Because this is a guide, let me take your hand and lead you into the world of low sodium living. With this workbook—full of weekly journaling, eating plans, and cooking-related activities—we’ll kick-start your new diet. Together. Step by step. Until your “low-so” life is oh so good.
Every week, you’ll use the suggested exercises to make small changes in your meals and habits. Nothing too scary or drastic, just tiny shifts to help you keep the foods and activities you love in your life versus cutting them out. Ultimately, you’re designing a low-sodium routine that works for you. By the end, your taste buds may still crave salt or a slice of pizza, but you will see big changes in your pantry, your confidence, and your enthusiasm—you will have created the foundation for many good low-so things to come. Feel free to begin these exercises as you read this book or once you’ve finished it. Remember you can always flip to a new section if you hit a high-sodium stumbling block. And don’t be afraid to recruit a friend (or a whole gang of pals!) to refresh eating habits along with you—a surplus of support, accountability, and creative thinking never hurt. So when you are ready, let’s jump in and do this.
A Word from Stephanie Weaver, Recent Low-So Convert and Founder of Recipe Renovator.
Research and my experience have shown that our taste buds adapt to low-sodium diets in two to three months, depending on the level of sodium that was eaten at the start. If you have been on a high-sodium diet full of processed foods, it may take you longer to adjust to this new way of eating. I tried to do it overnight, which I don’t recommend. And taking it step by step as Jessica suggests will make it far easier. But don’t get discouraged if food doesn’t taste quite as great for a few weeks. There will be a moment down the road when you bite into an organic cherry tomato and suddenly, pow! It tastes like the most incredible candy. That’s when you’ll know that your taste buds have healed and that low-sodium foods will start to taste better to you than in the past.
WEEK 1
This week is about prep work and gathering everything you need to make your low-sodium switch as easy and flavorful as possible.
Mental Game
Before you start eliminating sodium, you must understand where it already exists in your diet. Spend at least three days recording everything you eat, including drinks and the amount of table salt you use (measure it!). Then calculate the sodium content in the ingredients, recipes, and prepared meals you consumed by using the USDA National Nutrient Database, the USDA Super Tracker , and apps like Sodium Tracker. Make note of the ingredients or meals that surprised you most in terms of their sodium content, like:
Did you eat more sodium for breakfast than expected?
++ Was there an ingredient you eat daily that was higher in sodium than you thought?
++ Or, on the flip side, were there products and meals that were surprisingly low in sodium?
Routine Switch
Now let’s focus on the social side of eating, because when we eat out and with others, we tend to choose higher-sodium options and give in to high-sodium food traps. But don’t worry, you don’t need to cut out these outings. Just be aware of how often they occur on your social calendar and how they add to your weekly sodium intake. Then you’ll be prepared to make smart sodium choices. Spend one weekend observing your social eating habits and make note of:
++ How often did you eat out?
++ What was the sodium content of your meals outside of the house (including drinks)?
++ Were there any lower-sodium options available?
Take Note
Finally, let’s face your low-sodium “fears” head-on. Take a moment to think about what scares you most about a low-sodium diet and what you believe will be your biggest challenges, like:
++How to eat low-sodium while at work?
++ How to order at your favorite restaurant?
++ How to make low-sodium dinners during a busy week?
Then list proposed solutions, because the best way to overcome an obstacle is with a plan.
Extra-Credit Activities
Give yourself a leg up on this low-sodium journey by carrying out the following tasks:
++Clear the shelves and refrigerator of high-sodium items and packaged goods—get rid of temptation.
++ Head to the grocery store for a research trip to familiarize yourself with what’s available. Take your time and read every label.
++ Curl up with your computer, some favorite cookbooks, and food magazines and get inspired. Pick five recipes that excite you, even if they contain high-sodium ingredients. File them away—we’ll get to those later.
WEEK 2
This week, we’ll ease you into your low-sodium diet with a few changes at a time. But when it comes to introducing your palate to new flavors, we’re going to dive right in. Get ready to go on a taste adventure, and to use your new discoveries to help replace high sodium favorites in your daily routine.
Mental Game
Start transforming those taste buds with a test-drive. This week, make one meal each day featuring a vegetable or spice you’ve never used before. Explore uncharted food territory, and then write down:
++Which new flavors and textures did you enjoy?
++ What meal or meals did you like best and why?
++ Were there dishes where you still craved salt? If you answer yes, note what you would try next time to boost the taste of the dish (other than salt).
Routine Switch
This week, overcome a big sodium challenge—workday lunch. Whether you go out for lunch and order something lower in sodium or bring meals with you to the office, make a point to avoid high-sodium choices. Make note of the following:
++Your favorite low-sodium lunch creations.
++ The meals that felt the most difficult to make or were the most unsatisfying.
++ How you will avoid unsuccessful lunches next time.
++ Your ideas for making work lunches easier, tastier, and less time-consuming.
Take Note
At least one day this week, write down everything you eat. Tally up the sodium amounts. See where you made the greatest changes and where high-sodium food still poses a challenge. Write down the answers to the following questions:
++How do you plan to avoid high sodium next week?
++ What are you enjoying about your low-sodium diet?
++ What do you miss most about your old diet?
++ What are your own ideas to help fill those lifestyle and food gaps?
Extra-Credit Activities
Do some prep work. Spend Sunday filling your fridge with vegetables, proteins, grains, and leafy greens to use for lunches and dinners all week long. Does this make your low-sodium meals easier and tastier?
Explore more. Take one simple recipe (tacos, rice bowls, pasta, or a frittata) and make it every night that week, using different ingredients and spices to transform the dish. Focus on discovering new flavor combinations and cuisines.
Redo a recipe. Do you crave Grandma’s famous casserole or a recipe from one of your favorite cookbooks? Whatever the dish, try giving it a low-sodium makeover of your own by substituting low-sodium ingredients and spices.
WEEK 3
Have you noticed that the challenges are becoming less daunting and you’re starting to feel like a low-so pro? This week, we’ll refine all those low-sodium skills you’re mastering and continue to practice overcoming high-sodium obstacles with our newfound tools: Creativity and confidence.
Mental Game
If you miss snacking and midday salty treats, don’t just reach for the bag of potato chips. Make a list of low-sodium snacking swaps. Use resources like Pinterest, kid-focused cookbooks and blogs (schoollunches are full of great ideas!), and other special-diet sites for inspiration. Prepare some new low-sodium snacks for your week ahead. Maybe even take a few pictures of your favorite bites and share them on Pinterest. Now who’s the expert?!
Routine Switch
If eating outside your home seems scary, practice makes perfect. Plan a dinner out with friends. Use your low-sodium dining tools (see page 100) to prepare for a smooth meal. Then write down your thoughts about the experience:
++What surprised you most—the food, the service, your friends’ reactions?
++What would you do differently next time?
++What restaurant do you want to try next?
Take Note
One day this week, write down everything you ate and, once again, tally up those sodium amounts. See where you made the greatest changes and which high- sodium foods still pose a challenge.
Extra-Credit Activities
Did you discover a great low-sodium product on the Internet and wish it was in your local market? This week, meet with a store manager and ask if they can carry the product for you. Do you miss going to your favorite local spot, like a pizza joint or sandwich shop? Make a date with the restaurant manager and ask what kind of deal you might be able to work out so you can continue to be a loyal customer and eat low-sodium. You never know what’s possible if you don’t ask. And you might end up with a personalized pizza or sub on the menu.
WEEK 4
Do you realize you’ve reached the last week of your low-sodium switch? All the hard work of the past three weeks will truly make the low-sodium days, weeks, months, and years ahead easier, tastier, and better than you could have ever imagined. Let’s celebrate.
Mental Game
Even though your taste buds may still be adjusting, hopefully you have realized that your life need not be any less flavorful or fabulous than before. You’ve become an expert of sorts, not only on sodium but on cooking real, good food, too. So pat yourself on the back and brag a little bit about your accomplishments this month:
++What was the most difficult cooking skill you attempted (and mastered)?
++ What was the most terrifying ingredient you bravely used (and ate)?
++ What was the best low-sodium dish you ate or cooked (and devoured)?
Routine Switch
Low-sodium food need not be consumed alone. Remember, we’re talking fresh, flavor-forward food that anyone would enjoy. So it’s time to invite friends, coworkers, and loved ones to taste your delicious low-sodium food creations. And this week, whether it is a work lunch or a small dinner party, take the leap and host your first low-so get-together. You cook, they eat, everyone wins.
Take Note
When you share your low-sodium meals with your friends, pay attention to their reactions. Sure, they may miss the salt. But they may also notice the interesting textures, the beautiful colors, and unfamiliar spices you used. Write down their feedback and use it to boost flavor the next time around as well as to boost your confidence.
Extra-Credit Activities
One of the easiest ways to eat well away from your home is by teaching your friends and loved ones how to cook low-sodium, too. And you can kick-start their low-sodium adventures with a fun, themed potluck, like an Iron Chef No-Salt Battle or an off-season Thanksgiving dinner. Or by using any of the recipes in this book. Assign guests to different parts of the meal and then give them confidence by educating them and encouraging their creativity. Help them understand what to avoid and, most important, which lowsodium substitutes and ingredients they can use. Be sure to provide favorite low-sodium websites, resources, and your own tips. Then let everyone gather around your table and dig in. Not only will you find joy in making good food for those you love, but your crew of family and friends will now have all the information, skills, and recipes they need to provide low-sodium food for you, too.
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