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When my husband was diagnosed with an inner ear condition called secondary endolymphatic hydrops (hydrops) and told he needed to be on a low sodium diet last year, you would have thought that, given the way I reacted, I was the one with the disease.

It was like I was grieving some great loss. Whether it was the loss of dining out with my husband (temporarily) or the freedom to rely on tastily prepared foods from my favorite market, I wasn’t quite sure. But one thing was for certain. I was NOT a happy camper. First, I was angry. Then, I was sad. Then, I was bargaining with God. As in please, ‘God if you cure my husband of this chronic condition I will be a better person.’ Eventually, I accepted his condition, but it sure did seem to take awhile.

I’m not sure why I reacted so strongly to my husband’s diagnosis. Maybe it was because my mom and father-in-law had recently died, and our lives seemed full of loss. And after my mom died, I had been looking forward to life returning to “normal.” Whatever normal is. Then, when my husband was diagnosed with hydrops, it seemed like one more loss …

While I’ve never been one to cook with salt, relying instead on fresh herbs to spice up the dishes I make, if you’ve ever been told to restrict your sodium, you’ll understand that sodium is hidden in just about everything. So venturing out to eat at restaurants and in the homes of family and friends can be quite a challenge. The other thing is that I, like many other people, rely on “convenience” foods such as canned beans and soups and prepared foods like hummus. Not to mention that sauces and condiments are loaded with sodium like soy sauce, pasta sauce and fish sauce. So suddenly everything seemingly needed to be made from scratch.

For a while, we didn’t risk eating out, while my husband was getting his condition under control. Hydrops, which we were told could stick around for a few months or 20 years, caused a painful fullness in his ears and a disturbing ringing in his ears. And this condition can lead to hearing loss if you don’t watch what you eat. So, my husband didn’t feel like experimenting much when it came to food. He wanted to play it safe, which I can understand.

After awhile, though, I, for one, was beginning to feel claustrophobic, culinarily speaking. If I weren’t such a foodie, I suppose I wouldn’t have cared. But the truth is I love food. Maybe too much. So once I moved beyond my temper tantrum, I was determined to find a way to continue enjoying food and cooking tasty meals for the two of us. Which I’m pleased to say, I’ve done!

But I also wanted to eat out. So we started asking around to see which restaurants could accommodate diners on a low sodium diet. And what we learned was that a lot of places can’t or won’t, which is rather unfortunate since so many people these days have medical conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes, that require them to restrict their sodium. And while I’ve noticed that a number of restaurants now feature gluten-free options for those with celiac disease, I can’t say I’ve ever seen any sodium-free entrees on the menu.

But the good news is that we found some wonderful restaurants that happily prepare food sans salt, especially those that make their dishes “to order.”  Other places, on the other hand, bake and pre-salt their potatoes, ahead of time. Or they may marinate all their meat in marinades that contain salt. In which case, nope we can’t eat there.

Over time, we found four ethnic places in town where we could eat low sodium meals that are healthy, balanced and most importantly, yummy. There are two Thai places (http://bestlemongrass.com/) (http://highthai.com/index.html), one Indian restaurant (http://cafetandoorcleveland.com/) and a Chinese place (http://sunluckgarden.com/main.html), as well as Outback Steak House (http://outback.com/), which surprised me since it’s a chain restaurant, and I don’t think of chain restaurants as being willing to cater to special needs.

Being a food lover, I’m still on the prowl for more restaurants that serve it up low-sodium style. But at least we have a few places we can go, so we don’t need to be house bound.

Now that I’m on “the other side” of my temper tantrums, here’s what I know about dealing with a low sodium diet or perhaps any diet that restricts your choices:

It’s Okay to Grieve Your Losses – Whether you’re the person who’s been diagnosed with the medical condition, or a member of the affected family, it’s perfectly fine to scream and yell. Or even cry. In fact, I highly encourage it. Let it out. As one of my good friends always says, feeling is healing. And when you allow yourself to feel your feelings, they’ll move through you like a river until one day you’ll accept whatever loss you’re facing.

A New Diagnosis Affects the Whole Family -- Adjusting to a new chronic condition isn’t easy for the person who has been diagnosed. It also isn’t easy for their family. Because the thing is that when one person needs to change his or her diet or lifestyle, it affects the whole family. But it doesn’t have to be an agonizing process. Over time, you’ll be able to adjust to this new way of eating. And the good news is that if you are the loved one of someone on a restricted diet, you aren’t bound by the same rules. Nothing is stopping you from going out with a friend for sushi or a salty Mexican meal. I’ve had to remind myself of that, as we’ve navigated this change.

Be Inspired -- There are people and cookbooks out there to inspire you; there are recipes that are salt-free, low-fat or gluten-free. So, head on over to Amazon.com or your local library or do a little Googling and find some resources. You might be surprised what or who you find. I was!

 One who has inspired me the most is a woman named Jessica Goldman, also known as the Sodium Girl. Jessica was diagnosed with lupus and told she would probably need a kidney transplant as a result of kidney damage. But with support and encouragement from family and friends, medicine and healthy low-sodium eating, she was able to nurse herself back to health.

As a result of her healing journey, she has become passionate about low-sodium cooking. 

Jessica’s creativity is contagious. She isn’t afraid to experiment and play with food, which you’ll see if you shimmy on over to her wonderful blog, which features recipes and inspiration and a healthy dose of compassion: http://sodiumgirl.wordpress.com/. And if you happen to also have a passion for sodium-free cooking, you’ll be happy to know that she is writing a book, complete with tasty recipes, that is scheduled to be released in 2012.

Look for the Silver Lining – Sometimes when we’re diagnosed with a condition, (or someone in our family is), it can be a good thing. It can force us to grow and change and be more creative. In my case, changing my diet as a result of my husband’s condition was definitely a plus since I have a family history of heart disease and diabetes in my family. And salt isn’t exactly the heart’s best friend. While my blood pressure is quite low, I want to keep it that way. 

The other silver lining for us is that my husband doesn’t have a life-threatening disease. While his diet is restricted, he is still healthy and able to do just about everything he did before his diagnosis, and for that we are both eternally grateful.

Venture Out  -- Just because you or someone you love is on a restricted diet doesn’t mean you have to stay at home. Though it is definitely more challenging to venture out and find restaurants to accommodate dietary restrictions, there are some that will. Call around. Ask questions like “what do you serve that someone on a salt-free diet could eat?” Or, “what sort of balanced meals could you provide for someone on a FILL IN THE BLANK diet?”

Make no assumptions about what types of restaurants will or won’t be able to accommodate your dietary restrictions except when it comes to fast food restaurants, which typically won’t. When you’re invited to a friend’s house make them aware of your dietary restrictions, but don’t expect them to cater to your needs. Consider taking along your own meal or at least bringing along a dish or two to share that that is safe for you to eat, based on your dietary restrictions.

Ellen Brown is a certified professional coach, based in Cleveland, OH, and a regular columnist on ShareWIK.com.  Visit her website at http://ellen-brown.com. 

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