Get the Salt Out
Page 13
308 A lower-sodium choice for sandwiches is Garden of Eatin Very-Low-Salt Bible Bread, a whole-wheat pita bread that contains only 30 milligrams of sodium per pocket. One Salt Shaker.
309 Or lower still is salt-free rye bread made by both French Meadow Bakery and Rudolph’s. If you’re on a very-low-sodium diet, look for either of these brands in health food stores. One Salt Shaker.
310 Steer clear of cold cuts, those convenient sandwich fillers that have the nasty habit of containing unwanted salt and sodium additives. (Even Healthy Choice Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast has 240 milligrams per slice!) Use instead:
311 Leftover home-roasted chicken, turkey, or beef slices. One Salt Shaker.
312 Or canned low-sodium tuna. Buying low-sodium tuna offers a substantial reduction in salt and a greater likelihood that if MSG is added, it will be added in much smaller quantities than it is in regular tuna. (However, buying low-sodium tuna does not guarantee that the tuna will be free of MSG.) Be sure to rinse even low-sodium tuna well. Fortunately, just one minute under the tap rinses away about 75 percent of the sodium. One Salt Shaker.
313 Try hard-boiled egg slices on your sandwich and add a potpourri of healthy vegetables like avocado and tomato slices, green pepper strips and spinach or dark lettuce leaves. One Salt Shaker.
314 Spread your bread with unsalted peanut butter or any other unsalted nut or seed butter of your choice. For a real treat, try thin slices of apple or pear on your sandwich in place of sugar-rich jelly. One Salt Shaker.
315 If you buy deli meats from a supermarket or deli that has its own oven, request “freshly cooked” turkey or roast beef slices. Some places will cook their own meat (which is much lower in sodium) if enough people ask for it. One to Two Salt Shakers.
316 A healthy substitute for bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches? You bet. In the following recipe, natural-food recipe developer Holly Sollars makes an alternative for bacon with a soy food called tempeh (a vegetarian protein alternative that you can find in health food stores). You’ll be amazed at what a close facsimile Holly’s T.L.T. Sandwich is to the traditional B.L.T. Three Salt Shakers.
T.L.T. (TEMPEH, LETTUCE, AND TOMATO)SANDWICH
2 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Amino Acids [see tip 64]. or reduced-sodium tamari [see tip 63]
1 tablespoon light or dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons salt-free herbal blend (for excellent results, use The Spice Hunter’s Natural Mesquite Seasoning)
1 package soy-rice tempeh, cut into 18 slices (see Note, below)
6 to 12 teaspoons low-sodium natural mayonnaise (1 to 2 teaspoons per sandwich) (optional)
12 slices French Meadow Bakery spelt sourdough bread, lightly toasted, or other low-sodium, whole grain bread
1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced
12 red leaf lettuce leaves
In a shallow dish, combine 3 tablespoons of water, Braggs Liquid Amino Acids or reduced-sodium tamari, sesame oil, and salt-free seasoning to make the marinade. Place the cut tempeh in the marinade for about 5 minutes.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat arrange the tempeh in the skillet, and brown each side for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. When the tempeh is cooked, place 3 slices on each sandwich.
Spread the mayonnaise on the bread, if using, and top with tomato slices, lettuce leaves, and a second piece of bread. Makes 6 sandwiches.
NOTE: Tempeh packages may vary. If you buy a package that contains 2 small pieces of tempeh rather than 1 large piece, cut each half into 12 slices and use 4 slices on each sandwich.
CONDIMENTS TO RELISH
317 Carefully read the labels on condiments and choose the ones that best meet your needs. If your diet is based mainly on natural foods, you probably can afford some salty seasonings, but be sure to choose brands that contain sea salt instead of those that contain refined salt. If your diet still contains too much salt (as most American diets do), buy the lowest-sodium condiments you can find. The best condiments that fit that description can be found in health food stores. They are:
318 Spectrum Lite Canola Mayonnaise, with 60 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon (compared to Hellman’s or Best Foods, which both have 80 milligrams per tablespoon). One Salt Shaker.
319 Westbrae Unsweetened Un-Ketchup, with 60 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon. (This is a great improvement over Heinz, which contains 190 milligrams of sodium—over 300 percent more—per tablespoon.) Robbies Ketchup is even lower in sodium, with 10 milligrams per tablespoon. One Salt Shaker.
320 Any Mr. Spice sauce. They are all sodium-free. (See tip 289.) One Salt Shaker.
321 Westbrae Natural No-Salt-Added Stoneground Mustard or Kozlowski Farms Gourmet Mustard, which are both sodium-free. (By comparison, French’s Yellow Mustard and Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard contain 55 milligrams and 120 milligrams per tablespoon, respectively.) Mustard is so naturally pungent that many of my clients say they hardly notice any difference between salted and salt-free mustard. One Salt Shaker.
322 Try a dab of cheese-free or low-sodium pesto sauce. Melissa Diane Smith tells me this is her favorite condiment to use on turkey or grilled chicken sandwiches. Use the Basil Pesto in tip 291 or a ready-to-use brand, such as Rising Sun Farm. This company makes an entire line of low-sodium pesto sauces, including a Pesto for Garlic Lovers that is free of cheese and contains only 24 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon. Look for Rising Sun Farm in upscale markets or health food stores, or call 1-800-888-0795 to find a store near you that carries it. One Salt Shaker.
323 Add a spoonful of Instant Horseradish Sauce from tip 293 to any sandwich. This condiment is particularly tasty on roast beef on rye. One Salt Shaker.
324 Make your sandwich Italian-style: sprinkle it with oregano leaves and red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing. One Salt Shaker.
325 Experiment with adding flavorful chopped herbs to sandwiches instead of salt. One of my clients tells me she enjoys chopped fresh basil leaves and chopped chives on turkey sandwiches. One Salt Shaker.
326 If you like pickles with your sandwich, keep this fact in mind: dill pickles normally have 238 times more sodium than fresh cucumbers. They do, at least, unless you go out of your way to find an unsalted brand. One product to look for in natural food stores is Pickle Eater’s Vinegar-free, No-Salt-Added Kosher Dills by New Morning (508-263-1201). They contain only 5 milligrams of sodium per serving. One Salt Shaker.
THE SNACK CART
327 Want something crunchy to munch on? Remind yourself that typical snack foods like chips, pretzels, and crackers are not only processed carbohydrates high in salt, but they are also foods that tend to put on the pounds when eaten in excess. Satisfy your need for a crunchy snack by eating fresh vegetables, the kind of carbohydrates you should be snacking on. They’re packed with abundant nutrients, fiber, and powerful compounds that protect health, and they’re virtually sodium-free. You can munch on vegetables without guilt, knowing you’re eating the very best snacks nature gave us. Eat them plain or try:
328 Celery spread with unsalted nut butter—a quick, crunchy treat. This is an especially good snack for those with hypertension. (See tip 200.) One Salt Shaker.
329 Jicama Chips Olé, a recipe that uses jicama, a naturally sweet, crisp, tuberlike vegetable. The following recipe comes from the Arizona Heart Institute Foundation Cookbook: A Renaissance in Good Eating. One Salt Shaker.
JICAMA CHIPS OLÉ
1 jicama (1½ pounds), peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt-free chili powder
½ teaspoon ground red pepper
Marinate the jicama in the lemon juice for 1 hour. Arrange on a serving dish and sprinkle with the chili powder and red pepper. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
330 Vegetable “chips” served with a low-salt, low-fat dip such as Greek Tzatziki Sauce (see tip 294). Vary the vegetables you use as dippers and cut them into attractive shapes. All of the following work well: carrot, celery, jicama, or green pepper sticks; sliced
mushrooms; cucumber rounds; zucchini or yellow squash wedges; blanched asparagus spears; and broccoli or cauliflower florets. One Salt Shaker.
331 If you really enjoy grain-based snack foods like pretzels from time to time, you may treat yourself to them occasionally. Just be sure to eat healthier, lower-salt versions, which you can find in health food stores. Look for brands that are made with whole grain flour instead of enriched (refined) flour and with sea salt instead of salt. (Also be sure to avoid any that contain partially hydrogenated oils.) Two Salt Shakers.
332 Better yet, snack on unsalted pretzels such as the organic whole wheat and 9-grain pretzels offered by Barbaras, another brand you can find in health food stores. If you don’t like unsalted pretzels plain, try them with a little unsalted mustard. One Salt Shaker.
333 Buy unsalted, air-popped popcorn, or for fresher flavor, air-pop your own. Drizzle it with a little heart-healthy oil like unrefined flaxseed oil or canola oil, and experiment with salt-free seasonings to vary the flavor. To make popcorn savory, try sprinkling it with garlic powder, onion powder, herbs of your choice, or any salt-free vegetable seasoning. One Salt Shaker.
334 To make your popcorn sweet, add a few dashes of cinnamon. One Salt Shaker.
335 To make it hot and spicy, lightly sprinkle with curry powder, cayenne pepper, or salt-free chili powder. One Salt Shaker.
336 To add a slightly salty taste, shake on a few dashes of powdered kelp or dulse (see tips 60, 61). Two Salt Shakers.
337 To give popcorn a buttery flavor, sprinkle it with nutritional yeast, a powdered food supplement you can find in health food stores. One Salt Shaker.
338 Like commercial popcorn, standard corn tortilla chips can be incredibly salty. They also can be undesirably greasy. Try some of the new lines of tortilla chips that are baked, not fried, and that contain no oil at all. Many of these brands (Unsalted Baked Tostitos, for one) come in unsalted versions that are sodium-free. Some of my clients are pleased to find out that they don’t need salt on chips; they just like the crunch. One Salt Shaker.
339 If unsalted chips are too plain for you, dip them in lively, low-sodium salsa. This is a great way to put extra salt-free flavor in your diet at the same time you get the health benefits of eating fresh vegetables. For a quick easy-to-make dip, try this simple salsa recipe from my book Super Nutrition for Women. One Salt Shaker.
SIMPLE SOUTH- OF-THE-BORDER SALSA
2 finely chopped medium tomatoes
½ cup chopped scallions
2 tablespoons fresh (or canned and well-rinsed) chopped green chiles or jalapeno peppers
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and chill in the refrigerator before serving. Makes about 1 cup.
340 Another tasty way to serve tortilla chips is with freshly made (warm) Refried Beans. (See tip 263.) One Salt Shaker.
341 Instead of pretzels, chips, or popcorn, nibble on unsalted nuts, nature’s nutrient-rich snack foods. I find it a shame that during our country’s fat-free craze, nuts are one of the foods that Americans have been told to avoid. Nuts are wonderful foods that can keep you going for hours. They’re good sources of protein and healthy fats and rich in nutrients such as potassium and magnesium, in which Americans are often deficient. Nuts satiate the appetite so well that they are the ideal solution for some of my clients who devour entire bags of fat-free chips and still feel hungry. When those same clients snack on unsalted nuts instead of chips, they find they need just a few to be satisfied. I recommend nuts as heart-healthy snack foods that can be eaten in moderation. If you don’t like nuts plain, buy unsalted, dry-roasted nuts in supermarkets. One Salt Shaker.
342 Better yet, toast raw nuts yourself at home. Nuts are absolutely scrumptious when you eat them warm right out of the oven; the toasting process intensifies their flavor so much that they really don’t need salt. To make these simple, delicious snacks, spread shelled raw nuts of your choice on a cookie sheet and bake at 275 degrees for 5 to 15 minutes (depending on the size of the nuts). Allow the fragrant and lightly brown nuts to cool slightly before eating. Pecans, almonds, and cashews make particularly tasty toasted nuts. One Salt Shaker.
343 Don’t be afraid to eat snacks that contain low-sodium protein. Especially if you’re overweight, a slice or two of lean cooked meat or a hard-boiled egg may be the ideal snack for you. Protein like this increases the metabolism and causes the body to produce glucagon, a hormone that acts like a key to help the body burn fat stores for energy. Carbohydrates like pretzels and chips, on the other hand, cause the body to secrete insulin, a hormone that works in exactly the opposite way, helping to promote fat storage. Instead of eating processed carbohydrates for snacks, eat small amounts of protein. Natural, lean animal protein is lower in sodium than typical snack foods, and it also promotes weight loss better. One Salt Shaker.
Get the Salt Out of Drinks and Party Foods
Beverages are so overlooked as important parts of our diets that many clients whom I ask to keep detailed food diaries fail to write down what they drink. Like most people, my clients seem to have a hard time remembering that although liquids seem insignificant, they really have a major impact on our nutritional status and health. Our thirst response is, after all, a call to satisfy the body’s need for water. The body requires water for countless reasons, but often it is needed to be able to flush unnecessary sodium (and other minerals) out of the system.
Unfortunately, far too few of us drink the water we need. Most of the beverages Americans drink—although not high in sodium themselves—actually stress the body’s sodium-balancing mechanisms. Caffeine-, sugar-, and alcohol-containing drinks indirectly hinder the body’s ability to remove any unnecessary salt we may consume. In addition some drinks, such as vegetable juice cocktail, are quite high in salt, placing an additional burden on the body’s sodium-regulating functions. The tips in this section address the importance of the drinks you consume. They’ll help give you the savvy to avoid salty drinks as well as to eliminate those drinks that inhibit the body’s ability to get the salt out.
Unlike beverages that we consume frequently throughout the day, party foods are meant for special occasions. Unfortunately, from what I have seen, parties in this country are often salt-filled events. Whether chips and dip are served, or smoked meat and cheese slices, or upscale hors d’oeuvres, it seems almost impossible to avoid consuming unhealthy levels of sodium at parties. Even normally health-conscious hosts often break their nutritional guidelines and serve refined salty foods at parties because somehow it’s expected. The same often holds true during holidays. I find that hosts often feel pressured to serve overly salted foods for holiday meals, many times because of “tradition.”
The tips in this chapter remind you that traditional festive foods can be vastly improved and needn’t jeopardize your salt-cutting resolutions. Rely on this chapter to use abundantly fresh, flavorful ingredients in the party and holiday foods you prepare, and you can get the refined salt out of them without anyone even noticing.
DRINKING TO HEALTH
344 Do not drink the following beverages: added-sugar-rich fruit juices and soft drinks and caffeine-containing coffee and tea. Although none of these drinks are high in sodium, they all stress the adrenal glands and kidneys, organs that help the body metabolize and excrete sodium properly. An important way to get the unnecessary sodium out is to eliminate drinks that impede these organs’ sodium-regulating functions.
345 Avoid saccharin-sweetened diet drinks. Although you may think saccharin tastes sweet, it is actually another form of sodium that contributes to our excessive sodium intake. In addition, saccharin in high doses has been shown to cause liver damage and cancer in test animals.
BONUS TIP: Also steer clear of drinks sweetened with aspartame (NutraSweet). Five deaths and at least seventy different symptoms have been reported to result from the use of aspartame. For more information about the hazards of aspartame, see my book Get the Sugar Out.
; 346 At parties, remember to order seltzer or low-sodium bottled water instead of club soda. (See tips 120, 121, and 123.) One Salt Shaker.
347 Trying to get extra vegetables in your diet by drinking vegetable juice cocktail? If so, you’re probably doing your body more harm than good. Hidden in six ounces of V-8 juice—a drink that sounds so healthy—is 625 milligrams of sodium! It’s better to add vegetables elsewhere in your diet and stick to drinking good, old-fashioned water, the beverage we were meant to drink.
348 What’s the saltiest drink available? Bloody Mary mix, a drink I have seen many men on airplane flights guzzle down as if it were water. If you thought Bloody Mary mix was a nice alternative to soda, learn the facts about how unhealthy this beverage really is: 8 ounces of Mr. 8c Mrs. T’s Bloody Mary mix contains 1,350 milligrams of sodium and 8 ounces of Tabasco brand Blood Mary mix contains 1,550 milligrams of sodium. No matter whether you like Bloody Mary mix with or without alcohol, you simply shouldn’t drink it.
349 You can, however, make your own. Here’s a healthy substitute that’s great for parties. This recipe is courtesy of Mr. Spice (Lang Naturals). One Salt Shaker.
THE WORLD’S BEST BLOODY MARY
1 quart low-sodium tomato juice
2 tablespoons Mr. Spice Tangy Bang! hot sauce [see tip 289]
Shake the tomato juice with the hot sauce. Pour into a tall glass over ice. If desired, add a piece of lime and vodka to taste. For decoration, you can also add a celery stick as a stirrer, if desired. Serves 4.
350 Get into the habit of saying “no salt, please” whenever you order a margarita (even if you order a virgin margarita). Salt around the rim of a margarita may be pretty, but it contributes up to 1,000 more milligrams of unhealthy sodium to each drink.