Mid-Week Checkin

Happy Almost Wednesday!

How's everyone doing? I am good. I had a therapy appointment today and we are really happy with my progress. I am working very hard - especially with my diet. Everett (the husband) wanted pizza tonight and I said no. Yay me! I haven't noticed a huge increase in my swelling when I have had it so far but I want to be really good this week. Plus pizza ordering has gotten so complicated now. Say goodbye to pepperoni and sausage.

But let's not emphasize the negative - accentuate the positive! Who coined that phrase? Anyone remember?

But anyway - next to pizza, Everett and I love sushi. And thank God, sushi is one thing I did not have to give up or even drastically modify. I am not a huge soy sauce person so that worked out well because soy sauce is a major No-No. And don't be fooled by the green cap Low Sodium variety. It still has way more sodium than anybody with a swelling condition should consume. But the problem arises when healthy dishes have a soy sauce component. There has to be an alternative - right?

Thanks to my good friend Google, I found one. I actually found several. Here is one from Food.com:

Ingredients:

Yield:  2 cups Units: US | Metric
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup beef bouillon
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions:

1. Boil water.
2. Stir in rest of ingredients. Note: Don't substitute anything for the sesame oil.
3. Store in fridge.

87mg of sodium! Compared to 575 mg in Kikkoman Low Sodium Soy Sauce. That is amazing. And one article I read states you can jar it and it keeps for a month in the fridge. I found a recipe, Quinoa Fried Rice with Shrimp and Green Peas, that now I can have. We'll probably make this the weekend after Easter. 

Speaking of Easter - now the tough part comes. Do I suck it up and just eat what I usually have, even though I know it has high sodium? I don't think so but I am going for something better. No ham for me, but lamb is also popular on Easter and can be made without salt. But we're eating out so I need to make sure that I tell the waiter to order without extra salt. It will at least cut down on a little bit. 

I hope you all make smart choices but if you do have a lot of salt, remember to drink alot of water. This will flush it from your system faster.

I wish you all a good rest of the week and a Happy Easter to those who celebrate. Please feel free to comment on your choices for the week. We can all learn from each other.