low salt

I have been on a few cruises. I have noticed on my last couple of cruise,my ankles tend to swell. How can I get low salt entrees on the cruise I will be taking in Oct? My doctor isn't concerned. She says they go back to normal after I'm home. I just feel uncomfortable & think lowering the salt intake will help. Thanks

I have been on a few cruises. I have noticed on my last couple of cruise,my ankles tend to swell. How can I get low salt entrees on the cruise I will be taking in Oct? My doctor isn't concerned. She says they go back to normal after I'm home. I just feel uncomfortable & think lowering the salt intake will help. Thanks

Try not to drink shipboard water. This will help dramatically. The sea water has to go through a de-salinization process, depending upon how thorough the maintenance of these salinity cells are equates to the amount of sodium content in the drinking water.

I know of this because it was part of my job in the US Navy. By the way I see you are from Bayshore...my wife grew up on Deerpark street.

Just don't put ANY salt on anything you eat....it's more salty than you're used to at home...

Contact your TA now (it can take awhile to process).....they will make it known to NCL that you have issues with your diet. You may even have to let the maitre 'd/wait staff know of your issue. It worked for me.:)

The trick is buy water, drink lots to make you p a bit more and wash some sodium out.

I find that wearing compression socks to bed while on a cruise keep my ankles from swelling.

I have been on a few cruises. I have noticed on my last couple of cruise,my ankles tend to swell. How can I get low salt entrees on the cruise I will be taking in Oct? My doctor isn't concerned. She says they go back to normal after I'm home. I just feel uncomfortable & think lowering the salt intake will help. Thanks

Are you deficient in B vitamins or protein? The other major causes are too much salt, too much sugar and not enough exercise and hormones. If it only happens while cruising it is likely dietary.

Ice, water, iced tea, lemonade and coffee are all made with desalinated water and likely have a higher sodium content. I believe that generally the salt content in the food is merely average or slightly above. Bring bottled, bring a plate of lemon slices to your room and put a piece of lemon in every bottle before you drink and drink a lot. Alcohol and coffee can contribute to retention through dehydration. Coconut water is great if you can swallow it, if not Gatorade.

Take daily vitamins. I find maternity vitamins particularly helpful for hormone related retention (females only!).

Put a pillow under your feet when you go to bed.

I am a wellness professional with an education in nutrition and physiology.

Good luck!

I also have had this problem primarily when cruising, although it did happen on one land trip to Bermuda as well. On the land trip, I started drinking bottled water a few a day and it helped relieve the swelling quite a bit. (It got so bad that time I couldn't get my flip flops on comfortably) This time we brought on a case of water, something we have never done before, as the ship water is fine to drink and we always did/do. I made sure to drink 3-4 bottles a day. I didn't change anything else I did on this cruise in terms of eating and drinking. I also put my feet up on two pillows every night while sleeping. My swollen ankles/feet did not occur until day 3 of this past cruise, which also happened to be a port day which we spent snorkeling. I wondered if the salt water had anything to do with it, although logic tells me it probably doesn't absorb through the skin that way. I can tell you while my swelling did still occur, it always went down quite a bit by morning after elevating my feet all night It also was not bad enough for shoes or sandals to be a problem, which has definitely happened in the past. The biggest other thing I did this cruise was working out. (I recently lost 35 pounds and was determined to not ruin that!) Perhaps I sweat out some of that extra sodium too as I worked out 5 of our 7 days on the cruise. So, between elevating feet at night, drinking several bottles of water a day and working out, one or all of those seem to have helped me this cruise. Not convinced it was the bottled water, but I will probably always bring it on now. Mind over matter;)

If you're prone to swelling, the environment on a cruise ship is pretty much the prefect recipe. Desalinated water, foods loaded with sodium, simple sugar, preservatives, eating more of that food than you would normally consume at home, walking/standing a lot, sandals and bad shoes, lots of sun and dehydration, alcohol, etc. etc. etc.

Try to eat as healthy as possible (even though the 'healthy' options on board are still loaded with junk), stay hydrated and keep those feet up from time to time. You may want to pack a pair of compression socks if the swelling is severe.

Check out this thread devoted to this subject. Lots of good discussion here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1637335

Just wanted to chime in and say that this is an issue that has greatly puzzled me lately, and not just about cruise food. I understand what pervious posters have said about cruise water, etc. yet on my last few cruises ( and restaurant visits too), I have found that the majority of entrees taste overwhelmingly salty, to the point of ruining the taste of the food. This puzzles me for several reasons. First, as my mother first sais and as true as true can be, better to have a food item under salted, as you can always add salt, but you can't take it away.

Second, as a sizable percentage of cruisers have issues with blood pressure, why have food that is so salty on most of the entrees offered? And finally, with so many people concerned with food purity, why add so much salt to foo that isn't rotting, as a main reason for adding salt is to preserve food and to disguise the taste of food that is past its prime? We can't do anything about the fact that the desalination process on board, or the traveling experience itself may lead to excess sodium, but I want to add my voice to the protest of entrees that come terribly over-salted, both on ships and restaurants here in the states.

:)Q:)

Just wanted to chime in and say that this is an issue that has greatly puzzled me lately, and not just about cruise food. I understand what pervious posters have said about cruise water, etc. yet on my last few cruises ( and restaurant visits too), I have found that the majority of entrees taste overwhelmingly salty, to the point of ruining the taste of the food. This puzzles me for several reasons. First, as my mother first sais and as true as true can be, better to have a food item under salted, as you can always add salt, but you can't take it away.

Second, as a sizable percentage of cruisers have issues with blood pressure, why have food that is so salty on most of the entrees offered? And finally, with so many people concerned with food purity, why add so much salt to foo that isn't rotting, as a main reason for adding salt is to preserve food and to disguise the taste of food that is past its prime? We can't do anything about the fact that the desalination process on board, or the traveling experience itself may lead to excess sodium, but I want to add my voice to the protest of entrees that come terribly over-salted, both on ships and restaurants here in the states.

:)Q:)

It is cultural. In Europe, they grow their food to taste good. Eat a fresh strawberry in France. It is so much better. Here, we grow our food to last long and stand up to transport. Our whole food philosophy is more for less and taste is the big loser. We use salt, the blandest of spices, to enhance the taste of our bland food.

On a side note, the newest research shows there is no association between sodium intake (or urinary output) and heart disease.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt/

I have been on a few cruises. I have noticed on my last couple of cruise,my ankles tend to swell. How can I get low salt entrees on the cruise I will be taking in Oct? My doctor isn't concerned. She says they go back to normal after I'm home. I just feel uncomfortable & think lowering the salt intake will help. Thanks

Contact NCL's "AccessDesk", who deal with all special needs.

"Low salt" is probably one of the more common requests/needs, and they are well prepared for that.

If necessary (your decision, depending upon how "low" salt you need/want), they'll prepare your food separately, just as for those with food allergies.

In that case, you'll have a chance to select meals the day before.

Another choice would be to ask about whatever is lowest salt, and to request that no extra salt be added.

You'll be given a contact person on arrival, who can help coordinate this.

GeezerCouple

I know several people who have the same issue because of salt.

You could ask for low sodium for your items. Just let the cruise line know.

Keith

Contact NCL's "AccessDesk", who deal with all special needs.

 

"Low salt" is probably one of the more common requests/needs, and they are well prepared for that.

 

If necessary (your decision, depending upon how "low" salt you need/want), they'll prepare your food separately, just as for those with food allergies.

In that case, you'll have a chance to select meals the day before.

 

Another choice would be to ask about whatever is lowest salt, and to request that no extra salt be added.

 

You'll be given a contact person on arrival, who can help coordinate this.

 

GeezerCouple

Great info. Thanks. Do you have email or phone number of Access Desk.

Christine

Great info. Thanks. Do you have email or phone number of Access Desk.

Christine

Email: AccessDesk@NCL.com

I'd suggest emailing first, so there is a written record that is less likely to be misplaced or misunderstood.

They may phone you to get more specifics, such as how strict does it need to be.

If you need specially prepared food, then it's a bit more tedious, because obviously you need to order in advance.

For example, when we were going to a specialty restaurant - easier, because we had a reservation, etc. - I asked in advance for low-sodium French onion soup, which can be very salty.

GeezerCouple

Just wanted to chime in and say that this is an issue that has greatly puzzled me lately, and not just about cruise food. I understand what pervious posters have said about cruise water, etc. yet on my last few cruises ( and restaurant visits too), I have found that the majority of entrees taste overwhelmingly salty, to the point of ruining the taste of the food. This puzzles me for several reasons. First, as my mother first sais and as true as true can be, better to have a food item under salted, as you can always add salt, but you can't take it away.

Second, as a sizable percentage of cruisers have issues with blood pressure, why have food that is so salty on most of the entrees offered? And finally, with so many people concerned with food purity, why add so much salt to foo that isn't rotting, as a main reason for adding salt is to preserve food and to disguise the taste of food that is past its prime? We can't do anything about the fact that the desalination process on board, or the traveling experience itself may lead to excess sodium, but I want to add my voice to the protest of entrees that come terribly over-salted, both on ships and restaurants here in the states.

:)Q:)

Processed, preservatives and sodium are the American staples these days. I would be willing to bet that even the 'fresh' options on board are loaded with chemicals and sodium. If the food is low quality, there's nothing better than a ton of sodium and chemicals to make it taste better :eek:

I'm not sure how successful you would really be with requesting a low sodium items. Most of the food is going to be prepackaged/pre-made and they have no control over what's in it. There are definitely some items better than others, but the cause of high sodium isn't because the chef added 3x too much table salt when the dish was prepared.

Neighbor of mine had that problem. In between cruises she lost 60 lbs and started a light to moderate exercise program. Once on board she drank only bottled water and stayed hydrated. Trust me, she still enjoyed the bars but limited her meals and snacking throughout the day, which was tough for her.

She had zero problems her last cruise. I'm proud of her. :)

I do hope some of you take the time to read the link I posted above, where people talk about how reducing salt has had no effect for some, so they have figured out some other things to do to reduce the swelling. Just some additional info.

Reducing salt doesn't work for me, either, so I'd never waste my time with the special needs desk.

I do hope some of you take the time to read the link I posted above, where people talk about how reducing salt has had no effect for some, so they have figured out some other things to do to reduce the swelling. Just some additional info.

 

Reducing salt doesn't work for me, either, so I'd never waste my time with the special needs desk.

I agree. And on a cruise, food is usually where many people splurge (from a wellness perspective). Even if I suspected salt was the culprit, or a piece of the problem, I would not give up the great dinners to be had. Have you ever eaten pasta or steak cooked without it? I would much rather give up drinking desalinated beverages than give up my amazing dinners. It is vacation.

A broad approach of hydration, elevation and pre-cruise nutrition and exercise is anybody's best bet.