New Adventures in Low Sodium Living: A Tiny Little Bite of Heaven

Thursday, July 14, 2011

A Tiny Little Bite of Heaven

We went out tonight to a place where we know the owner, and he personally saw to my no-salt-added meal of salad, filet mignon, and mixed veggies. He even bought us a shot of Woodford Reserve on the house. All of that was great, but I did add one tiny little forbidden item to the night's consumption. PDM ordered a patty melt and the one little bite of it that I had was a very great pleasure. There are some foods that I miss more than others. I don't miss the fries like I thought I would, but that patty melt was pure flavor perfection. Rye bread (toasted), melted cheese, carmelized onions and a burger... I really miss those.

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So, what do you have against sodium?

Nothing! In fact, I love sodium, but it does not love me. I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease in June 2011. The symptoms are not much fun: tinnitus, hearing loss, a strange feeling of fullness in the affected ear, plus dizziness and/or vertigo with nausea. Mild attacks are merely uncomfortable and annoying. Severe attacks are debilitating.

There is no cure, but the first line of defense against the symptoms of Meniere's is a very low sodium diet (less than 2000mg per day, which is just under one teaspoon of salt). Talk about difficult! It isn't just avoiding the salt shaker, but avoiding foods that are naturally (or unnaturally) high in sodium. Once I started reading nutritional labels, it was pretty shocking how high the sodium content of nearly all my dearest and most loved foods are.

This blog follows the story of how I adjust to the new restrictions, find creative new ways to prepare my favorite foods, maybe discover some new foods to love, and once in a while just a space to bitch and moan about not getting to eat that BLT or bacon double cheeseburger with extra large fries.