Is Fast Food Verboten?

I will be the last person in the world to recommend fast food for you. But if you are traveling and a decent fast food restaurant is all that is available, you might be able to have a not-so-bad-for-you meal. The secret is to SPEAK UP!

Some fast food chains such as In/Out Burger will cook your meal to order without any additional salt. That includes the burger as well as the fries. You will perhaps wait a bit longer but it will probably be worth it.

McDonald's will scramble an egg for you without salt (as I recall).

Just because a restaurant looks small and local doesn't mean it uses healthy recipes. They may rely on cream of mushroom soup and salt to help their food along. Maybe the cook is still stuck in the 60's. It's ok to ask when you first go into a restaurant if it is possible to order food that is very low in salt (or whatever). Once they know you are asking because of health issues, they will not be offended.

Before you travel, you might look at some of the nutritional tables that are online for the various chain restaurants. What you find may sicken you. And then again, it will at least help you know whether it will be possible for you to eat there safely.

We find that if we are on a day trip, one meal that isn't perfect isn't the end of the world. But traveling for several days can make a huge difference in your dialysis results and your health. Maybe packing an almond butter or peanut butter sandwich for emergency situations would help.

Be polite. Be inquisitive. And be resourceful. And....be healthy!

Edible food without salt??

We have not been eating salty foods for many years. But now with the dialysis, weight and edema seem to be critical issues. I find that I must adjust our diet daily to reflect whether his weight is up....or down. (Just as he changes the solutions he chooses for the overnight dialysis...).

I thought I was doing a good job of tracking sodium intake until I used canned beans and watched his legs swell. Some of the things I thought worked (like rinsing canned beans) weren't always enough.

The other night I had some really lean organic ground round left. No hormones, etc. We decided it would be nice to have Sloppy Joes. I also had a big bowl of black beans I had cooked in the crockpot the day before....with lots of water and NO SALT. I know Sloppy Joes don't usually have beans, but we decided we would have them anyway.

My results turned out to be really good (we think!). I offer this recipe in hopes it will help you see that you do not need a lot of salt. Amounts are approximate. The cloves, vinegar, and sugar are probably the most critical ingredients in terms of amount. If you use ground turkey, you might want to make sure it wasn't brined before it was ground....

Janet's Sloppy Joe Chili

~1 lb very lean ground beef (without hormones if possible) (or ground turkey if you prefer)

1 2" white onion, chopped

2-3 T olive oil

2 cups home-cooked black beans (without any salt) and some of their liquid

1 15-oz can no-salt tomato sauce

2-3 tablespoon dark brown sugar (can use Splenda brown sugar if you prefer) (not packed like you would normally measure it)

1/4 to 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Tabasco (optional)

Brown the onion and ground beef until the meat is no longer pink. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat thoroughly. Serve in hamburger buns or in bowls. I like mine topped with yogurt. Not everyone does, however.

This will serve at least six. Maybe more, depending on your portion sizes.