I've recently been diagnosed with meniere's disease-- vertigo and ear ringing are the two major symptoms I have. The doctor put me on a diuretic and told me to follow a low sodium diet. Does anyone have any advice for me - good recipes, things to stay away from, etc? Thanks in advance!

I knew someone with this disease and staying away from added salt and high sodium foods was the best thing he did. He really suffered when he had, for example, lunch meat, which contains a lot of sodium. Soft drinks are a hidden source of sodium, too. Restaurant eating was tough for him so if you like restaurants, it's a good idea to get the nutritional content ahead of time. Most chain restaurants will know the nutritional content of their dishes and you can ask the restaurant, go to their website, or write the corporate headquarters

If giving up salt is a real problem (it would be for me!), try using the Mrs. Dash products or making spicy ethnic recipes.

You can use fitday.com to check how much sodium you're getting, and also to check sodium in foods that don't normally have a label (like eggs, vegies, etc.--probably not a high source of sodium, but it's worth checking).

Good luck!

Thanks, Sheila, for the advice. I just came back from shopping - actually, my boyfriend did - and he bought some meringue cookies with now fat and practically no sodium. 13 of them add up to only 80 calories, and there's no way I could eat that many - they're too sweet.

I like your line "labor day goal - button my shorts". It made me laugh, and I certainly can relate!

Mary

I have PKD (polycystic kidney disease) so I have to watch the sodium as well.

The best thing to do is stay away from processed foods. Hamburger Helper, Lipton Noodles & Sauce, Rice A Roni, ANything from a can, etc. It's better to make it yourself plain & then season it w/Mrs Dash.

The other thing I always do is drain & rinse my canned veggies (mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, etc) after i open them & before I cook them. For the most part I buy frozen veggies--asparagus, green beans, broccoli, spinach, etc. They just have less sodium.