Get the Salt Out (52 page)

324
Make your sandwich Italian-style:
sprinkle it with oregano leaves and red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing.
One Salt Shaker.

325
Experiment with adding flavorful chopped herbs to sandwiches instead of salt.
One of my clients tells me she enjoys chopped fresh basil leaves and chopped chives on turkey sandwiches.
One Salt Shaker.

326
If you like pickles with your sandwich,
keep this fact in mind: dill pickles normally have 238 times more sodium than fresh cucumbers. They do, at least, unless you go out of your way to find an unsalted brand. One product to look for in natural food stores is Pickle Eater’s Vinegar-free, No-Salt-Added Kosher Dills by New Morning (508-263-1201). They contain only 5 milligrams of sodium per serving.
One Salt Shaker.

327
Want something crunchy to munch on?
Remind yourself that typical snack foods like chips, pretzels, and crackers are not only processed carbohydrates high in salt, but they are also foods that tend to put on the pounds when eaten in excess. Satisfy your need for a crunchy snack by eating fresh vegetables, the kind of carbohydrates you should be snacking on. They’re packed with abundant nutrients, fiber, and powerful compounds that protect health, and they’re virtually sodium-free. You can munch on vegetables without guilt, knowing you’re eating the very best snacks nature gave us. Eat them plain or try:

328
Celery spread with unsalted nut butter—
a quick, crunchy treat. This is an especially good snack for those with hypertension. (See tip 200.)
One Salt Shaker.

329
Jicama Chips Olé,
a recipe that uses jicama, a naturally sweet, crisp, tuberlike vegetable. The following recipe comes from the
Arizona Heart Institute Foundation Cookbook: A Renaissance in Good Eating. One Salt Shaker.

Marinate the jicama in the lemon juice for 1 hour. Arrange on a serving dish and sprinkle with the chili powder and red pepper. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.

330
Vegetable “chips” served with a low-salt, low-fat dip
such as Greek
Tzatziki
Sauce (see tip 294). Vary the vegetables you use as dippers and cut them into attractive shapes. All of the following work well: carrot, celery, jicama, or green pepper sticks; sliced mushrooms; cucumber rounds; zucchini or yellow squash wedges; blanched asparagus spears; and broccoli or cauliflower florets.
One Salt Shaker.

331
If you really enjoy grain-based snack foods like pretzels from time to time,
you may treat yourself to them occasionally. Just be sure to eat healthier, lower-salt versions, which you can find in health food stores. Look for brands that are made with whole grain flour instead of enriched (refined) flour and with sea salt instead of salt. (Also be sure to avoid any that contain partially hydrogenated oils.)
Two Salt Shakers.