low sodium

Canned soups are convenient, but most are loaded with sodium. This tasty black bean soup recipe is a quick, low-salt alternative.

New government guidelines for a healthy diet are urging us to eat less salt. For many people, the recommended limit is 2300 milligrams a day. If you eat three meals a day, that's a little more than 700 mg per meal. A plain bagel from Au Bon Pain has 660 mg of sodium. Add 1 ounce of cream cheese (85 mg), and you're one-third through your daily intake.

The limit is even lower if you fall into one of these at-risk categories:

• Older than 51
• African American
• Have high blood pressure
• Have diabetes
• Have chronic kidney disease.

For folks in those groups, the new guidelines recommend 1,500 mg or less. Kiss your fast-food French fries goodbye, America. About half the population falls into one of those categories.

The United States Department of Agriculture, which put out the guidelines, says you should take these new recommendations to heart -- literally. Too much salt can cause serious problems for your cardiovascular system.

Unfortunately, using the salt shaker less is not enough to get you down to the new recommended levels. We get most of our sodium from processed foods and restaurant meals. Here's how to reduce your intake.

Cut back on processed foods.
By one estimate, 75 percent of the sodium in the typical diet comes from processed foods. Manufacturers use it as a preservative, to accentuate desirable flavors in food, and to disguise less pleasant ones.

Where possible, choose reduced-sodium versions of processed food. Or make your food from scratch; that way you can control added salt.

Be careful about canned vegetables.
Salt, like sugar can pop up in unexpected places. For example, there's nearly 400 mg of sodium in a single serving of canned cut green beans. The low sodium version has 200 mg.

That's why I usually start with fresh or frozen vegetables. They typically have no sodium.

Watch the condiments and dressings.
What we top our foods with can really affect our sodium levels. Last year Heinz reformulated its ketchup for the first time in 40 years, cutting sodium from 190 mg to 160 mg per tablespoon.

While that doesn't seem like much salt (at least compared to the fast food fries people dip in ketchup), a few tablespoons each week can add up. Dressings can have even more sodium. The Garden Fresh Salad with house dressing at Olive Garden has 1,990 mg. Even a "healthy" brand like Newman's Own Lighten Up Caesar Dressing has 420 mg for a two-tablespoon serving.

Next time you make a salad, try this low-sodium orange basil vinaigrette recipe. It has only 63 mg of sodium.

Eat out less.
A few months ago, the fast food restaurant chain Wendy's introduced new "natural" fries with sea salt. Don't be fooled into thinking that this means they have less sodium. In fact, a medium order of the new fries has 150mg more sodium than their previous version.

Wendy's isn't alone. Most fast food restaurants over-salt their food, as do many other chain restaurants and ethnic eateries.

The easiest way to cut this salt out is to eat at home. If you do go out, educate yourself about the salt content at chain restaurants. (To find out which meals have the most sodium, check out this list from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.) And ask your server about meals that can be made with less sodium.

Learn the language.
Lean what the sodium labels mean on processed food. "Reduced salt," for example, doesn't necessarily mean low sodium; it means a product has 25 percent less salt than the regular product. Here's what other labels mean:

Sodium free or no sodium: < 5 mg
Very low sodium: 35 mg or less
Low sodium: 140 mg or less

Eat smaller portions.
Of course, the easiest way to reduce your salt intake is to eat less food, which is in keeping with the spirit of the new guidelines. Knowing how much salt is in food is helpful -- but eating less will achieve the same goal.

Servings: 4

Brighten up your winter with the combination of colors and tastes in this seasonal dish. The vibrant orange and yellow color of butternut squash and its sweet, nutty taste are a perfect complement to spinach. Plus, butternut squash is a great source of vitamin A and C.

Ingredients:
1 Butternut squash (about 4 cups)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp rosemary
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Cup red onion thinly sliced
2 Cups spinach
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinaigrette
1/2 cup pecans

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Peal and cut butternut squash into 1/2-inch cubes. In a large bowl toss with olive oil, sea salt and rosemary.

3. Transfer to a roasting pan and cook for about 30 minutes or until softened.

4. Sauté red onions in olive oil over medium heat. When soft, add spinach and balsamic vinaigrette and cook until spinach is wilted.

5. Top spinach with butternut squash and pecans.

Nutrition:
188 calories, 17g fat (2g saturated, 10g monounsaturated, 4g polyunsaturated), 0g cholesterol, 51mg calcium, 199mg sodium, 10g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 2g protein, 3g fiber, 1g iron

Servings: About 4; serving size: 1 cup

I love a good jambalaya, but the dish can often be overloaded with salt and fat. In this dish we used ground turkey instead of sausage to cut the fat and low-sodium chicken stock to reduce the salt. The result is a dish with big Cajun flavor and healthy ingredients.

You can substitute cooked shrimp and crawfish for a more traditional Cajun flare.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. canola oil
3 Garlic cloves, diced
2 Celery stalks, chopped
1 White onion, diced
1 Medium bell pepper, diced
2 Jalapeño peppers, chopped
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. oregano
2 Cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 Diced tomato
1 Cup water
1 Cup long-grain rice

Instructions:
1. Heat canola oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.

2. Add garlic, celery and onion and sauté until onion is translucent.

3. Stir in peppers and ground turkey. Brown the turkey.

4. Add the spices and herbs, chicken stock, water and rice. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and cover. Cook for 45 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Nutrition:
413 calories, 13g total fat (3g sat, 6g mono, 4g poly) 84mg cholesterol, 45g carbohydrates, 74mg calcium, 495mg sodium, 28g protein, 3g fiber, 4mg iron

If you like finding local farm food at your favorite eatery, rejoice: Locally sourced produce, meats, seafood and dairy products are expected to fill more restaurant menus in the new year. That's one of several trends food experts are predicting for 2011.

Restaurants are taking eating local trend further by creating their own gardens and apiaries. Chefs are making their own cheeses and doing their own butchering, according to a survey of chefs by the National Restaurant Association

In Atlanta honey bees occupy the 5th floor roof terrace at the Four Seasons Hotel and in the garden at Canoe Restaurant. Executive chef Robert Gerstenecker of the Four Season's Park 75 restaurant has been so successful with his honey production that there's more than enough to use on the menu. The facility is packaging honey for guests to take home in 16-ounce jars.

Nutrition in the New Year
As a dietitian, I'm thrilled to peek into the crystal ball and see that many emerging trends are focused on eating healthier foods. The same survey found that chefs are:

• Including more menu items that are lower in sodium, calories or fat,
• Adding more fresh produce options, and
• Advocating getting involved in school nutrition and children's education efforts.

Meanwhile, expect to see the word "organic" less next year. Independent Restaurateur says growers are realizing organic produce is too costly thanks in part to government regulations.

Other trends for 2011:
Less becomes more.
Restaurants are beginning to see more requests for smaller portions. What makes this trend particularly viable is that it allows the consumer both to eat less and to save money.

Better nutrition on kids' menus.
Chicken fingers aren't going away but they're being paired with more fruit and vegetables and less fries. It seems that if parents know their kids are eating well, they don't mind paying for it.

Pies are the new cupcakes.
Expect to see more pie shops, including sweet, savory and bite-sized pies according to Nation's Restaurant News. Pies made with seasonal fresh fruit such as peaches in summer and apples in the fall can offer significant nutritional benefits including vitamins, minerals and fiber. Avoid syrupy fruit fillings.

Popsicles.
Think outside the ice-box with flavors such as sugar-snap pea and pear-ginger. Dining trends identified by international restaurant consultants Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman include upscale popsicles with exotic flavors. These dairy free, usually not over sweetened, frozen treats are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth and appetite for taste adventure with relatively few calories.

Southern exposure.
It's interesting to note that Brooklyn based Baum & Whiteman list grits as the new hot grain for 2011. They say "Expect grits to leap from morning food to an all-purpose starch. It's part of another trendlet: Down-home southern cooking." They go on to predict that shrimp and grits could be the dish of the year. I thought it was always dish of the year.

And the recipe web site Epicurious.com predicts sweet potatoes will hit it big next year and be crowned "Vegetable of 2011" because of a bumper crop of the orange tuber, more prominence on restaurant menus beyond fried and it's impressive nutritional profile. If we get the word out on their great taste and good nutrition, braised collards may win in 2012.

Makes 6 servings; serving size 2 bundles

This may be hard to digest: A typical pot pie made with a shortening-laden crust can have a staggering 10 grams of trans fat and 20 grams of saturated fat per serving.

To slash the artery-clogging fats, we created a crust-less pot pie using egg roll wraps to hold the savory filling. Our new twist on this pie is a bundle of fun for kids and adults to eat. In fact, we encourage everyone eat the bundles with their hands and use a spoon to pick up any bits of chicken or veggies that escape.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
1/2 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 cup all-natural chicken broth
4 teaspoons cornstarch
3/4 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
12 egg roll wraps (NOT the smaller wonton wrappers)

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrot and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook 1 minute more.

2. Stir in the chicken, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

3. Place the broth and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Add to the skillet along with the peas and corn, and bring the liquid to a simmer, stirring constantly. Continue to simmer and stir gently until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.

3. To prepare the bundles, use a muffin pan with 12 medium-size cups (do not coat with nonstick cooking spray). Gently place 1 egg roll wrap into each cup, letting it extend over the sides.

4. Place a generous 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture into each wrap, and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top. Fold the corners up and over the top of the filling and press to seal the edges (it doesn't have to be perfect!). Brush the remaining oil on top of each bundle.

5. Bake until golden and crisp,12 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly before eating.

Nutrition Information:
360 calories, 7g fat (1g saturated, 0.4 omega-3), 680mg sodium, 48g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 24g protein, 70% vitamin A, 15% iron

This recipe is from the new book No Whine with Dinner by Liz Weiss and Janice Newell Bissex. Order your copy today.

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