Anonymous wrote:Takeout can be so tricky when watching sodium! I'm in a similar boat and these are my suggestions:
Depending on the restaurant, you can ask for, and sometimes get the request honored, for no salt to be added to dishes. This works best for proteins (e.g.no salt on my steak, don't season the grilled chicken before adding it to the salad, etc.) but not so well for dishes that use prepared sauces that can't be easily altered. In general, the more simple and decontructed the dish the easier it is to customize, and also easier to spot something that is over-salted.
Salads are generally a good choice with dressing on the side as it can contain more sodium than you'd think. I taste and then decide to use sparingly or sub in my own dressing. Remember to stay way from high sodium topping like olives, pepperoncini, roasted red peppers and croutons.
Chinese/Asian - order steamed veggies/protein with sauce on the side. Rice has no sodium and is fine assuming you're not watching carbs. The sauce they give you is typically way too salty so I rarely use it and add my own condiments I have at home to flavor it - coconut aminos (great sub for soy sauce), sriracha, sambal, etc. in moderation
Italian - pasta has no sodium so order the sauce on the side and proceed with caution after a taste test. Most Italian places also offer great grilled fish/protein dishes with simple sides (or olive oil/butter dressed pasta) that can be easy to customize.
My family orders takeout about twice a week and I've resigned myself to the fact that I often have to do a bit of extra work once the food is home. Sometimes that means passing it off to DH for lunch the next day or adding in my own elements to make it a full meal if certain parts aren't appropriate for my diet.
I know it can feel overwhelming at first, but trust me, your taste buds will adapt! After going low sodium, I've found it extremely easy to taste too how salty a dish is on the first bite which allows me to to branch out more with confidence. When cooking at home other salt-free seasonings and spices are your best friend!
I know it can feel overwhelming but trust me that your taste buds will adapt! After significantly reducing sodium in my diet I'm super sensitive to it and can spot a salty dish on first bite.
Anonymous wrote:Takeout can be so tricky when watching sodium! I'm in a similar boat and these are my suggestions:
Depending on the restaurant, you can ask for, and sometimes get the request honored, for no salt to be added to dishes. This works best for proteins (e.g.no salt on my steak, don't season the grilled chicken before adding it to the salad, etc.) but not so well for dishes that use prepared sauces that can't be easily altered. In general, the more simple and decontructed the dish the easier it is to customize, and also easier to spot something that is over-salted.
Salads are generally a good choice with dressing on the side as it can contain more sodium than you'd think. I taste and then decide to use sparingly or sub in my own dressing. Remember to stay way from high sodium topping like olives, pepperoncini, roasted red peppers and croutons.
Chinese/Asian - order steamed veggies/protein with sauce on the side. Rice has no sodium and is fine assuming you're not watching carbs. The sauce they give you is typically way too salty so I rarely use it and add my own condiments I have at home to flavor it - coconut aminos (great sub for soy sauce), sriracha, sambal, etc. in moderation
Italian - pasta has no sodium so order the sauce on the side and proceed with caution after a taste test. Most Italian places also offer great grilled fish/protein dishes with simple sides (or olive oil/butter dressed pasta) that can be easy to customize.
My family orders takeout about twice a week and I've resigned myself to the fact that I often have to do a bit of extra work once the food is home. Sometimes that means passing it off to DH for lunch the next day or adding in my own elements to make it a full meal if certain parts aren't appropriate for my diet.
I know it can feel overwhelming at first, but trust me, your taste buds will adapt! After going low sodium, I've found it extremely easy to taste too how salty a dish is on the first bite which allows me to to branch out more with confidence. When cooking at home other salt-free seasonings and spices are your best friend!
I know it can feel overwhelming but trust me that your taste buds will adapt! After significantly reducing sodium in my diet I'm super sensitive to it and can spot a salty dish on first bite.
Anonymous wrote:Takeout can be so tricky when watching sodium! I'm in a similar boat and these are my suggestions:
Depending on the restaurant, you can ask for, and sometimes get the request honored, for no salt to be added to dishes. This works best for proteins (e.g.no salt on my steak, don't season the grilled chicken before adding it to the salad, etc.) but not so well for dishes that use prepared sauces that can't be easily altered. In general, the more simple and decontructed the dish the easier it is to customize, and also easier to spot something that is over-salted.
Salads are generally a good choice with dressing on the side as it can contain more sodium than you'd think. I taste and then decide to use sparingly or sub in my own dressing. Remember to stay way from high sodium topping like olives, pepperoncini, roasted red peppers and croutons.
Chinese/Asian - order steamed veggies/protein with sauce on the side. Rice has no sodium and is fine assuming you're not watching carbs. The sauce they give you is typically way too salty so I rarely use it and add my own condiments I have at home to flavor it - coconut aminos (great sub for soy sauce), sriracha, sambal, etc. in moderation
Italian - pasta has no sodium so order the sauce on the side and proceed with caution after a taste test. Most Italian places also offer great grilled fish/protein dishes with simple sides (or olive oil/butter dressed pasta) that can be easy to customize.
My family orders takeout about twice a week and I've resigned myself to the fact that I often have to do a bit of extra work once the food is home. Sometimes that means passing it off to DH for lunch the next day or adding in my own elements to make it a full meal if certain parts aren't appropriate for my diet.
I know it can feel overwhelming at first, but trust me, your taste buds will adapt! After going low sodium, I've found it extremely easy to taste too how salty a dish is on the first bite which allows me to to branch out more with confidence. When cooking at home other salt-free seasonings and spices are your best friend!
I know it can feel overwhelming but trust me that your taste buds will adapt! After significantly reducing sodium in my diet I'm super sensitive to it and can spot a salty dish on first bite.