Low Sodium Diet

Food Sources and Recommendations

 

from the creators of Now You’re Cooking! Recipe Software

 

I have been on a low sodium diet for several years.  If you are starting a low sodium diet, you might find these sources helpful.  When I started my lo-so program, I thought I would have to give up Mexican food, which I love.  However, with some research and communication with vendors, I have found some excellent low sodium choices.  I will add more foods to this list as I find ones that are as deserving as those listed here.  I intend to list only the best-of-the-best low-sodium foods here.  Please try and enjoy these fine foods, and let me know if you find others that should be added to this list.  Gary Hauser  gehauser@loginetics.com

 

Cheese   Green Chiles   Fajita Seasoning   Salsa   Taco Shells

 

Also, the Healthy Heart Market offers a very wide variety of nutritious, low-sodium foods.  As we try some of them, we will likely add them to this list.

 

Cheese

 

Heluva Good Cheese Company makes an excellent white cheddar cheese with only 5 mg sodium per ounce!  I thought I would never be able to eat cheese again but the folks at Helluva Good have saved my life.  I order these by phone directly from HeluvaGood – about 16 lb at a time (packaged in 1 lb packages) and I go through it in no time.  We freeze about 12 lb and thaw it as we need it.  Ask for “Low Sodium Cheddar Cheese”.  You can contact them any of the following ways:

To place an order by phone, call 1-800-445-0269.

Questions? Call Heluva Good's Consumer Affairs Specialist at 1-888-611-4341 or email: consumeraffairs@heluvagood.com or write:

Heluva Good Cheese, 6551 Pratt Road, PO Box 410, Sodus, New York 14551    Phone:  (315) 483-6971   Fax:  (315) 483-9927

 

Other unsalted cheeses, such as mozzarella, can be found at MozzCo.com (use the Shop Online link, then click Low Salt Cheeses), or just try this direct link.

 

Green Chiles

 

Cannon Unlimited offers powerfully good, salt-free flame-roasted green chile peppers (0 mg sodium per 2 tbsp) that make a great addition to salsa, tortilla soup, fajitas, or tacos.  Sold in 16 oz jars.  Try the Plain Green Mild before you venture up to Plain Green Hot!  These are quite awesome – take my word for it.

 

Fajita Seasoning

 

The Spice Hunter makes a Fajita Seasoning Salt Free (0 mg sodium per ¼ teaspoon).  My wife discovered this great product – we recommend the fajita recipe that is on each jar of seasoning.  My kids eat these fajitas and they swear they are better than any they can get in a Mexican or gourmet restaurant anywhere.  When I make it, I use 3 chicken breasts, 1 large onion, 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, some green onions if I have them, 2.5 tablespoons of fajita seasoning (use 2 for mild, 3 for hot), a little less than 1/3 cup of canola oil, and 3 tablespoons of lime juice.  This is very close to the recipe on the jar but tweaked a little for my taste.  The Spice Hunter website wants $5.58 per 1.8 oz jar but you can find it elsewhere online for $3.79 (see Fajita Seasoning at MotherNature.com ).  We order it online in bulk (six 1.8 oz jars to a package).

 

Salsa

 

Summertime Products makes a spectacular fresh chunky salsa (mild, medium, or hot) with only 50 mg sodium per 2 tablespoons.  Most salsas have at least 210 mg per 2 tablespoons, and some have over 800 mg!  A 16 oz jar of this special salsa runs about $3.98.  Unfortunately, this salsa is being replaced by a new version of their salsa with 115-150 mg per 2 tablespoons (depending on whether you get mild, medium, or hot), which is still not bad but it is too much for me.  I know one place in Knoxville that has a few more jars of the low sodium version though -- email me if you want to know where.  I called up the company (owner Gerald Hawkins ) and inquired about it.  Mr. Hawkins is very personable and loves what he does.  He said the sodium content had to go up because of preservatives that FDA required.  But here is the good news.  He said that his dry mix salsa  is as good or better than the fresh mix, and he would work with me to mix it with whatever sodium content I wanted.  All you need to add is tomatoes, and you can use fresh tomatoes, so this sounds quite interesting.  You can buy the dry mix in some SE stores, or they will sell it to you by online order by the case (48 packages to the case and each package makes 28 oz).  Mr. Hawkins says email him if you want him to mix a lower sodium content, and he also said he might be willing to sell a 24 package “half case” if the demand is there.  So I am going to try this approach and let you know.   Here is their contact info:

 

Gerald Hawkins – President of Summertime Products

kwahpug@earthlink.net

Phone  (865) 947-8087  Fax (865) 938-1521  Cell (865) 310-3663

 

Here is a blurb from the Summertime website:
”Not only is Summertime® Gourmet Salsa an all-natural, gourmet salsa that is good for you, but it is handmade by cooks in the beautiful hill country of East Tennessee. Summertime® Gourmet Salsa is derived from a 100-year-old Hispanic family recipe.  Our Salsa was recognized by the Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival as one of the best new product from Southern Appalachia in 2003.”

 

Taco Shells

 

By far the best taco shells I have ever had are Food City’s own brand.  They have no sodium (0 mg sodium per shell) and are very tasty – thick and crunchy.  They come 12 per package.  Stick them in the microwave for about 30 seconds to heat them.

 

 

 

 

 

 By accessing or using this web site, you accept these Terms of Use

.

 Now You're Cooking! recipe software  webmaster@loginetics.com