Food help!

[corilannam]

My mother is here visiting me for two weeks, after not having seen me for almost nine years. I have not previously mentioned this because it's been a source of immense stress for quite a while now, and every entry I started about it inevitably devolved into "ICANTDOTHISOMGWTFAAAAAARGH!"

She came on Saturday, and so far it's been okay (other than finding her sitting alone and silent in the dark when I came home from ndannais's graduation last night, because she couldn't figure out how to work the lights or TV. Other issues come and go, as expected.

The one practical issue I'm having is how to feed her. My usual fare is whatever I can make fit on my WW plan, but my mother has blood pressure problems and can't eat very much sodium. She went through my entire kitchen last night, pointing out what had too much sodium in it, and it turns out it was... pretty much everything. I can do low fat, low calorie, low carb, low flavor, but low sodium I'm having a problem with.

So, can anyone recommend any resources for tasty but low sodium foods/recipes? Preferably low fat and calorie as well? That has flavor, if that's not asking too much? I'm googling, but any recommendations for known successes (personal or secondhand) would be greatly appreciated.

Barring that, send valium (that one's for me).

Comments

[mzcalypso.livejournal.com]

Almost any fresh veggies. Most groceries have a low-salt shelf for folks with sodium-related bp problems, and if they don't have sodium-substitute seasoning you can find that at a health-food store.

One friend of mine swears by using a can of low-sodium chicken broth diluted with the same amount of water to cook rice in. Steam the fresh veggies and toss -- if you're meat-eaters you can steam some chicken or fish and have that with it. Carrots steam well.

Pretty much any veg can be microwave-steamed by using a covered dish and a couple tablespoons of water, just be sure to nuke 'em in short bursts and stir so they cook evenly... and you can throw the water into the rice to conserve the vitamins. A squeeze of lemon juice adds flavor to veggies, and as others have said, Mrs Dash is good, too. A baked or mashed potato is filling and low-sodium--she can use unsalted butter (not low-fat but you're not talking long-term diet, here.) Go for herbs--dill and parsley add vitamins and flavor with nothing much in the way of fat.

Plain old celery actually has something in it that helps regulate blood pressure. I'd heard this, passed it on to a client with serious bp/kidney problems, and he told me his internist had confirmed it. And it's crunchy and has lots of flavor.

You have my sympathy! Two weeks is a long time to cater to someone else's dietary requirements, especially as it sounds like she gave you no warning.

Good luck!

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I've used the chicken-broth-in-rice trick before, but I'd forgotten about it. Definitely trying that again.

And yeah, two weeks is a while to go without getting boring. I did know that she was watching her sodium, I just didn't know quite how extreme it was until she got here and started talking numbers....

[mzcalypso.livejournal.com]

Um.. I don't mean to pick on your mother, but since she's the one with dietary strictures, how about she makes you a grocery list and you just buy her the food to cook for herself? I'm vegetarian, so I know what a nuisance it can be, which is why I will sometimes nip off to a grocery store and pick up meatless provisions if I'm visiting omnivores. Unless your mom's an invalid or otherwise impaired, her nutrition is her responsibility.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

She does have some mobility problems, so I don't expect her to go shopping on her own, but alas, the grocery list she gave me doesn't give me a huge amount to work with. Believe it or not, there are only so many entrees that can be made with tomatoes, egg whites, oatmeal, and Wasa crackers....

I may drag her to Trader Joe's tonight, though, and tell her to find at least a week's worth of dinner possibilities. *g*

[mzcalypso.livejournal.com]

Your mom's got the glass-is-almost-empty menu. My sister had a kidney infection when we were kids, and my mother flipped out trying to figure out what to feed her until the doctor told her to just cut out snacks and condiments and processed foods. You can't completely avoid sodium, but your heart can't beat without iit, either. Everybody needs some!

Doesn't your mom like veggies? Avocados! Garlic! Onions! Tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans (toast a few almonds in a T of butter, drizzle on the beans, yum!) zucchini, summer squash, asparagus, peas, beets, parsnips, corn, yams, potatoes, peppers, turnips, spinach - pretty much any veg frozen without added salt - all sorts of salad with a little balsamic vinegar, mushrooms, celery, bok choy, chicken, fish, apples, pears, strawberries or any other fruit frozen w/out additives.. Unsalted popcorn!

here are a couple of medically-oriented sites on low-sodium food:

http://www.nwkidney.org/images/website/docs/nutrition/lowsodium.htm
http://www.chfpatients.com/rec/recipes.htm
http://www.ndif.org/na9.html

That last one has specific sodium content for common foods -- 25mg for a carrot or a whole ear of corn vs. 225-400 for a slice of bologna, or 0 for balsamic vinegar vs 500-2000 for soy sauce!

Boy, will I be paying attention when I fix dinner tonight...