Competing Diets

[thecorfiot]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post. Please be gentle!

I have been a type 2 diabetic for around 30 years. Cutting out sugar was never a real challenge. I much prefer savoury food in general.

At the beginning of February this year, I was admitted to hospital, suffering from Pneumonia. During the various tests undertaken, it was discovered that I had dilated cardiomyopathy. To be honest, Unless the doctors had told me, I would never have known. In essence, my heart is apparently working at around 30%.

Of all the things I have had to cope with, cutting out salt all together has probably been the hardest. (Yes, I know that much of what one buys contains salt to varying degrees).

My wife is an excellent cook and we have always eaten healthily. We never eat 'convenience' food. I have found this restriction a real pain. I have been told that I will get used to no salt. I simply don't think that I ever will at the age of 70. Vegetables that are boiled without a pinch of salt in the water are simple tasteless. We don't add salt after cooking. The thought of not being able to dine out in case food contains salt is truly depressing.

I am sure I am not unique. I was wondering how others with more than one diet restriction cope. In fairness, some meats eg chicken and fish taste the same as we would never have added salt to them, However, vegetables generally taste the same - tasteless! Roasted peppers and onions have some flavour though and are a pleasant exception!

Thanks for letting me vent my frustration.

[Chappychap]

Following a bypass operation I significantly reduced my salt intake. Previously I used to add lots of salt to everything, even with heavily seasoned restaurant food I'd add salt. At first it was hard going as everything tasted bland, but after a few months it became easier.

I'll add more pepper now, and I also tend to go for spicier dishes where you don't miss the salt so much.

But in my case the incentive is certainly there to stay away from salt. My blood pressure dropped when I started taking medication after the bypass, but it dropped about the same again when I stopped eating salt, and then it took another (but smaller drop) as I started aerobic exercise and lost weight. So for me reducing salt in my diet had delivered as much of a blood pressure reduction as my medication, and MORE blood pressure reduction than I've achieved with 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week and the attendant weight loss.

At the end of the day it's all about personal choices, the way I look at I can have tastier food or I can have five or ten additional years of healthy, active life. However, I can't have both. Personally, I've chosen life but it's up to everyone to make their own decision.

[Lezzers]

Try cooking with herbs & spices, we've not used salt for over 20 years now & don't miss it at all.

[MAYORRR in reply to Lezzers]

Kindly recommend some herbs and spices you use.

[Lezzers in reply to MAYORRR]

If you Google cooking with herbs there's lots of advice & recipes for herbs. Thyme, oregano, rosemary basil etc are very good to use, chives & mint are also very good. If you're able to grow them yourself, there's nothing nicer than picking them from your garden as you need them. Most, if not all herbs can be grown in pots, if fact mint should be grown only in a pot as it spreads like wildfire & chives seem to grow anywhere & everywhere!! If you can get hold of Greek basil that is particularly nice to use. Pepper is a good substitute too. If you go to your local supermarket there is always a spice/herb aisle & these have instructions on them on which foods to use with them but it's always good to experiment.

[jimmyq in reply to Lezzers]

We have avoided salt for a year now. We don't miss it much any more. We don't tend to have veg as separate items, they are in whatever we cook, e.g. curries, chillies, Italian food, Greek food, Thai food, etc. If you make them tasty enough salt isn't needed.

[Lezzers in reply to jimmyq]

If you steam veg rather than boil them you really can taste their different flavours & textures. Like you, we don't miss salt at all, the only downside is sometimes you can taste the salt when dining out. I think most restaurants rely more on herbs & spices these days, however we went to the local pub for a carvery last week which was very nice but was spoilt by the very salty gravy which we'd poured quite liberally over everything!!

[Love100cats]

I posted a week or so ago for help particularly with cod. I had some good responses which you might be able to find. I use garlic, ginger, coriander and other herbs, chilies, I had cod today with Chile rice and kidney beans. No salt! It was good! I steam more even my chicken and fish because the taste is more concentrated. Just keep trying. It's made a difference to my heart function.

[thecorfiot in reply to Love100cats]

Thanks for the suggestions. As I said in my original post, fish is not a problem as we never add salt to it. We do add chilli whenever possible to a lot of dishes. Things like rice, potatoes and pasta cause me a problem with my diabetes as they are carbohydrates which convert to sugar. I try to eat as much protein as possible because of this.

[Love100cats]

My husband is insulin dependent diabetes too. It is so hard to get the balance right but common sense tells you that you must try to eat well. I'm sure you'll get more posts.

[thecorfiot in reply to Love100cats]

Thank you. You obviously appreciate the difficulties with conflicting diets. We have always eaten well.

[Karenpr]

Try cooking veg in a vegetable stock there are salt free ones. Add herbs, oregano, thyme, etc. Experiment till you find the ones you like. Add spices to dishes, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, curry powder. Start with small pinches and build up. I’ve never cooked with salt, I do add milled pepper tho. My view has always been everyone else can add their own salt afterwards and strangely no one in our family does.

[Qualipop]

No matter how I cook, my husband still adds half a teaspoon of salt to evry meal. He can't see how much he's putting on and is diabetic with raised BP. SO I stopped using salt in cooking about 20 years ago and have never missed it. I use lots of herbs and spices instead which increase flavours.

Why on earth should your age make a difference to whether you can cut out salt? I changed our diet completely at 70. My husband would live on pies, meat and potatoes. We now have a mostly Mediterranean diet with mountains of veg which I used to hate.

[thecorfiot in reply to Qualipop]

I am 70 too! As we live much of the year in Greece, we too exist very much on a Mediterranean diet. That in itself can be an issue when dining out as Greeks love salt! It is not as bad as it used to be due to the number of northern European visitors. We have rarely added salt after food is cooked. Thanks for your comment.

[shopman]

We cut out salt the easy way - threw the container out and have never replaced it. Didn't take too long to get used to it.

[Hidden]

I really think it depends on the person. I never have used salt but my hubby salts everything before he tastes it. He even salts his salad!!! I have heard people who quit salt say later that they can no longer stand salty things. I used to be a pepsi drinker, I gave up all soft drinks and now I dont like the taste of what I once loved.

Maybe you need to convince yourself adding salt is like rust on your car. I think if you tell yourself it will be ok, eventually your taste buds will agree😉

Good luck with all of it. Im 66, and learning aging is not for the faint hearted( no pun intended!!!)

[thecorfiot in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your reply. I don't like salty things either but despite what others have said, slat as a flavour enhancer with vegetables is essential in my humble opinion. At the age of 70, I don't think that my taste buds will ever agree! Having said that, I am persevering as is my wife!

[SamLab]

I suffer from kidney disease so salt for me is bad!!! I also don't buy a lot of processed food and make my own dishes you do get used to not having salt on everything in fact I can always tell when food has salt added and it does spoil the taste for me having got used to low salt meals, although there are some thing I add a little salt to especially chicken and chips!

It takes time but your taste buds to get used to less salt I use loads of fresh ground pepper on most things which add flavour so I really don't miss the salt. We recently bought a sea salt grinder it releases so much salt that I can't use it it completely ruins food for me! I don't add salt to cooking so when visitors come for tea i can have my normal salt free food but visitors can if they wish add it at the table. Diet for me is crucial to staying fit and well giving up salt to stay fit and healthy has been a small price to pay friends and family know and understand and adjust their cooking by putting salt on the table not in the food!

Persevere your taste buds will adjust I now find that (most!) food tastes better without adding salt!

[thecorfiot in reply to SamLab]

Thank you for replying to me. I completely understand why you would avoid salt, given your condition. I understand what you say about adding pepper. Trust me, I do! However, most vegetables cooked without a pinch of salt to enhance the flavour are simply ugh! Please don't get me started on steamed vegetables! The only good thing about them IMHO is that they are invariably al dente (questionable spelling!)

[SamLab in reply to thecorfiot]

Have you tried the low salt you can buy i've not tried it but given your other dietary restrictions might be worth giving it a try!!

[Lezzers in reply to SamLab]

Lo salt products are usually high in potassium, I would ask your medical teams advice before using any salt substitutes. My husbands nurse advised us not to use them as my husband does occasionally have potassium issues.

[SamLab in reply to Lezzers]

Didn't know that thanks for the heads up!

[Violymay]

My Dad used to quote “Add salt, add poison”. Unfortunately, he was a ‘heavy’ smoker and died suddenly, aged 63, from a heart attack due to athero- schlerosis.

[thecorfiot]

I would like to say , "Thank you!" for all the replies. I think that most have concentrated upon the 'demon' salt.

As I said in my original post, my issue is compounded by diabetes. Those unfamiliar with diabetes may not be aware that carbohydrates should generally be avoided. Eg Potatoes, rice, bread and pastas. What with that and avoiding salt, it makes for a pretty boring diet. Thankfully fish is a great option. (We had 800g of sardines for Saturday dinner - an absolute delight! As for chicken and turkey, I like both but they can get boring after a while. I am surprised that I haven't sprouted feathers or gills!

[Lezzers in reply to thecorfiot]

Could you ask a dietician for advice? There must be many people who are in the same position as you, maybe a diabetes forum could help with further advice. We eat a lot of fish plus chicken & turkey with the skin off before cooking. Salmon, seabass etc is lovely on a bed of Mediterranean vegtables. Chicken cooked in lemon juice is also good or with oranges obviously factoring in the natural sugar in fruit.

[Jack2019]

Just a little suggestion, there is some current research on the harms and benefits of salt. My understanding is processed salt,table salt, found in abundance in prepared foods is what's causing problems for people. If you cook with unprocessed salt, eg. Rock salt that you grind, it is beneficial to human health. I think the right kind of salt, in the right amounts helps not harms.

[Hidden in reply to Jack2019]

That makes sense