Low sodium menu ideas and recipes

[mab]

Hi!
I am looking for some new low sodium menu ideas and recipes that are approximately 350 mg per serving or less. My spouse has Hepatits C and advanced liver cirrhosis. The instructions from his doctor are:
No red meat, 2 to 3 ounces of fish or chicken two to three times per week and consume the least amount of sodium possible. If you are following a similar diet in your home and have a good recipe or menu idea that you enjoy, I would love to hear from you.

Many thanks.

[imkindly]

My husband also has hep c and cirrhosis (he's on the liver transplant waiting list).
They gave us this list of foods to AVOID:

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MISCELLANEOUS FOODS HIGH IN SODIUM TO AVOID


SMOKED AND CURED MEATS
Sausage patties, seasoned sausage, polish sausage, vienna sausage, sausage links, frankfurters, pepperoni, salami, spam, corned beef, other luncheon meats, turkey roll, ham, bacon, canadian bacon, smoked eel, pickled herring, canned sardines, caviar, anchovies, smoked or canned salmon.

SANDWICHES
Pimiento cheese, ham, deviled crab, commercial chicken, tuna salad, egg salad, any sandwich made with commercially smoked or cured meats.

COMBINATION FOODS
Pizza, pizza rolls, pizza sandwiches, tacos, tostados, burritos, nachos, egg rolls, TV dinners, pot pies, frozen entrees, canned entrees (e.g.- stew, spaghetti, lasagna), regular canned and dried soups, fast foods.

SAUCES/CONDIMENTS AND FLAVORINGS
Table salt, combination spices with salt, MSG, meat tenderizers, bouillon cubes or crystals, baking powder, baking soda, catsup, cheese sauces, cheese dips, barbeque sauce, chili sauce, hot sauce, picante sauce, taco sauce, soy sauce, Worchestershire sauce, steak sauce, ready mix sauces, hollandaise sauce, mustard, horseradish, commercial salad dressings.

CHEESES
American, blue, Roquefort, parmesan, smoked cheddar, jalapeno, garlic, cream cheese spreads, cheese balls.

BAKERY PRODUCTS
Salted breads and rolls, commercial sweet rolls, doughnuts, pastries and quick breads (e.g.- muffins, nut and fruit breads), cake mixes, pie, cheese biscuits.

VEGETABLES
Regular canned vegetables, pickled relishes, pickles, olives, pickled vegetables, sauerkraut, au gratin vegetables, vegetables with sauces or cheese, regular vegetable juices.

SALTED SNACKS
Flavored and salted crackers, salted potato and corn chips, potato sticks, pretzels, salted nuts, red pistachio nuts, salted popcorn, popcorn with cheese, cheese hors d'oeuvres, cheese puffs, cheese straws, cheese crackers.
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Really, what it boils down to is-----watch out for processed foods. If something comes in a can, bottle, jar, or box (at the grocery store), it is usually "trouble" --- read the label for sodium milligrams.
**Try shopping for fresh ingredients (fruits, vegetables, meats), and cook from scratch, leaving out the salt. (((I know, this is easier said than done!)))
**If you have recipes that call for salt----leave it out.
**Use unsalted margarine or butter. (We use Unsalted Land o Lakes----it contains zero salt).
**When buying bread (if you use bread, for toast, etc.)---make sure to compare the labels on different brands, and buy the one with the least sodium.
**If you use jelly or jam---try buying a jar of "All Fruit" instead. (It's just as good, and contains zero salt.)
**If you want to create a "barbeque" type of taste for meat or chicken (don't use bottled bbq sauce)---try making a mixture of 1 part cumin, 1 part chili powder, and 3 parts sugar....and rub it onto meat or chicken.
**Buy more fruit (for snacks).
**If you ever buy canned vegetables, make sure you buy the ones that say "No Salt".
**If you make pasta, don't add salt to the cooking water. Also---make your own pasta sauce (no matter what the recipe says--don't add salt!) (If it's bland---try using extra onion or garlic.)
**Experiment with "Mrs. Dash" (we went through several types of Mrs. Dash--before we found one that my husband likes. Don't give up---just keeping bringing home new flavors of it, and try each, until you find something he really likes.) "Lawry's 17" is another good one. (These help alot, when you're serving "plain" vegetables.) (So does unsalted butter.)
**Read labels on drinks-----even milk has hidden sodium.

Hope this helps.

[mab]

Hi imkindly!
Thank you for sharing your list with me. Reading it reminded me of the day that we removed about 90% of the foods from our fridge and cupboards and gave it all away...It seemed like all of our favourite foods were high in sodium. I couldn't believe how many of my spices contained salt as well! Mrs. Dash is the greatest. We had a Food Show here in Toronto, and I stocked up on Mrs. Dash at their special show price. I think I bought about twelve shakers. Every weekend, I make a new batch of low-sodium tomato sauce and we use it for pasta dishes during the week. We also have a lot of freshly cooked/steamed vegetables with bits of fish or chicken.
This week I'm going to buy some dried beans and lentils. I used to cook a lot with canned beans but this is a "no no" too now. A dietician told me that even if you rinse canned beans, the beans have absorbed a certain amount of salt already. I've never cooked with dried beans before, but probably by doing so, I could make some of my old bean/rice dishes, slightly modified.

I don't know where you live, but it's been hot here...Too hot to simmer a big pot of soup for several hours. I've been making the tomato sauce in a crock pot as to not throw off heat. Now that the Fall Season is approaching, it will be easier to do a lot more cooking by scratch.
My husband may be going on the transplant waiting list as well. We are waiting for test results to see if he is healthy enough to have a transplant. Has your husband been waiting long? Do write again sometime. I would love to hear from other people that are going through similar experiences or have been through similar experiences. My friends and co-workers are concerned and supportive and I am grateful, but few of them understand what it is like to live day by day with a serious illness and everything that goes along with it.

Thanks again for your response.
mab

[imkindly]

Hi mab
My husband was evaluated in Feb. 2001. They sent us a letter about 2 weeks later, saying that he's been accepted onto the liver transplant waiting list. So we've been waiting almost 7 months so far. His "status" is 2B. He is dealing with Ascites (fluid in his abdomen and legs), so he takes alot of diuretics (water pills), and he has to avoid sodium.
As they've increased his diuretics in the past few months (to control his Ascites)...he started having terrible muscle cramps (mostly in his legs and hands). We found out that the cramps were caused by his potassium levels being way too high, so now he has to follow a low potassium diet too.
((Grocery shopping just keeps getting harder!))
I learn all that I can.
At the hospital we go to (here in Texas), they say the "average" wait for a liver transplant is 6 months to a year. They gave us a beeper....and we are just waiting for it to beep!
Good luck to you and your husband. I'd love to hear from you---keep me posted, ok?

[mab]

Hi imkindly!
Good to hear from you. My husband too, has ascites, along with constant infections. A few months ago, he had an episode with high potassium due to water pills and had to be hospitalized. His level was 6.5. I had to call 911 because he fell into a reduced level of consiousness and was unable to walk or speak. He was taking a low dosage of prescribed Lorazepam at the time and the water pills caused him to retain the Lorazepam as well, causing an "overdose." The whole thing was really scary because symptoms of metabolic shock can start to materialize at around 7. The hospital staff were also concerned about the high potassium level affecting the heart! We've since learned that Lorazepam is on the list as one of the medications that should not be taken!!!

Michael has been relatively stable for the past three months, but he is in constant pain - especially his stomach area. Prior to this he was hospitalized five times between February and May 2001. He was hospitalized for the following reasons:
1st time - Cellulitis. This is treated with an IV antibiotic for about ten days.
2nd time - Hepatic Encephalopathy
3rd time - 6.5 potassium level as I was telling you.
4th time - Hepatic Encephalopathy with delirium.
5th time - He contacted a blood infection (MRSA)
The terrible thing about having to look for foods that are low in sodium and potassium is that many of the low-sodium foods such as some fruits and vegetables, cooked cereals, etc, are high in potassium. Even salt-free cheeses need to be avoided. Managing encephalopathy involves maintaining a low-protein diet to reduce ammonia production. Vegetable proteins are recommended over animal proteins.
I was reading that the way to reduce sodium in potatoes is to peel them first and store them in water in the fridge overnight. When cooking them, pour out the water half way through cooking and add fresh water. - A little tip if you hadn't heard of that one!
I'm happy to hear about the length of your waiting list in Texas. We were told that it could possibly take up to three years for a transplant.
Michael is also dealing with a fractured finger right now. It happened two weeks ago, while on his way home from the hospital! When getting ready to get off the bus, he offered to help a woman with her stroller that was loaded with several bags of groceries. He said, "May I help you?" She screamed, "No" and pushed the stroller into him as hard as she could. He fell off the top step of the bus and landed onto the pavement fracturing his finger. What an absurd thing to happen! It is almost unbelievable! By the time he got up from the pavement, the bus was gone! Consequently, he has been suffering with pain from his fractured finger ever since.
Well, I guess I'd better go now. Take care.
mab