Easy low-sodium cooking?

I have Meniere's too and find that all those easy fix, premixed stuff is pretty loaded with salt. I pretty much changed how and what I cook. I rely mostly on spices and herbs when I cook and use my microwave a lot more than I used to. I read somewhere that microwave cooking is really better for you because the food retains more of its nutrients. However, bread products seem to get very "chewy" when heated in the microwave and meat gets tough, so I don't use it for those things. I'm retired now so time is not an issue, but when I was working I relied a lot on my crock pot. It was a life-saver! Kinda like having a cook prepare it because when I got home from work, there it was, all cooked to perfection and ready to eat! Something else I discovered was that because of medication I was taking for high blood pressure, my potassium levels were low, which make you retain fluids. So now I always have fruit at least once a day--mostly bananas but some other things too. Even people who aren't on the blood pressure meds can have low levels of potassium so you might want to check that. Also, I was noticing that some meats naturally have sodium in them. I cooked some chicken one day, got some of the drippings on my finger, so I licked it off (Yum!) and it was salty! I'm still eating chicken however, because our body still needs some salt. Besides, it's almost impossible to eliminate every bit of it. The hospital came close one time though, they served me salt free chicken noodle soup and it had absolutely no taste whatsoever! It was kinda like when you have a bad cold and can't taste--yuk! They could at least have put onion in it. And I don't know how noodles could be totally tasteless either, but they were.

Low Salt Party Mix Recipe Serves 14 1/4 cup acceptable margarine 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 cup small unsalted pretzel sticks 1/2 cup puffed rice 1 cup spoon-size shredded wheat 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts Melt margarine in non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic powder and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and toss together. Serve warm. For a slightly different taste, use walnuts, pecans or a mixture of nuts in place of peanuts. For a sweeter taste, use 1/4 cup raisins in place of the garlic powder. Calories: 76 kcal Protein: 2 gm Carbohydrates: 5 gm Total Fat: 6 gm Saturated Fat: 1 gm Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 gm Monounsaturated Fat: 3 gm Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 4 mg Potassium: 86 mg Calcium: 11 mg ------------------- Savory Beef Stew - Low Sodium Recipe A rich, hearty stew perfect for crisp fall nights! · Vegetable oil spray · 2½ pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into chunks · 2 tablespoons vegetable oil · 1 cup finely chopped onion · 2 teaspoons thyme · 1 teaspoon marjoram · 1 bay leaf, broken in half · 7½ cups canned low-sodium beef broth · 1 pound red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into chunks · 1 cup sliced carrots · 1 8-ounce package mushrooms, quartered · 1 cup diced red bell pepper · ½ cup thinly sliced green onion · 6 tablespoons cornstarch · ¼ cup no-salt-added tomato paste · 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning · ½ teaspoon salt · ¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper Preheat broiler. Lightly spray a broiler pan with vegetable spray. Arrange meat in pan; broil meat until thoroughly browned, about 5 minutes on each side. Place oil in a large nonstick stockpot. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add meat and any pan juices plus 1 teaspoon of thyme, marjoram, bay leaf, and 5½ cups of broth. Cover and simmer until meat is tender, about 1½ hours. Stir in potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. Add bell pepper and green onion. In a bowl, combine remaining 2 cups of broth, cornstarch, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon of thyme, Italian herb seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir to mix well and pour into stew. Increase heat setting to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, remove bay leaf, and serve hot. Makes 12 one-cup servings. Nutritional Analysis per Serving: 242 Calories, 21 g Protein, 19 g Carbohydrate, 9 g Total Fat, 3 g Saturated Fat, 2 g Polyunsaturated Fat, 3g Monounsaturated Fat, 47 mg Cholesterol, 185 mg Sodium. ----------------- Velvet Crumb Cake 1 1/2 c Baking Mix 1/2 c Sugar 1/2 c Skim Milk 2 T Unsalted Butter 1 t Vanilla 1 Egg ------- Topping 1/2 c Coconut 1/3 c Brown Sugar 1/4 c Unsalted Pecans 3 T Unsalted Butter 2 T Skim Milk Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round pan. Beat all ingredients except topping in large bowl on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed 4 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; cool slightly. Stir topping ingredients together. Spread over cake. Set oven control to Broil. Broil about 3 inches from heat about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 8 Servings -------------------------- Mexican Grilled Shrimp 1 lb Large Shrimp,Peeled 2 T Lime Juice 1 T Honey 1/2 t Cilantro 1/2 t Cumin 1/4 t Garlic Powder Combine all ingredients in a zipped plastic bag. Turn to coat shrimp well. Marinate at least 2 hours. Grill or saute until done. Yield: 8 Servings

This is because the hypothalamus in the brain, which governs the central nervous system and many other functions in the body, is very sensitive to changes in routine. So when we sleep in late, stop or start exercising or eat irregularly – as is common on the weekend – this can disrupt the function of the hypothalamus, triggering headaches and migraine. Try to eat every three hours and sleep for roughly the same amount of time every night.