Desalinating the Fridge

I should probably have tidied
and cleaned it before taking
this picture - oh well. Over
the last few weeks, I have
"desalinated" our fridge -
replacing the products we used
to buy with low sodium
alternatives. Here's what I've
done, together with the sodium
"savings" in g per 100g.

Sauces
Mustard - this has gone, as we make our own from mustard powder now *saving over 3g
Ketchup - switched from to Heinz's lower salt version (and we use less of this now too!) *saving 0.4g
Mayo - switched brand to Tesco Organic *saving 0.5g
Tartare sauce - switched brand to Tesco Finest *saving 1.1g
Pickle - switched to chutney instead *saving 1.6g

Cheese
There's still cheddar in here for the kids, and mozzarella for pizzas, but mostly we just have Emmental *saving 0.5g

Butter - switched from salted to unsalted, which is widely available
*saving 0.5g

Bacon, smoked and processed foods - all gone - and replaced with fresh meat and veg *saving LOTS

Other changes...

Yeast - always a fixture in the fridge now that I make bread on alternate days.

Beer has been replaced with alcohol-free Becks (which, together with alcohol-free Cobra, is the least offensive alcohol-free beer, as I discovered after extensive research during my last pregnancy). We have also discovered a very low alcohol cider from Waitrose, which is blended with apple juice. By buying these, we're booze-free on weekdays - no bad thing.

Which? Report on Takeaways

Which? have just done a report on the nutritional value of takeaways, with few surprises in the results.

There is some useful info there too though, on how to choose a healthier takeaway. One thing I would add, is that we have found that, although our local curry house uses pre-prepared sauces, they add more salt when they cook the dishes, and are happy to refrain from doing so when we ask.

What you need in your cupboard...

A list of what you'll need as staples in your cupboard/fridge in order to cook a low sodium diet. There are lots of other products on the market, but these are only available in the US, unfortunately.

- Chilli - the pre-chopped stuff that comes in a jar (no chilli finger!)
- Lemon and lime juice - you can get this in little bottles
- Lo Salt
- Pepper - as many variants on this as you can get your hands on
- Spices and herbs
- Low salt stock cubes - Kallo do a vegetarian version, and you can now get low salt meat stocks which are designed for babies

For when nothing else will hit the spot, you can get lower sodium versions of:
- HP
- Heinz Ketchup
- Heinz Baked Beans

Low Sodium Options at Starbucks

Sodium levels in some treats from Starbucks. All figures are g of sodium per 100g. I haven't included the yoghurts and salads because that's not why I go to Starbucks, frankly. But there are a couple of sandwich options here too.

Low Sodium Cake
Fairtrade chocolate chunk shortbread 0.02g
Mixed berry loaf with mascarpone icing 0.02g
Belgian chocolate brownie 0.03g
Marshmallow twizzle 0.03g
Granola 0.06g
Lemon drizzle cake 0.09g
Summer valencia orange cake (wheat and dairy free) 0.09g
Chocolate caramel shortbread 0.13g
Faitrade chocolate cake 0.13g
Low fat carrot and valencia orange cake 0.13g
Low fat wholemeal banana, date and raisin cake 0.13g

Coffee
Now here's a shock - some coffees are high in sodium. My favourite frapps are high, and having soy milk instead of dairy pushes the figures up too.

Sandwiches:
In general - avoid the panini, and go for a wrap instead.
Highest
Cheese & Marmite panini 0.8g
Oak smoked salmon 0.8g
Lowest
Smoked salmon & edamame bean flatbread 0.2g
Roasted chicken salad with mange tout wrap 0.2g
Roasted chicken & green herb mayo 0.2g

Dark Chocolate Can "Ease" Blood Pressure

Green & Black's Espresso Chocolate
Originally uploaded by faerieenigma

This is an article from ages ago, but one I hadn't seen until I saw it stuck on the chocolate display in the chemists yesterday. Our local pharmacist Derek always has the health of the community at heart :-)

Thanks to faerieenigma, a fellow chocolate lover, for the photo.

Wonderful Waitrose

Big thanks are in order to the Waitrose Nutritionists, from whom I have received a 57 page listing of products defined as low in sodium (less than 0.12g sodium per 100g). A lot of it is obvious stuff (chicken breasts, coffee) but there are even some ready meal options there - I have been really enjoying cooking from scratch, but with 2 kids, a full time job and (occasionally) a social life too, there is going to be the occasional night where I don't manage it.

I'm not going to reproduce all of the 57 pages here. However here are a few items from the list which I was pleased to see. Figures are g of sodium per 100g - the recommended limit is 2.4g a day:

Vegetable Crisps 0.10g
Sweet pickled beetroot 0.12g
Tandoori chicken and pepper kebabs 0.09g
Thai red chicken curry with wild rice 0.06g
Chef's special green chutney salmon 0.12g
Spinach & ricotta quiche 0.12g
Mushroom stroganoff with rice 0.05g
Chicken with apricots 0.09g
Tuscan unsalted bread 0.02g

Pret a Manger

Pret a Manger is somewhere I often buy my lunch. They show their sodium contents on their website as g of sodium per pack, here. I've used these same figures below, because it's a good way of doing it, and saves me doing any division. It seems baguettes are the best option, and the hot wraps best avoided. Government guidance is to have no more than 2.4g of sodium a day.

Sandwiches (not including Slim Pret, and weekly specials)
Lowest: Devonshire Red Chicken and Rocket 0.61g
Highest: Summer Ham Salad 1.31g

Baguettes & Salad Wraps
Lowest: Brie, Tomato and Whole-leaf Baguette 0.38g
Next Best: Dry-cured Ham & Greve Baguette, and Dolphin-friendly Tuna Baguette, both 0.5g
Highest: Hoisin Duck Wrap 1.1g

Breakfast Baguettes
Lowest: Free Range Egg Mayo and Roasted Tomato 0.12g
Highest: Smoked Salmon, Free-range Egg Mayo and Cress 0.43g

Hot Wraps
Lowest: Jalapeno Chicken 1.08g
Highest: Spicy Falafel Melt 1.53g

Salads
Lowest: Chicken Avocado Salad 0.4g
Highest: Smoked Salmon, Wild Crayfish & Dijon Dressing Salad 1.29g

Soup
Lowest: Lentil, Tomato and Turmeric Soup 0.35g
Highest: Italian Meatball Soup 1.23g

Sushi
Lowest: Salmon Nigiri 1.8g
Highest: Deluxe Sushi 2g

Bakery
Highest: Egg & Bacon Croissant 0.98g
Lowest: Almond Croissant 0.0003g

Edible Ornamentals

Well done to the wonderfully named Edible Ornamentals for making delicious salt-free Citrus Relish and "Sweet Heat" (an apple sauce with chilli), both of which are going down well now that the barbecue season is upon us. I got them at our farmer's market, but you can order their products online too, here.

Sausage Success

I posted previously about not being able to find sausages which are low in sodium. Well, we seem to have solved the problem, thanks to Susan Adams.

Wild boar is a healthier option than pork. Its cholesterol level is similar to that of chicken, and it is much lower in fat (and saturated fat) than pork. There are nutrition figures here, towards the end of the page. Sausages will of course be made from the fattier cuts of the animal, but they will still be a much healthier option than pork sausages.

Susan kindly made up a 5lb batch of wild boar sausage meat especially for us, using spices but no salt or rusk in the mix. It's delicious, and I have all sorts of plans for it - sausage patties for breakfast, kebabs, mini pies, fresh stuffing, meatballs and spaghetti to name but a few. I just need to clear some space in the freezer now!

Top Tips for Cutting Your Salt Intake

1. Find out about the recommended daily sodium intake for your family. It's much lower for children than adults. Sodium is the bit that causes the harm - and it's not just in salt, but other food additives too, such as MSG and sodium bicarb.

2. Read the sodium contents on food labels. You don't need to do this on everything you buy in your next shop, that would take hours! Take it one step at a time, focussing on a different aisle in the supermarket each week. Click here to get some techie help with labels from the FSA. And see here for information on what the major supermarkets are doing to help you.

3. Don't add salt to your food. Or if you must, make it a low sodium table salt.

4. Change your breakfast cereal. This can make a massive difference - some have the same salt as a bag of crisps.

5. Buy lower salt bread. Or even better, make your own.

6. Cook from scratch as often as possible. Use low salt stock cubes, and don't add salt! There are loads of healthy recipes online for you to choose from. Make double and freeze what's left over for when you're tired. You'll be getting less salt, less saturated fat, and fewer additives too, and it sets your kids a good example. If you do this, you can afford to lapse when you eat out, or get a takeaway.

7. Restock your spice cabinet. And start a herb patch in the garden, or if you don't have the room, a pot of herbs (rosemary and mint are satisfyingly easy to grow). Always have garlic, lemon juice, lime juice and chillis in the fridge (buy those little "cheating" jars and bottles), and look online for ideas for spice blends. Then you'll never be short of flavour in your food.

8. Go for "reduced salt" versions of products. For example Heinz do reduced salt baked beans, which taste exactly like the normal beans (I think they should rename the normal beans "Added Salt").

9. Watch out for high salt sauces.

10. Go easy on cheese and cooked meats. Foods which you find regularly as sandwich fillings, or as party food, are often high in salt.

There are more tips here.

Salt in Children's Diets

The Sunday Times ran an item today on the salt in children's diets:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4079712.ece

Good to see this issue getting some publicity.

Veggie Burgers and Sausages

I went into Holland & Barrett a week ago to buy some tofu for a Thai dish I was making (recipe to follow, once I manage to reduce the amount of soy sauce in it), and took a look at some of the veggie burgers there - reading labels being my latest obsession.

I was surprised by the high levels of sodium in these "healthy" options. CASH have recently carried out a survey on just this topic, the results are here. Note that their figures are g salt per 100g, rather than sodium, which is the figure I normally give (divide salt by 2.5 to get the sodium level). One big surprise was the "Fry's Special Vegetarian Traditional Sausages", which will give you your day's intake in 2 sausages!

Yum!

My bread machine is fantastic, but after a few weeks of using it on a daily basis, I had the urge to go off-piste and make some really fantastic bread by hand. I used the recipe here, minus the salt (note that there's no oil or fat in the original recipe either):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hlk/389341090/

I didn't have a big bowl to bake it in, so just used my pizza stone, and it still ended up delicious, although a little less crusty. Very pleased with myself - this is the first time I have ever photographed food I have made!

Many thanks to fuzuoko for the recipe.

Pizza

Links to sodium content listings for a couple of popular pizza restaurants. Well done to those who publish them online - I have emailed a few other companies to get their details. Zizzis/Ask inform me that they do not have sodium content details for their foods.

All of the options are pretty high, but it seems that by avoiding cheese and meat you can reduce your sodium intake. All figures are g sodium per 100g. 1 slice of pizza could be more or less than 100g, depending on the size of pizza.

Pizza Hut
Lowest: Large Pan base Vegetarian Supreme 0.32g
Highest: Individual sized Hot N Spicy Italian base 0.92g

Take a look at the "Salt per Food Portion" column of the kids menu. Shocking figures when you think that the recommended daily intake of salt for a 6 year old is 3g.

Dominos
Lowest: Hawaiian 0.2g - and most vegetarian pizzas came in at about 0.4g
Highest: New Yorker 1.6g

Low Sodium Lamb Rogan Josh

Another yummy curry. This is a lamb recipe, although I have also done it with chicken (and once with chickpeas, which didn't quite work for some reason!). The lemon juice gives it a nice underlying sourness. Adapted from a Sainsburys recipe.

Serves 4-6

juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoonspoons olive or sunflower oil
875g Tenderlean boneless lamb joint, cut into 2.5cm cubes
1 large onion, sliced
2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, grated (or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger)
2 teaspoons garam masala, or to taste
1-2 teaspoons chilli powder, or to taste
4 cardamom pods
1 tablespoon tomato puree
400g can of chopped tomatoes
150ml low salt veg stock
150g carton of low fat natural yogurt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Mix the lemon juice, garlic and together in a bowl and stir in the lamb. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight if possible, but if not then for at least a couple of hours.
2. Place the lamb and marinade in a large pan, add the onion and ginger and cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the garam masala, chilli powder, cardamom pods and seasoning. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
4. Stir in the tomato puree, tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Carefully stir in the yogurt.
6. Check the seasoning and serve straight away, garnished with chopped coriander.

Low Sodium Lamb Tagine

A rich, tasty, salt-free tagine. Despite the long list of ingredients, there's actually very little effort involved in this. Adapted from an Antony Worrall Thompson recipe - in particular I replaced tomato juice (0.2g sodium per 100g) with home-made passata (heat fresh or tinned tomatoes, then blend with a hand blender). If you can't wait 2 hours to eat it, turn up the oven and it will be ready earlier. Serve with couscous.

Serves 4

1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground black pepper
1½ tbsp paprika
1½ tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp turmeric
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 x shoulder of lamb, trimmed and cut into 5cm/2in chunks (about
1.1kg/2½lb meat in total)
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, some crushed and some sliced
570ml/1 pint home-made passata
2 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
115g/4oz dried apricots, cut in half
55g/2oz dates, cut in half (or more apricots if you don't have dates)
55g/2oz sultanas or raisins
1 tsp saffron stamens, soaked in cold water
600ml/1 pint low salt veggie stock
1 tbsp clear honey
2 tbsp coriander, roughly chopped
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas2.
2. Place the cayenne, black pepper, paprika, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon into a small bowl and mix to combine. Place the lamb in a large bowl and toss together with half of the spice mix. Cover and leave overnight in the fridge, or for as long as you can.
3. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large casserole dish. Add the onion and the remaining spice mix and cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes so that the onions are soft but not coloured. Add the garlic for the final 2 minutes.
4. In a separate frying pan, heat the remaining oil and brown the cubes of lamb on all sides then add the browned meat to the casserole dish. De-glaze the frying pan with ¼ pint of passata and add these juices to the pan.
5. Add the remaining passata, chopped tomatoes, apricots, dates, raisins or sultanas, saffron, stock and honey to the casserole dish. Bring to the boil, cover with a fitted lid, place in the oven and cook for 2-2½ hours or until the meat is meltingly tender.
6. Sprinkle over the chopped herbs and serve.

Mushroom Kebabs

Our first box turned up from Abel and Cole today, together with some extra mushrooms which I ordered. I forgot these were coming, and already have mushrooms in the fridge, so it's mushrooms with everything for a few days! We're starting with mushroom kebabs, as a side dish to go with dinner. I expect my eldest will want a couple of these for tea too, on their own with a chunk of bread. They would also make a great lunch.

Makes 8 kebabs

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Lots of mushrooms - about the same as you would get in 2 supermarket-sized packs.

Mix oil, vinegar and garlic together in a large bowl. Cut any very large mushrooms into halves or quarters. Add mushrooms to marinade and stir so they are evenly coated. Leave to marinate for at least two hours. Thread mushrooms onto skewers. Cook on a barbecue or under the grill for about five minutes, turning regularly, and brushing with any remaining marinade.

Pan-fried Herring

We eat lots of fish, so this will be the first in a series. It's a quick midweek meal, and is oily fish too, so we'll be getting our omega-3. A "desalinated" Gordon Ramsay recipe.

Serves 4

600g new potatoes, scrubbed
Squeeze of lemon juice
1/2 tsp mustard, made from mustard powder
5 tbsp crème fraîche
1 1/2 tbsp horseradish
2 spring onions, finely sliced
Handful of chives, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
4 herring fillets, pin-boned

1 Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and cool slightly.

2 Mix the lemon juice with the mustard, crème fraîche and horseradish; season with pepper.

3 Slice the potatoes thickly and return to the pan. Mix with the dressing, spring onions and chives. Cover and keep warm.

4 Heat a nonstick frying pan with a little oil. Pat the fish dry, season, then fry, skin-side down, for 2-3 minutes to crisp. Cook the other side for 30 seconds.

5 Pile the warm potato salad on to plates and top with the fish.