry the same items. So you've got to come up with a system that keeps track of which store carries which items. And you've got to note the sodium content in case you need to make comparisons. The system you use is not as important as just getting the information all together in one place so you can refer to it as needed.

My method includes the following information: the product description; the brand name; the serving size amount; the sodium content per serving size; where to purchase the product; and any special bits of information that would be helpful.

Keeping track of low sodium products is especially helpful when you run low on something and need to get some more. If you can't exactly remember where you purchased it, the list will help you out. My list is very personalized. I only note the low sodium products that I have found tasty & useful. Keeping track of favorite products helps make the challenge of low sodium cooking just a little bit easier.

So with these guidelines in mind, let’s start shopping. We’ll wander together through a typical supermarket and see what we can find. Surely there are ordinary, every day products we
can use while following a low sodium diet.