Calculating Sodium Question

[tweakz]

Technically everyone should restrict salt (not drink sea water). You can add salt to fresh water or salt water to fresh water to absorb more of the water than you would with just fresh water. Imagine if Gatorade advertised salt instead of electrolytes.

 

[JMediger]

MadC ... I had actually found several very good salt substitutes and used them with seasoning meat or veggies I was cooking. The problem I ran into was when I wanted to make a roast or needed braising liquid. It's hard to make just water taste good even with seasoning. I found that by thinning stock or broth I could make pot roast come in under the limit with ease. Soups were equally difficult as milk has a good deal of sodium as well.

Tweakz ... I'm not understanding your analogy I guess. I did end up diluting low sodium stocks and broths to make it work for our needs. Is that what you were meaning? And I agree about Gatorade, all electrolyte drinks really.

 

[GotGarlic]

Technically everyone should restrict salt (not drink sea water). You can add salt to fresh water or salt water to fresh water to absorb more of the water than you would with just fresh water. Imagine if Gatorade advertised salt instead of electrolytes.

I'm surprised anyone buys it. After all, how many people can pronounce electrolytes? Or how many grandmothers cooked with it? Weird chemicals, indeed.

 

[Mad Cook]

MadC ... I had actually found several very good salt substitutes and used them with seasoning meat or veggies I was cooking. The problem I ran into was when I wanted to make a roast or needed braising liquid. It's hard to make just water taste good even with seasoning. I found that by thinning stock or broth I could make pot roast come in under the limit with ease. Soups were equally difficult as milk has a good deal of sodium as well.

Tweakz ... I'm not understanding your analogy I guess. I did end up diluting low sodium stocks and broths to make it work for our needs. Is that what you were meaning? And I agree about Gatorade, all electrolyte drinks really.

You could make your own stock leaving out the salt and freeze it in manageable amounts. Stock cubes and similar stock concentrates aren't essential.

 

[Mad Cook]

I'm surprised anyone buys it. After all, how many people can pronounce electrolytes? Or how many grandmothers cooked with it? Weird chemicals, indeed.

How VERY intellectually superior of you, GG.

 

[tweakz]

I wonder if it has bromine too.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Not sure whether you have them over there but we have products such as Lo-Salt which is based on potassium rather than sodium. Might be worth hunting them out (but ask the doctor first).

Just checked Lo-salt is available in USA but there may be other similar products.

Something a lot of people overlook when trying to cut down on sodium is bottled mineral water. Check the analyses of the brands first if buying it

Yes, we have several brands of the potassium salt, I can't get over the metallic taste.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

And I did but didn't get a real firm answer. She recommended that I still calculate what the original liquid contained and record that as different meats and foods absorb differently. It wasn't long after my original post, though, that the situation changed. Still good information though.

I'm glad you found my "help" or lack of helpful. Some questions just do not have answers.

My cardiologist's idea to help me is to eat only raw fruit and vegetables ...I am non-compliant because I didn't take her idea seriously.

 

[JMediger]

You could make your own stock leaving out the salt and freeze it in manageable amounts. Stock cubes and similar stock concentrates aren't essential.

I make my own stock and that's what I use most of the time. But everything has natural sodium. Vegetable stock would be the lowest but even veggies have natural sodium. I needed to actually track how much sodium he was taking in so my own made it even harder. If I had to follow a low sodium diet now that didn't need to be carefully tracked, I would rely on my own cooking but at the time, it made it more difficult.

Anyway ... I appreciate everyone's feedback! It was hard at the time and I felt better when he was in the hospital and the dietitians struggled with what he could and couldn't eat from their own cafeteria. It somehow made me feel better.

 

[GotGarlic]

How VERY intellectually superior of you, GG.

That was sarcasm, MC. Since you're not constantly exposed to the extreme nutritionism (I just made that up) here in the United States, I can see why you wouldn't get it.