I know, I know this is not earth shattering, but now that I have to cook without salt

[nadinbrzezinski]

since my dad can't have any... we have to completely change how we cook.

Yep, he is finally coming home on Friday and he has been on a no-salt diet at the hospital and his BP is doing MUCH BETTER... so today I got a salt-substitute and all the rest.. as in fresh spices.

By the way, taking notes since I realize many folks will be pretty lost if something like this happens to an aging parent (dad fell down and broke hip)... and navigating the system from first contact with EMS (where I was all but impressed, having worked in the field)... all the way to final recovery is a marathon, And this is a marathon that is made ten times as bad by a system designed to be confusing and all but helpful.

I figure, once the marathon is over, I may just go ahead and write a self help on how to navigate the system and what questions to ask...

And for the moment using mom and hubby as experimental subjects for the no-salt cooking...

:-)
Will let you know how this works... of course if we are told he can have a little, it will make cooking that much easier.

[niyad]

1. I don't know why you see a problem cooking without salt, as I have done so without

any difficulty lo these many decades. just don't use it, don't get the prepared, processed or convenience junk, and use lots of herbs and spices. noboby will miss it.l

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. We use a little... as in very little

not that much... and in fact been cooking with even less since my mom shouldn't have it either

And my niece complained and ADDED salt to the dish... I went (never had a salt shaker on the table), you miss it, add it. i will NOT cook with salt, they don't need it.

As to convenience food... we don't buy that much of it either. Been using the slow cooker A LOT in the last few weeks, which is also great for herbs and spices.

By the way, do you use thai seasoning? I like curry and thai and other punchy flavors... hell will get some fresh lemon grass this week to try it on my experimental subjects

[niyad]

23. I use all kinds of herbs and spices, and make my own, very wickedly hot, curry mix.

[emilyg]

13. I don't even know what salt is anymore.

Don't miss it either.

[Zoigal]

32. Check out Penzey's spices (on line and stores).

They have a great assortment of no salt herbs and spices.
Good monthly catalog, too. Love browsing their stores. z

[Breeze54]

3. That's great news, nadinbrzezinski, that your dad will finally be coming home!

:hi:

Now as for the salt, just use lots of spices and herbs!

Check packages for salt content, including butter. ;)

Make salads! And just add salt to your own plate.

I know you can do it! Congrats!! What a relief, eh?!

:toast: (no salt in beer, I don't think! ) :P

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Oh we can do it, that is why the first zero salt dish is in the slow cooker

right now...

And I am serious about writing a self-help after this is over... either try to get a publisher or just do it as a PDF.

[onenote]

5. hope everything goes well for your dad

Sounds like you are a good and attentive advocate for him, which is really important. My dad broke his hip in November 06 and then ended up back in intensive care for unrelated ailments this past April and October and we have no doubt that without our active involvement in his care, he might not have made it. Now, at age 93, he's back home, thinking about a trip to Florida.

[EFerrari]

6. I set out to learn how to cook my mom tamales that wouldn't kill her!

lol

It was quite an education and did me and my kids a world of good.

Best to you all, nadin!

[Solly Mack]

7. Glad your Dad is doing better!

It's easier than it seems...cooking without salt.

Be sure and check sodium content on all canned goods as well.

[malaise]

8. What about sea salt? n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. It's salt

And will cause the same effects, granted you usually need less... same goes for Kosher, why Kosher is my preferred rock of choice

[in_cog_ni_to]

9. I never add salt when I cook. I let whomever is eating it add salt if they choose to. My husband

eats very little salt...doesn't like it, so I never use it in our meals. I do, however, use it in baking recipes that call for it...cookies, cakes and such.

Maybe that's the best way to handle this? Just let those who can eat salt add it after it's cooked?

[catnhatnh]

10. A little help for no salt...

Over on E-bay (check for spice stores there-I forget the name) is a site that sells spice mixes with no salt in commercial kitchen sizes (about a quart jar in varying weights) for $5 a jar and $5 to ship any amount...For instance 12oz of Mama Dash-a Mrs. Dash copy without salt and many others at huge cost savings.I order once a year now and love their italian spice blend. Oh yeah-the montreal steak blend is good too.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Will look into that and see if they ship to Mexico

the real challenge will be to teach my nanny and the other lady NOT to use salt...

But I am traveling with my parents once they can go home so I can teach them... But breaking the habit for nina (she is 86 and lives the stuff) will be hard. Now for Letty... she is pregnant and has had a tendency for high blood pressure in the past, so it will be healthier for her and baby as well.

[Contrary1]

20. Would it be this Ebay seller?

http://cgi.ebay.com/MAMA-D-NO-SALT-FRESHLY-PACKED-IN-LARGE-JARS-SPICES_W0QQitemZ150200342106QQihZ005QQcategoryZ14314QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I never even thought to get spices there, and we go through a ton. I love no-salt lemon pepper, use it in almost everything.

[catnhatnh]

33. Yep...Spice Express...

Good outfit, check out their store...since last year they've added Old Bay and Essence to their blends...

[Arkansas Granny]

11. It takes a little getting used to, but soon you won't really miss the

salt. I was put on a salt free diet when I was pregnant with my oldest son, some 40+ years ago. It does take some adjustment to your cooking and there are all those labels to read, but once your taste buds acclimate you'll really start tasting the natural flavor of your foods. I use salt sparingly in my cooking now, but hardly ever salt anything at the table because I came to prefer the taste of food without it.

[Lisa]

15. I very rarely use salt these days ...

I still use ketchup and low-sodium soy sauce as condiments, so I can't say that I totally do without it ... but I tend to use more spices (like black and red pepper), and lemon or lime juice. (There is a crystallized lime/lemon juice called "True Lime" that I found in the juice section -- it's great for cooking, not just on fish.)

An Iranian friend turned me onto a middle eastern spice called "sumac" (a version of the same plant we have in North America) that has a nice tangy taste.

Good luck with your dad ... my folks are entering that age zone now, and I'm realizing that I'd better start making plans for looking after them, even if they don't suffer falls etc. in the next while.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. That is why I was thinking a self help

with, if nothing else, the list of questions to ask... and god forbid what to do if you need to call 9.11 will be good

I mean the day of the fall... I just told my mom... gather all his meds and put them in a bag and take them with him... She was too frazzled even if she will not admit to it... my training took over and that is the way WE were trained to handle it. Even if at the hospital they asked for a list of meds, far easier to make that list if you have them physically there. Minor stuff, but one of those that most folks don't think about.

Another one that ironically applies to both kids and some older adults... take a familiar thing wit them to the hospital, such as a blanket... will do wonders to keep people calm... especially young kids or older adults with problems orienting themselves

[Lisa]

26. my mom, a former home care nurse, had a fall last year ...

Once they got over the shock and realized that nothing was broken (lucky!), it was kind of funny -- mom was giving dad instructions (and he used to look after his aged father, so he remembered what had to be done, re: going to the hospital). They are both kind of hard of hearing and so they had to raise their voices ... whereupon dad stared at her and exclaimed, "honey, do you realize that we've turned into a couple of old geezers yelling at each other?".

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. That is funny!

And good that no serious damage was done...

We have had to even look for wheelchairs (found one on Ebay that was a steal) and other stuff. Now teaching mom how to use chair and other stuff and getting her to do some upper body conditioning... don't need second parent with a bad back.

I used to buy some of that crap for the Red Cross in Tijuana, so I looked for the cheapest but good provider I could find.

The people at the rehab hospital have been sort of amazed at how ready we are for this...

[Lisa]

29. mom was bummed about having to use a cane while she went through physio

So dad and I made one for her. She says she likes it more than the store-bought type (that personal touch I guess).

[nadinbrzezinski]

40. I need a cane from time to time

and it was bought at the San Diego Zoo... and yes I agree... that personal touch or it is different from others

Mine lives in the car.

;-)

[niyad]

25. take a close look at that "true lemon" package--can't remember now what the problem is

for me, at least, but there is something in it not quite real.

[Lisa]

28. looking at a TrueLime packet now ...

Citric acid, lactose, lime juice, lime oil, maltodextrin, and ascorbic acid.

From what I've read, maltodextrin is a starchy compound. I seem to recall that bottled lime or lemon juice would have other stuff added to it as well (as would non-organic lemons or limes that had been sprayed, if I were to squeeze them or use the rind). What I've been doing is keeping a few packets in my desk at work, and putting them into my water bottle, rather than using fruit juice or pop.

[troubleinwinter]

31. "True Lime" - "True Lemon" - "True Orange"

Wow! I had never heard of these. I looked them up on line, where they can be ordered. http://www.truelemon.com/purchaselime.html

I'm going to see if my grocery carries them.

[Vinca]

16. If you're cooking without salt, keep an eye on canned products.

The sodium content in just about everything is sky high.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Yeah I noticed. I bought some Ralphs canned tomatoes for today's meal

and they were the only ones with an acceptable level. I expect a little in a can because of the process.. and the Ralphs store brand has 20 mg, versus the upwards of 500 mg in one of the "fancy brands."

[qb]

18. As a teenager I stopped adding salt to my food...

I was rebelling against my controlling dad, who said "it needs salt" about everything on the table. The habit stuck, and I still don't add salt.
Things taste bland at first, but after a while they get more flavorful. Canned foods will start to taste way too salty, too.

[dysfunctional press]

21. completely change how you cook???

i never add salt to anything- it's not that difficult.

[dkofos]

22. I never cook with salt. You can too. Just omit the salt.

[aquart]

24. Lemon. Lemon is your friend.

[annabanana]

30. Navigating the system is a marathon, indeed.

And the confusion inherent in that system is very convenient for those that would delay or deny treatment. I had to trudge through that mess when DH had a serious accident back in '03. If there are continuing health issues, be assured that the marathon never ends.

[Eurobabe]

34. Glad Dad is on his way home...

Good luck with the cooking. :hi:

[tishaLA]

35. If you have one nearby, go to Trader Joe's

They have some very very good low sodium soups now, low sodium chicken stocks (70 mg sodium per serving), low sodium canned whole tomatoes (regular brands have about 900 mg sodium per serving), low sodium tuna, low sodium marinara, etc. It is not enough, as I'm sure you know, simply to eliminate salt from cooking; you have to eliminate it from the products you use, too.

[DemoTex]

36. Beware the salt substitute.

Check with your dad's docs before you use a salt substitute. Salt substitutes are inappropriate with a few of the BP medications.

[nadinbrzezinski]

38. This one has the following herbs and spices

chiles, toasted onion, brown sugar,dehydrated garlic, green bell pepper, dehydrated onion, red bell pepper, paprika, spices, natural flavor, vinegar powder, no msg, sufites or any of the other crap.

I will check with docs, especially since mom is on meds, but not dad
It is chef paul prudhomes general purpose mix and I liked the fact that it lacked any artificial anything.

[Jersey Devil]

37. Once you stop adding salt you discover it's added for you all the time

I stopped adding salt to my food when I was about 25 years old after future my mother in law, who could not eat salty foods, cooked up a couple of delicious dishes without salt that convinced me food tasted better without it.

Over time, as I stopped adding salt to everything, I found that I could no longer tolerate many canned, bottled or precooked foods, especially things like soup, that began to taste like brine more than food.

You are going to have a lot more work on your hands than just not adding salt to your cooking to help dad avoid salt in his diet. You are going to have to learn to very carefully review food labels and you are going to be astounded at how much food is added to prepared food.

[nadinbrzezinski]

39. Been reviewing them for years, since diabetes also runs in the family

so I am used to that... and I have always looked for low salt in prepared foods.

By the way Ralphs store tomatores are 20 mg per serving, versus some at 500 mg... which was shocking