Sodium Girl

Unprocessed Purple Sweet Potato Cupcakes

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: low-sodium diets have a major branding problem. Many people — with heart disease, kidney disease, menieres disease, and other health issues — can stand to benefit from eating less salt and sodium. And yet no one takes the bait. Because the bait still sounds pretty boring and bland and more like a prescription than something you want to eat. Here’s the thing, though: A low-sodium diet is food. FOOD! And while yes, it can be boring, any kind of food can be boring. So it’s up to you to make it exciting. To use spices […]

September 25, 2015

Low-So Crispy Mushroom Bits

This lesson starts with bacon bits. The crispy, crumbly pieces of cooked pork product that people (i.e. me) love/loved to pour on top of everything from wedge salads to creamy soups. Maybe even ice cream. And beyond big bursts of bacon flavor, these savory sprinkles add texture to “softer” foods, giving you something to crunch. But as I’m sure you’ve already guessed, they also tend to add a lot of sodium; about 200mg per 7g serving (or a few teaspoons). And that’s because bacon bits are (surprise!) super processed and mostly made from cured, salted bacon. Of course, I’ve found a few low-so […]

September 4, 2015

Gluten-Free Coconut Avocado Fries

Hello, beautiful faces. Before I get to knocking your socks off, I have to apologize for my absence as of late. It has been a whirlwind of a few months and due to health problems, I have had to cut way back on life and seriously focus on just the basics. Which included: Putting on “clothes” (loosely defined); keeping child alive, fed, and happy; and fitting in endless doctor appointments, blood work, and other fun tests. Point being, blogging fell to the bottom of the to-do list. As did laundry. But here’s what rose to the top: Keeping my diet on fleek […]

July 31, 2015

Low-So Frittata Focaccia

I’ll have to keep things rather short today as MY BROTHER IS GETTING MARRIED THIS WEEKEND! And I’m off for “Best Woman” duties for the weekend. But if you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed a little confession yesterday: I’ve been doing something called The Whole 30 plan. Now, I’m no dieter and eating for me — especially eating a low-so diet –has always been about adding more to my life versus taking things away. But due to some recent Lupus flare ups and overall, just feeling a bit on the crappy side, I decided to look more […]

July 16, 2015

Low-So Grilled Party Kebabs

Oh, hey! We are entering yet another summer weekend. Which means another excuse to heat up that BBQ. And today, I want to talk about skewers. Or kebabs. Or whatever you want to call grilled food on a stick. Because these finger foods make for an easy canvass to play with big flavors and bright colors. Which means an easily adaptable feast that will please both low-so and non-low-so guests. And let’s face it, will show that BBQ’s don’t have to just be about burgers and buns. Last year, I did a project for my good friends at Mrs. Dash to […]

July 3, 2015

Low-So Good Fourth of July Recipes

Happy birthday, America! This past week was a really excellent one. And if you’re like me, you’re ready for some celebrating. And some ribs. And some fireworks (both of the explosive and flavor variety). This month, I want to talk about low-so tips for BBQ season. Because these seemingly innocent gatherings around the grill can rack up some major sodium counts. Be aware that you can easily reach close to 1,000 milligrams of sodium (equivalent to two-thirds of most adults’ recommended 1,500 mg daily allotment) with only a single beef hot dog (over 400mg of sodium for most brands), the bun (over […]

June 12, 2015

Low-So Cheesy Guacamole

Let me begin by saying that I never thought I’d write this post — one that features goat cheese. Real goat cheese and not some sort of cauliflower/nut/faux-cheese concoction. Along those same lines, I never thought I’d be putting said goat cheese (or any cheese, for that matter) on top of guacamole — an already rich and creamy delight. Because for a long time, real cheese has been on my low-so, do-not-eat lis. But low and behold, it has happened. I’ve eaten goat cheese. And I’m so glad it did. And I’m actually doubly glad I get to share it with you. Because (1) this […]

May 15, 2015

Low-So Good Cheese Swaps

This May, we are going to discuss all things cheese. From the creamy shmears to the hard stuff to the grated sprinkles that melt all over your nachos. Because while most cheeses end up on the low-sodium “do not eat” list, there are plenty of amazing solutions that will keep your favorite oozy, gooey, cheesy recipes on the table. So don’t say goodbye to those enchiladas or stuffed pastas or Croque Madames quite yet. But before we get to the creative swaps, let’s talk about the real thing, i.e., the low-sodium cheeses that exist on the market. Thankfully, there are several brands that […]

May 1, 2015

Low-So Lunch: Rock the Roll

To complete our month of packable, low-so-good lunches (also known as April), I want to tell you about the almighty Lunch Roll. The principle behind the Lunch Roll is very basic: you take a few ready-to-eat-things (including a good slather of a something sticky or pasty and edible), and wrap it all up in another ready-to-eat-thing. It’s very simple lunch math. Now the hard part is finding those things in low-sodium form. Some of the most popular rolls tend to be the lavash roll (sodium) filled with prepared hummus or pesto (sodium) and pre-cooked deli meat or chicken (sodium). Of course, there is also […]

April 24, 2015

Low-So Good Microwave Meals and Chips

For a long time, I thought I would never see certain words go together. Like, “good microwave meals.” Or “fast low-sodium food.” That’s because most prepared foods (ramen!) or frozen meals (macaroni!) come with a high sodium price tags. And thus, I always thought that good low-sodium food required stoves and ovens and longer preparation times. Not just a press of a button. But as with all things low-sodium, nothing is impossible. And overtime, I discovered simple ways to make great meals in a microwave. Just using some raw ingredients, some low-so spices, and that magical heating device. Why is that important? Because if you work, […]

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