Low Sodium Diet

Stay away from packaged food!! If you cook from whole foods at home, you will have absolutely NO problem meeting those sodium goals.

As for shopping, stick with the perimeter of the store to stay away from packaged foods, like others have said. Salt is something we crave and it's also a very cheap way to add flavor and a preservative so it's used a ton!

Ask your doctor, but I'd also recommend getting rid of iodized table salt and use kosher salt for cooking since it can be easier to avoid over salting because of the large grains. (Dr may have a health reason not to do that so double check.)

Just saw a headline yesterday that Chicken McNuggets in the U.S. have almost 3 times the salt as ones in the U.K., so clearly the U.S. has a problem with salt.

When you eat out, again just stick with the freshest ingredients/whole foods and ask for any and all sauces/dressings on the side. For salads use oil and vinegar (yes vinegar has salt, but I think still less than dressing). A lot of restaurants have heart healthy menus now, so look for those. Do some research and only go to restaurants you trust. If you're traveling and have the option, maybe hit a healthy grocery store for their salad or soup or prepared foods bars.

A great resource for all food nutrition is the nutrition data site. You can look up any food, including popular brands and chain restaurant meals. Check it out! http://nutritiondata.self.com/

Good luck and all the best!

I am not sure about eating out, but my husband is a big fan of finding recipes that are knock offs of famouse food to cook at home. We love Chipotle but last year we moved to a place where the nearest one is hours away. In my opinion, the rice is what makes the burrito, so we use this recipe taken from Chipotlefan.com. you can even omit the salt entirely! Also, if you every use canned beans instead of dried beans, rinse them before you heat them up. Most of the sodium that is on the can label rinses right down the drain!

Recipe #1 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter
2 tsp. fresh cilantro
2/3 cup white basmati rice
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Lime

In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Add rice and lime juice, stir for 1 minute. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil. At boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.

[bahs-MAH-tee]
Basmati is a long-grained rice, with a fine texture. It can be found in Middle Eastern and India markets, as well as some supermarkets.

I went low sodium over 30 yrs ago because I was taking a Rx that made me retain fluids. I feel great and rarely ever have swollen anything.
Read every label on every food you buy from now on. The only breakfst cereal I eat is Shredded Wheat or oatmeal. I don't buy processed foods such as jared/canned spaghetti sauce, soups, frozen dinners, ect. The only thing I buy pre-packaged is mac and cheese -- and I only eat that a few times a year and that usually involves a grandchild eating with me.

Do all you grocery shopping on the outside aisles of the store. Outside aisles are produce, dairy, meat, and bakery. Cook all of your meals from scratch. Adding a little salt as part of the seasoning while cooking is usually okay. Celery SEED is a good substitute for salt. You learn as you go that adding celery, green peppers, onions, and spices such as oregeno, basil ect will add so much flavor to your diet that you won't miss the salt. also stay away from MSG lots of salt.

You might want to check Ruby Tuesday's.

Restaurants to definitely avoid:
PF Changg's
The Cheesecake Factory

My husband is a physician and works mostly with the elderly and has to deal a lot with patients on low sodium diets. He had to get to the bottom of what a low sodium diet really looked like and began reading labels and researching it. And together we came up with only one way to truly eat low sodium: Prepare your own foods with emphasis on plant based ingredients (fruits, vegetables, and grains), skip or use sparingly almost all processed (like cheese) and canned foods. Unfortunately the diet that got you into this mess is not the diet you can stay on. I recommend you start most of your mornings off with a fruit shake. I mix some costco frozen fruits in with some fresh ones, some yogurt and sweeten lightly sweeten with juice or dates or really any form of sugar, just don't over do it. I personally lost a lot of salt cravings when I switched to a fruit shake for breakfast. Oatmeal with fruit is great too. Reserve weekends for eggs, but learn to make a delicious scramble with vegetables and skip the bacon.
Those are some specifics, but Its so hard to have to make a change like this overnight. I think its best to make changes gradually and learn one recipe at a time to change your cooking style, but sounds like you have to make a 180. You are likely going to feel deprived and thats the hurdle that you really need to overcome. The best way to overcome it is to be inspired and motivated. Here are some of my suggestions to develop a positive attitude about the new diet you need to embrace. Don't just read low sodium cook books, but also try these for inspiration: Super Foods Rx (this book lists the top supper foods and explains what they do for your body to inspire you to enjoy things you may have otherwise considered boring like; broccoli, walnuts, squash, apples....
Also if you can find a show on the BBC called "You are what you eat". The premise is that it takes some of England's worst eaters and puts them on an 8 week fast of all they can eat of fruits, veg, whole grains, legumes (no sugar, alcohol, meat, dairy, gluten, caffeine, or anything processed). It shows not just the struggle these people have to make such radical change but then shows the transformation that this 8 week fast can do not just for their weight, but their whole attitude and countenance seems transformed. Aliments and health issues, and vitamin deficiencies vanish. In other words can give you a glimpse into what all the "deprivation" can actually offer you in improved health, energy, improved mood, appearance, ......
In summary, look for ways to motivate yourself, and build yourself up in a new life style, not just go through the motions of a low sodium diet. Best of luck.
Yes, you can eat out for a treat, but transition to preparing most of our own food. Take a look at on- line menus before hand to learn what sort of foods you will need to gravitate towards and which foods you will need to avoid.

We just bought one of the low sodium salts at the grocery store.

You can buy low sodium canned foods. And nearly all foods are low in sodium if you don't add salt when cooking. You can add seasonings instead of salt. Use the same recipes you already use. Just omit the salt. Experiment with various herbs and spices. You'll find low sodium herb and spice combinations in the spice section of the super market.

I've noticed that some restaurant chains list nutritional values on their menu. I suggest that you can find some items that are lower in sodium. I can't think of any names right now.

It takes awhile to get used to low sodium eating. Be patient with yourself as you try different ways of cooking and eating.