The Low Sodium Cookbook Read Online Free PDF Page A

no means least, toasted sesame oil and chili oil flavor many favorite Asian dishes.
    Citrus fruits are another great low-sodium source of flavor. Both the juice and the zest of lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, and even kumquats can be used to flavor everything from salad dressings to desserts.
    Low-Sodium Substitutes
    Several manufacturers make salt substitutes that are designed to both replace salt in cooking and substitute it for seasoning food at the table. These salt substitutes are made primarily of potassium chloride, which is a sodium-free salt (it is made up of potassium and chloride instead of sodium and chloride like table salt). While these substitutes don’t taste or function exactly like salt, they can be used to add a “saltiness” to foods without the sodium.
    Check with your doctor before using salt substitutes . The FDA has warned that although these substitutes are safe for healthy folks, they could be dangerous for people who have kidney disease, diabetes, or heart disease, or who take certain medications.
    As more and more people adopt low-sodium diets, food manufacturers are responding with versions of their products with reduced sodium levels. According to the FDA, in order to be labeled “low sodium,” a food must contain less than 140 mg of sodium per serving. When purchasing prepared foods, look for these low-sodium versions, but don’t forget to watch your portion size. What you think of as a serving may not be the same as what’s indicated on the label.
    Many canned vegetables and fruits these days can also be found labeled “no salt added.” Remember, this means that no additional salt has been added to the product during cooking or processing, but it doesn’t mean that it is sodium-free. You should still check the label and include the sodium content in your tracking.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Low-Sodium Eating
    The Low-Sodium Diet Challenge
    Talking about a low-sodium diet is all well and good in theory, but actually eating low-sodium food all day, every day is the real challenge. As previously discussed, there are plenty of low-sodium alternatives for your favorite foods, but incorporating them into your diet, and more important, nixing the high-sodium versions, can be difficult.
    Remember to drink eight (or more!) glasses of water a day. Water flushes sodium from your body, which is an important part of reducing blood pressure. Get in the habit of keeping a glass or bottle of water nearby and sipping throughout the day.
    Making a change in your diet as drastic as reducing your daily sodium intake from, say, 3,000 mg to the recommended 1,500 mg isn’t easy, but here are the essentials boiled down to five easy-to-remember steps:
     
Stop adding salt to your food, either while cooking or at the table (this includes condiments like soy sauce).
Limit prepared foods and fast foods to once-in-a-while treats or emergency conveniences. When you do opt for these foods, choose low-sodium versions.
Get in the habit of reading nutritional information labels and choose foods that are naturally low in sodium.
Become acquainted (or reacquainted, as the case may be) with your kitchen and spice cabinet. Cook most of your meals at home so that you can control what does and doesn’t get added.
Choose whole, natural foods over processed foods whenever possible.
    Eventually, your body will adjust to your new diet and you’ll stop missing the added salt. In fact, you may be surprised to find that within a couple of months you will be so used to low-sodium eating that foods you used to enjoy, like potato chips or French fries, taste much too salty to you now.
    Cooking Tips and Techniques
    Frequently eating prepared foods or eating out makes following a low-sodium diet especially challenging. The best—and dare we say, the easiest—way to reduce the sodium in your diet is to cook most of your food yourself. This way, you know exactly what goes into it and you can make adjustments, like adding additional spices