I work in a deli department at a grocery store, and we have a really
nice guy who has been coming in for about 15 years. He is a Viet Nam
vet, in his 70s, very eccentric, and a bit paranoid. He's a super nice
guy who avoids hospitals and cars, won't accept social security, etc.
He has had two heart attacks in the past and refused to go to the
hospital.

He lives in a nearby motel and buses to work downtown every day. The
motel won't allow him to have a microwave, hot plate, etc, so he comes
by daily for dinner and tomorrow's lunch.

He's been feeling sick lately, very exhausted and breathing hard. His
boss finally insisted and hauled him to the doctor. His lungs were
retaining fluid. He has a water pill now, and they took several vials
of blood. He was told he needs to cut out the salt since his diet has
consisted of processed food every day for every meal. His legs are
swollen, and the lung issue is a bad sign.

So, I am trying to come up with some alternatives that he can eat as
he adjusts his daily diet. He normally eats a lot of sandwiches, corn
dogs, chicken strips, and chinese food.

In the past, we have done some adjustments to his food, such as adding
a can of veggies to some rice and an entree, and heating it up for
him. Or adding rice to soup. Stuff like that. We normally do not heat
non-deli food, but we make an exception for him.

Today, I fixed him some rice, with unsalted butter stirred in to
replace the gravy. And I had the cooks stir fry some veggies and
chicken without any sauce or seasonings. I also chopped it smaller as
I normally pick through the entrees for the smaller pieces as he only
has 4 teeth. I'm sure it was boring but better than nothing.

I am hoping for some suggestions that would keep him at a low salt
intake, especially while he gets this under control. I would love to
make a nice sauce that I could take and add to rice and a plain entree
to give it some flavor.

I can make something at home and heat it there if it is more
complicated that stuff we make at work. The chinese cooks can make
just about any entree I ask for as long as it only uses ingredients we
have already. Something like a sauce could be made at home and added
if it requires something else.

He has a problem chewing due to the teeth, so the only meat we can
cook for him is chicken, cut up small. Our beef and pork would be too
chewy. I could do something with ground beef at home. He is a bit
relunctant to accept food as a gift, but i think this is serious
enough that he would accept me cooking it if he paid for it. He does
not accept handouts. He protests every year about me giving him a
Christmas dinner (but he does accept it ).

Sandwich meats are out since they are so high in salt. He loves
sandwiches though, so a good alternative would be awesome. I can make
hot and cold sandwiches, so I am open to any suggestions. He's not
very picky about food, other than the ability to chew it, so that's
good. He likes most fruits and veggies. Spicy is fine.

He goes back to the doctor again today and a coworker is taking him
(so that she can help him ask the right questions and write down the
answers). So hopefully, I will have a better idea of diet restrictions
and what his ideal daily salt intake will be.

He is a really super guy, so I am hoping to keep him around for a long
time to come. He can cheer me up on a bad day, and he is always
entertaining. He goes to Reno every year for Thanksgiving, and I
really miss his daily visits. These days, I worry anytime he misses a
day.