On 19/05/2011 4:22 PM, wrote:
> 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.

Well, in recent times, all my friends who ended up in our local hospital
seemed to emerge only in a box. I can well understand his reluctance to
enter such a place. I'm hoping it was all due to my friend's inability
to look after their health than anything related to the care given by
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.

Are there available alternative living arrangements whereby he could at
least cook some basic meals? The only "easy" way he can maintain a
healthy low salt diet without imposing on others is to cook his own
meals from known fresh ingredients. Am I being presumptuous in assuming
that he can cook, even a little?

His meals need not be complex. Some staple meat with, for example, 3
different steamed vegetables plus some fruit to round out the meal.
Steaming is preferable to boiling as more of the vitamins in the food
are preserved. As well, more of the flavour is retained.
Basic stews are also good. Any meats can be stewed a little extra until
they are well softened requiring little if any chewing. Enough stew can
be made in one session to cater to a number of meals especially if some
steamed vegetables or steamed rice is added to the meal. Variety is the
key here. The stew may be the staple but the vegetables can be varied as
desired.

This is how I live when my wife goes overseas to Vietnam, as she did a
few weeks back. I don't have the patience for cooking complex meals,
especially as there's often only myself dining in.

>
> 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.

That's a killer diet. I'm surprised he's reached 70.
>
> 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.

There are three low salt sauces in the online recipe book to which I
posted the URL yesterday. Here again is the URL

http://www.worldactiononsalt.com/awa...20cookbook.pdf

You might find other items in the low salt cookbook that you will be
able to prepare with a minimum of fuss.
>
> 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.

Salad sandwiches with mushrooms or the like to substitute for the meat
might be one way of dealing with the sandwich meat issue.
>
> 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.

His ideal salt intake will be a lot lower than you realise and, without
imposing on others, it will be a practical impossibility under his
current living arrangements. You would be doing him a real favour if you
can get him into a situation where he can do some simple food
preparation for himself. His motel lifestyle is not conducive to that.
>
> 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.

Try this website for a start.

http://www.saltmatters.org/site/

Processed food that is low in salt is hard to find. She Peter
Chamberlains website for clues on that difficulty in Australia.

http://users.tpg.com.au/pschamb/mls.html


You might want to join in an email discussion group dedicated to the low
salt issue.

http://www.saltmatters.org/site/inde...ail-chat-group

There is a book available that might help you as it provides a lot of
information in identifying the salt in foods as well as many low salt
recipes. I had a copy but I lent it to my doctor and haven't managed to
get it back yet. That was a few years ago. I think it's gone for good! ;-)
Amazon has a few copies available;

http://www.amazon.com/Salt-Matters-T...f=pd_rhf_p_t_2

Krypsis