No-Salt Cooking Guru

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committing to a low-sodium diet

An optimistic man determined to beat his diagnosis, Don Gazzaniga diligently cut his sodium intake to 500 milligrams or less per day (which many experts said at the time would be too hard to do). Michael Fowler, F.R.C.P., adjusted Gazzaniga’s diuretic (water pill) dosage based on his low-sodium intake.
  
“You can’t cheat on the diet, eating 500 milligrams of sodium one day and 2,500 milligrams the next,” Gazzaniga says. “Your sodium intake has to be steady so the doctor can regulate your medication.” 
   
Gazzaniga’s compliance became evident within a year and a half of his initial diagnosis:

• His heart, previously enlarged from congestive heart failure, had reshaped to its normal size.
  
• He no longer needed a heart transplant.
  
• Two years after his diagnosis, Gazzaniga was able to discontinue his diuretic. He continues to take other medications for heart failure and had a pacemaker implanted to regulate his heart

A big reason Gazzaniga has been able to stick to his diet for more than a decade is his creativity in the kitchen. "It wasn't easy in the beginning," he recalls. "But when you stop eating salt, your palate gradually recovers, and you're able to detect the real taste of food within two to three months."

Get our delicious low-sodium recipes.