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In October 2018, I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease. (Learn more about my journey here.) I was immediately told that I needed to go on a low sodium diet immediately -- forever. I was 46 years old, and felt like I turned 90 overnight.
KosherLoSo is my effort to provide guidance and recipes on how to keep a low sodium diet while keeping kosher. I have learned that this is not such a simple task. Do a simple Google Search, and up will come tons of sites offering information on low sodium diets, and recipes galore. Add in the word "Kosher" and all you get are questions about low sodium kosher pickles. Apparently pickles are the #1 food that people on low sodium diets want to eat. Who knew? Kosher Low Sodium that is not pickles -- nothing!
I spent countless hours scouring these sites, certain that I would find plenty to help me in my search for delicious low sodium recipes. Surely, I would find recipes to make for my family and that would prevent me from getting sick? I mean isn't everything on the internet? There had to be someone out there who was doing this? It got pretty depressing, pretty quickly. Though there are many low sodium resources available, I could not find a single specific Kosher low sodium resource. It was as if no one in Kosher world even knew what low sodium was - or worse, cared.
KosherLoSo is Born
Well, I have a Master's Degree in Library Science, and my specialty is research. Giving up easily is not one of my traits. I was sure there had to be a solution, even if I had to create it myself. I went to work searching for products that I could eat and use. Amazon became my best friend. I used magnifying glasses to view the nutritional labels on products that people in my Facebook groups raved about. There just had to be a kosher symbol hidden somewhere (there wasn't). Walking up and down supermarket aisles aimlessly, I checked products in the hope that maybe this time, there would be a product that would work with my very limited diet.
After seeing about a thousand posts about the fantastic Boar's Head Low Sodium Turkey (that I couldn't eat), the amazing Herb Ox Boullion Cubes (that I couldn't use in my recipes), I woke up one day and said THAT'S IT. There has to be a way to eat a low sodium diet and eat kosher at the same time, without eating bland and boring food daily. The idea for KosherLoSo was born.
18 months later, and I have now gotten to a point where I feel like I once again have amazing food options. I want to share those options with others who are struggling with a low sodium diet -- but keep kosher. My recipes are either original or adapted from other low sodium cookbooks and recipe sites. But the catch is that they only use kosher products. And they are here for you on KosherLoSo.
A Few Important Caveats
- I am NOT a doctor -- I can't tell you how much sodium should be in your own diet. I can only tell you the amounts of sodium that are in my recipes. After that, it's up to you to consult with your doctor and take responsibility for your health.
- Rabbi is not my title. I do not take any responsibility for the kosher supervision on specific products. When I use a product in a recipe on KosherLoSo, at that time, the supervision is valid. If a product loses it's kosher supervision thereafter, I may not know!
- Every product I list will note which supervision it has so that every reader can make their own determination if it fits their Kashrut standards. I may follow certain kosher supervisions that others may not, and others may use certain supervisions that are not valid to me. If in doubt, consult your local Rabbi (which I definitely am not!)
I am so excited to have you join me on this journey! Let's Eat!