Un régime sans sel, sans sucre, sans vin

[lorna]

I wasn't sure whether to put this in the food or health section but as this is not paticularly about french food I opted for this section.

During my stay in hospital last week for tests, I was given some cortisone treatment and I am now on a salt free, sugar free (and wine and cheese free) diet.[+o(].

I love salt on my food and am finding everything tasteless. Although giving up sugar, cheese and alcohol especially wine is difficult that is not quite so bad for me as giving up salt. I never realised how much salt does enhance/add to the taste of food. I can't even have bread that has been made with salt added.

I am allowed all meats (except processed/charcuterie) and all vegetables. Oil and salt-free butter are also ok.

If anyone has some good recipes for flavouring food without using salt I would be grateful for them.[:)]

[Benjamin]

Try giving it a bit of time for your taste buds to get used to not having salt added to your foods.

When eating out I notice how salty and, in general, not very pleasant tasting some dishes can be.

And think how much healthier you'll be.  [:D]

[lorna]

I hope you are right Benjamin, that is what I am hoping.[:)]. In the meantime I am suffering just a little.[:(]

[Nell]

Chilli flakes or curry powder puts a zing into most meat and veg......

If you are missing salt that much, check with your hospital/dietitian - can you use soya sauce??? , this has a salty taste

Another changing the taste of something boring - Add some grated nutmeg to plain old cauliflour, takes away the need for cheese sauce (Well nearly [:)] )

Good Luck

[WJT]

I agree about the chilli powder to give it some zing but you could also try garlic and/or onion powder.

Beware though you may be forced to give something else up. [:)]

[Kitty]

I have been "salt free" for almost three years, after a stay in hospital.  And had to be alcohol, sugar, salt and  fat free.It was really difficult at first, but your tastebuds will adjust - to the point where you will realise that most foods prepared foods, and bread, only taste of salt.

Soy sauce is a definite no-no - liquid salt in a bottle.   I use herbs and spices all the time for flavouring and  lemon juice.  There are good websites for salt free cooking.  I also buy salt free and sugar free crackers (Auga).   I have found tinned tuna without salt - but generally there is not much available - it has to be home cooking.   Most boulangeries are willing to have salt/sugar free bread to order. 

Don't use the lo-salt - I was told too much potassium and bad for your kidneys. 

Good luck. 

[mint]

Lorna, poor old you, but think how much healthier you're going to be.

I find mustard powder is also very good for giving a bland meat, say, chicken plenty of taste.

[lorna]

Thank you all for the replies and suggestions.

I tried a bit of paprika on a hard-boiled egg today but it didn't seem to make a difference. I do use nutmeg a bit Nell and that does enhance a white sauce. I have a recipe for a non-salt seasoning which uses some of the spices suggested and will try that at some point. WJT [:$]. I thought I had a tin of tuna that would be ok but the nutritional breakdown on the tin showed that the salt content was high, Kitty, yes I have looked up a few things and also discovered that the lo-salt product can cause potassium problems. At least I am allowed fats in the form of oil and unsalted butter. Sweets, some mustard is allowed but I'll have to be careful as the diet sheet says 'en quantité raisonnable'.

[Christine Animal]

It says here http://www.homeoint.org/seror/regime/sanssel.htm

"Le sel ordinaire de table ou de cuisine, peut être remplacé par du sel de régime que l'on demandera à son Pharmacien ou dans un magasin de diététique."

 

[lorna]

Thanks Christine, that's an interesting link. I've had a look at that list and my list does have differences - for example I am allowed beef and pork whereas they are 100% excluded on Dr Séror's list. I'm not sure why that should be unless it is the overall balance that is important.

[lorna]

According to my list, vinegar is ok. Does anyone know if balasamic vinegar is likely to be ok? It seems too tasty to be permitted! Also is wine vinegar likely to have much alcohol content?

[mint]

Lorna, I have just checked the ingredients on both my dark balsamic and pale balsamic vinegars.

Both say viniagre de vin and something called "moût de raisin" (the dictionary says "wort" so no help for me there!), then the usual antioxidants and sulphate and potassium.

So, I would hazard the guess that there are miniscule amounts of alcohol and some sulphate and potassium salts but not necessarily sodium.

You'd have to drink glasses of the vinegar, I would imagine, before you could ingest significant amounts of alcohol or salt.

BTW, about the pork and beef; I do find that if I cook these meats in my slow-cooking bois charbon oven, they taste quite salty even though I do not add salt.  I remember reading somewhere that pork especially has naturally occurring salt.

Hope that helps and that the regime is not too unpleasant.

[lorna]

Thanks Sweets. As it happens we have pork for tea - it's on my list as ok but I do wonder.[8-)]. I've found a recipe that doesn't need added salt or sweet things I think.

I've been eating porridge sans sucre for breakfast. Breakfast cereals are not allowed. My list allows 1 coffee spoon of sugar per day and this morning I added half a teaspoon to my porridge and it tasted much better.[:)]

Definitely finding the sans vin a bit difficult. I do like my glass or two of vin in the evening.[:(]

[Kitty]

Lorna, I don't worry too much about using 1 tbspn of soy (reduced salt!), and a tbspn of honey very occasionally to a marinade with a wine vinegar - for a family quantity it's not going to do you much harm.  Or a "sprinkle" of balsamic now & then.  It certainly doesnt seem to make any difference to all the regular tests I have.  I sometimes have shredded wheat (not a great fan!) which has no added sugar or salt.  The no sugar drinks are the most difficult, although it is improving here - Carrefour have NAS lemonade.   I hold my hand up to having Tesco NAS squashes brought out by friends coming by car, & you can order most of above bits, and other salt/sugar free from British Corner Shop.   Try Canderel powder artificial sweetner for porridge - you can cook with it too.  

[mint]

Bon courage, Lorna.

I wouldn't worry too much about the salt in pork or other meats as I don't think naturally occurring salts necessarily have the same effects as added salt.

Do you cook your porridge in water or milk or a mixture of both?  Milk, for instance, contains lactose which is a sugar and I find it plenty sweet enough without added sugar or honey.

If you're allowed fruits, grapes, pears, apples, plums, all have naturally occurring sugars and fructose is also readily available to the body but not in the way that added sugar does.

I'm no bio chemist, but it seems to me that sugars and salt in natural and untampered foodstuffs don't seem to cause the harm that salt in processed foodstuffs do.  For example, salt in meat if cooked by yourself is nothing like the amount added to, say, tinned or processed meat products.

I think both the amounts and type of salt are different and cannot be compared like for like.  If we think about people in past times eating meat and fruit and veg and who worked hard physically, they didn't seem to have suffered these "diseases of modern society" we hear so much about these days.

If 5 element is about, she would know about all this much more than I do.  Let's just hope that she sees your thread and comes to give you some advice.

But don't mention anything to do with wine to me; I have been on the wagon for over a month now and I can vouchsafe for the fact that it doesn't get any better.

I'm making up the shortfall in carbohydrates by eating chocolate but I daresay the day will come when I shall have to limit that as well..........gggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhh!

All best wishes for your régime and for the improvement in your health.[:D]

 

[lorna]

Hi Kitty,   yes we are using a bit of balsamic vinegar - not too much. I was trying to steer clear of honey but perhaps a little in the dressing will be ok. I don't like shredded wheat either so I think for the moment I will stick to porridge with a tiny bit of sugar. I'm not too fussed about squashes and fizzy drinks. I can have a small amount of pure fruit juice but it counts as a portion of fruit and I can only have 3 of those a day. I'm trying canderel in tea and coffee, not too keen but better than nothing!

[NormanH]

These recipes might give some ideas, although they are not 100% strict:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dash-diet-recipes/RE00089

There is also interesting information on

http://www.actiononsalt.org.uk/index.htm

You need to click on the many links especially on this page

http://www.actiononsalt.org.uk/home/links.htm

[lorna]

Hi Sweets,  I use all milk for the porridge. We usually have semi-skimmed but I've been trying full cream in case it made a difference. It doesn't seem to have made much. The half teaspoon of sugar has helped a lot.. Fruit tastes great but I'm only allowed 3 portions a day. I did use one portion - a banana - with my salt free bread the other day and it made all the difference.

I agree about natural foods. I usually try and avoid additives in food products as much as possible. Looking on the internet it seems we actually need very little salt so it's just that tastebuds have become accustomed to it. Food certainly does taste very different without salt added. At the moment it does still seem bland but perhaps I will get used to it.[:)]

[lorna]

Thanks Norman, I found the mayoclinic one today when I was looking for a pork recipe, it does look like a good site. I'll check out the other links you give tomorrow as I have to shut down now for the evening.[:)]

[lorna]

Well, I stayed on the diet for three weeks as instructed and now I'm easing off but as I'm going back in for more treatment soon I'll be back on the diet again. I'm still resisting adding salt at the table but am eating food which has had salt added during cooking. I was really surprised to find how little taste there was in meat when no salt had been added at all. I know it may be just that I have always added salt at the table previously. Vegetables were not nearly so bad. Tomatoes and red peppers in particular seemed to be pretty tasty. Lemon helps a lot with chicken. I tried making some no-salt seasoning using lots of dried herbs and that wasn't too bad. I've been using Canderel in tea and coffee and that does provide a reasonable substitute for sugar. I'm not sure I'll ever get to like bread made without salt but I don't eat that much bread anyway so it's not too much of a problem.

[mint]

Well, Lorna, I do think that you have done extremely well and you should give yourself a pat on the back.

I am certain that, in time, you will notice an improvement in your health.

I agree about the salt in meat; the taste just isn't quite the same without salt.

This diet must require superhuman effort ..............  It frightens me just imagining what I'd be like if I had to go on it!

Keep up the good work ([:)] of encouragement)

[lorna]

Thanks Sweets. [:)]. What I don't know and am wondering is whether I have lost or gained any weight. I can't use our electronic scales because I can't move fast enough  to get on them completely before they register my weight! We'll probably get some mechanical scales but we don't have any at the moment.

[mint]

Don't worry about scales, Lorna.  Just go by your clothes. 

I haven't bothered with scales for years but I cut back as soon as clothes feel tight round the waist.  I have scalesphobia.

Mind you, I don't have many fitting clothes that I can still wear comfortably.[:(]

I am convinced it's to do with retirement and not having to rush about anything.  Well that, and eating too much, I must admit.