I've been dealing with this a long time after DH had 7 By-passes in two different operation, full cardiac arrest & years of heart attacks until he got a heart transplant. Here are a few tips that have worked for me, (altho' sodium wasn't a problem for him.) He loves peas & beans which made it a lot easier. Transplant Dietician said he was allowed 60 gr. of fat per day but I try to keep it at 40 since even meds don't control his cholesterol well. It takes a while to shop 'cause yout must read labels! Bacon: I do give it to him once a week after rolling in paper towels, cooking in microwave- then pressing to lift grease. Eggs: Using only egg whites, lightly whipped then one drop of yellow food coloring swirled a bit before scrambling i non stick skillet. We're Southern & love the flavor of smoked hog jowls in greens, beans, etc., but I boil it, remove the meat & refrigerate it til' fat congeals so it lifts off...then just use the broth. Pot Roast & occasional baked Ham is done the same way. Buy only very lean ground meat & fat free broths for soups. I also buy Parkay Spray "Butter" 0 fat, calories & cholesterol, and the fat free salad dressings. Grocery shopping day is also cooking day (no need to put is all away, drag it out to cook a bunch of seperate meals.) First I build a fire in the grill then make beef patties. Then using more lean ground meat w/onions I brown it & as it browns I prepare chicken for baking. When beef is well done I put it in colander in the sink & pour boiling water of it & let it drain. Pour into paper towel lined bowl & press. When cool I put it in serving size freezer bags & flatten for quick thawing. Chopped onions are done the same way, so whatever amt is needed can be broken off easily. It can then be used for spaghetti, ect. (Sometimes we have Spaghetti Red (no meat) with lots of garlic & Italian spices.) Baked chicken breast (skin & fat removed) were so unappealing to him 'til I browned them first in skillet with non-stick spray. I buy large packs & cook them all at the same time for future use (saves on utility bills too.) 8 x 8" Pyrex dishes each get one so I can add different flavorings. One gets Frajita seasoning, one Italian, one Pace Picante. etc. While the chicken bakes I cook burgers (& sometimes Orange Roughy fish) on the grill- but not all the way thru. Cool & put each in a freezer bag- when ready to use a quick skillet warm up finishes the cooking process (we like ours well done.) I also make Stir Fry meals a lot. A little meat goes a long way when cut in small pcs. & it's a great way to use leftover meat. Soups are made with the fat free broths. Desserts are fat free puddings, jello w/ fruit. I also make this: Finely shredded cabbage in Lime jello, a layer of crushed canned pineapple, then layer of finely shredded carrots in Orange jello. AND, look for this *Banana Pops to make chocolate flavored bananas on a stick. It's by Concord Foods & only 5 gr. of fat. (www.concordfoods.com) By the bananas in our store. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions & Good luck! Suzi

Ask in the Cooking Forum. Good luck!

Recently - probably because I am nearing menopause - I have become extremely sodium-sensitive. It raises my blood pressure and makes me retain water. I never had this problem in the past. So I can sympathize with all of you who have posted on this thread. low salt seeker, Here are links to two recipes for low-sodium barbecue sauce: http://www.recipelink.com/cookbooks/2001/0312252528_1.html http://www.lowsodiumcooking.com/free/BarbecueSauce.htm Donna, the link below takes you to a really good low-sodium cooking site with lots of recipes. Do you have Trader Joe's stores in your area? If so, they carry a lot of low-sodium and sodium-free products - go to www.traderjoes.com website for a list. McCormick and Mrs. Dash both have lines of salt-free seasonings, and I really like the Mrs. Dash marinades for meat & veggies. If you rinse canned foods like beans, tuna, chicken, and olives, you can usually remove about half the sodium from them. The thing that I find most frustrating about avoiding sodium, though, is that even the supposedly "healthy" frozen meals are loaded with it. It's tough to find a packaged meal that contains less than 25% the daily recommendation. Lean Cuisine has about 5 varieties that fit the bill. Trader Joe's makes some Asian meals that are low-sodium, and Aldi's Grandessa Brand Mexican and Creole pork meals are lower in sodium. But I usually end up making lasagna, meatloaf, or casseroles every weekend and taking portions to work for lunch all week. And don't even get me started about restaurant food - I always blow up like a balloon the next day after I eat out! Here is a link that might be useful: Low Sodium Cooking

Gluten-gree is THE way to go. I dropped 20 pounds in 4 weeks doing nothing but eating gluten-free. have the "Wheat Belly" book, and I've read most of it. I have tried only two recipes, the Crab Cakes and the Pizza. The Crab Cakes were heavenly, the Pizza was... passable. My grand-daughters ate it (they're 6 and 2), but if it looks like pizza, they'll eat it. In my experience, nothing that is SUPPOSED to taste like bread tastes like bread. It's not soft, not doughy and yeasty, just... not. The breads you can buy or make are great for toast, french toast, breadcrumbs for cooking, etc. But they're not good for sandwiches or pizza doughs if you want a soft crust. I just had to learn to live without. I don't even save them for "special treats" because I'd rather just lose my taste and craving for such things. In ALL other recipes that aren't breads/muffins/bagels, I just replaced wheat flour with soy flour. I can't tell a difference really, or it feels so much better in my stomach that it SEEMS to taste better.