by Katy Wilkens, MS, RD
Nutrition and fitness manager, Northwest Kidney Centers

Lots of Asian meals are high in sodium, especially those from your local teriyaki place. The average sodium content for Asian entrees ranges from 4,000 to 6,000 milligrams of sodium in one serving. That’s more than two people should eat in three days!

To cut the salt to keep your heart and kidneys happy, try using sweet, sour, hot, bitter and umami flavors in your Asian dishes. Add color to your meals to appeal to the eyes as well as your palate. For a fast meal, you can’t beat instant rice or angel hair pasta, which boils in 2-3 minutes. Shrimp or tofu cook quickly and are packed with protein. To make stir-fry meals even quicker, buy plastic deli trays of pre-cut broccoli, carrots and red peppers, or get the ready-to-go veggies from the salad bar.

Spicy noodle stir-fry

This is an eye-catching meal that can be fixed in under 15 minutes. The orange peel adds a bitter tone, the red peppers add natural sugar, and the jalapeno adds heat.

1 package whole grain angel hair pasta
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound raw shrimp or cubed chicken breast or tofu
2 carrots, grated
1 cup broccoli, cut into florets
1 red pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
½-1 jalapeno pepper, chopped finely
2 cups napa cabbage, sliced
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Start boiling water for noodles. Heat oil in frying pan or wok. Sauté shrimp, chicken or tofu, remove from pan and set aside. Add carrots and broccoli, stir-fry a few minutes. Add angel hair pasta to hot water, boil 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, add red pepper, orange peel, jalapeno and cabbage to pan, stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Return shrimp or chicken to pan, heat. Add cherry tomatoes. Drain noodles, top with pan mixture. Serves four.

Nutritional information (per serving):
Calories: 522, Carbohydrates: 87 grams, Protein: 33 grams, Sodium: 650 milligrams

Quick curry stir-fry

Instant rice
1 cup thinly sliced onions
½ cup sliced red pepper, broccoli, carrots or pea pods, or a combination
4 cups (3/4 pound) greens (spinach, bok choy, napa cabbage, collard greens, beet greens, etc.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces tofu, cut into cubes, or 1-2 chicken breasts or 15-20 shrimp, or a combination
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon sugar
2–4 tablespoons Ms. Dash low-sodium marinade
½ cup white wine vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar

Cook rice according to package directions. Chop vegetables, cut greens into 2-inch-long strips. Heat the oil in frying pan or wok. Saute tofu, chicken or shrimp with onions about 2-4 minutes, or until chicken is browned, shrimp are pink and onions are translucent. Remove and set aside. Sprinkle curry powder over onions and add sugar and veggies. Cook 1-3 minutes, until bright green, red, orange. Add the greens and cover. Reduce heat and let greens steam in their own juice until tender, 5-8 minutes, uncovering and turning occasionally. Add a little water if needed. Don’t overcook or greens will turn dark! Remove greens with slotted spoon, leaving juices in pan. Add Ms. Dash marinade and vinegar, heat to boiling. When sauce is slightly thickened, remove from heat and pour over the greens. Serve with rice. Serves four.

Nutritional information (per serving):
Calories: 267, Carbohydrates: 17 grams, Protein: 27 grams, Sodium: 242 milligrams

The information in this column is meant for people who want to keep their kidneys healthy and blood pressure down by following a low-sodium diet. In most cases, except for dialysis patients, a diet high in potassium is thought to help lower high blood pressure. These recipes are not intended for people on dialysis without the supervision of a registered dietitian.

[Katy G. Wilkens is a registered dietitian and department head at Northwest Kidney Centers. The 2014 recipient of National Kidney Foundation Council on Renal Nutrition’s Susan Knapp Excellence in Education Award, she has a Master of Science degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Washington. See more of her recipes at www.nwkidney.org.]