Low Salt and/or No Salt Food

[geocruiser]

 

We will be sail on the beautiful FOS in Jan. I know that they do offer low or no salt food. My question is how tasty is the low/no salt food? When I ordered it on Tahitian Princess it was no good. I cook at home with no or little salt and my food is good. So, I am not use to lots of salt. If it is need, I like to add it in at the table.

 

PS If feeding my fish, please use no salt food. The six of them get lots of salt in tthe ocean water!

Edited December 11, 2013 by geocruiser

[Clarea]

If you end up wanting low/no sodium food, you should notify Royal in advance by sending an email to [noparse]special_needs@rccl.com[/noparse]. Also be sure to seek out your Head Waiter in the MDR and make sure they know about your dietary requirements.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

When I requested a low sodium diet the HW came and talked to me and told me I should just avoid soups, pasta and sea food. All other things were prepared low sodium. I hope that helps.

[Janet524]

DH has special dietary needs, including low salt. I notify RC when I book the cruise and make sure the notation is listed on our reservation confirmation.

 

Every night the waiter brings the following night's menu for DH to make his selections. They are prepared low salt and each meal has, according to DH, been excellent. For lunch we'll go to Windjammer and he'll avoid the soups and stick with salads, the "carving board" meat, etc. He has been very pleased with the low salt meals.

 

I would also suggest that even if you notify RC about the dietary need, be sure to bring it to the attention of your MDR head waiter when you board.

[geocruiser]

Thank you for your help. I have great BP but when on a cruise it goes up, and I guessing it has to be the salt. Being I hardly cook with any. (but I do add some at the table on some food every once in a while). I just like the taste of food. I will contact my TA and tell her beside no shellfish to add no/low salt. I love sup but do stay away from it on board ships. I love pasta but when I make sauce I don't add any salt. There is enough in the crushed and puree tomatoes that I use. If I can find no salt tomatoes I use that . Of course in the summer I use fresh from the garden. My guests (who use salt) never reach for the shaker in my house.

Do they have pasta with just garlic and oil?

[superduper123]

I always order my dining room meals low salt. They taste perfectly fine, to be honest I cannot even taste the difference. I have not however, ordered anything NO salt.

[cjdixon4]

My BP is under control via medication, thankfully, but on a cruise I tend to let my guard down a bit. I don't recommend that you do the same, but absolutely contact RCI in advance to make the aware of your dietary needs.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thank you for your help. I have great BP but when on a cruise it goes up, and I guessing it has to be the salt. Being I hardly cook with any. (but I do add some at the table on some food every once in a while). I just like the taste of food. I will contact my TA and tell her beside no shellfish to add no/low salt. I love sup but do stay away from it on board ships. I love pasta but when I make sauce I don't add any salt. There is enough in the crushed and puree tomatoes that I use. If I can find no salt tomatoes I use that . Of course in the summer I use fresh from the garden. My guests (who use salt) never reach for the shaker in my house.

Do they have pasta with just garlic and oil?

I would avoid the pasta all together. It is cooked in large amounts with a lot of salt in the water. That is the reason the HW told me to avoid the pasta. They are not able to cook small amounts salt free.

[pearlie]

HI,

I have to do no salt due to a medical condition. I tell the head waiter the 1st night, and i pre order for the next night. Some things you cannot have, such as soup, ( they will make a non salt one occasionally), any potato other than baked, anything marinated. They do try very hard to make everything good. I will allow myself an occasional salty thing like escargot once on the cruise, I asked for low salt and got escargot on a plate, that was it. Stick to the salad bar and plain pasta, or sandwiches for lunch. I have pastry usually for breakfast. THey can do fish and beef w. no salt, but have not had much luck w. chicken.

 

Have fun!

[geocruiser]

I forgot about RCCL putting salt in the pasta water (something that I never do). Will stay away from it.

[Barb Nahoumi]

I booked our cruise through a travel agency. I suppose that I could inform them of any salt restrictions that DH and I have.

 

Thanks for the tips-----I'll stay away from Pasta.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Remember that many breads, if not most breads are baked with salt in their ingredients. I do not know if there is a such a thing as a low or no salt bread or roll on a cruise ship. The butter probably contains salt too. I'd be very careful with most pastries as well.

[geocruiser]

At home my BP is great, mostly on the low side to normal, with no meds. I cook with no to very little salt. My food taste fine. But I will add some salt on my plate at the table ,if need. On a cruise my BP goes up. So I am thinking it must be the salt in the food. I carry a BP cuff with me, so I can check it. I just don't get it, do they put that much salt into the food or is it something else that makes my BP go up?

[Clarea]

At home my BP is great, mostly on the low side to normal, with no meds. I cook with no to very little salt. My food taste fine. But I will add some salt on my plate at the table ,if need. On a cruise my BP goes up. So I am thinking it must be the salt in the food. I carry a BP cuff with me, so I can check it. I just don't get it, do they put that much salt into the food or is it something else that makes my BP go up?

Just to add another data point, my wife's ankles swell up on a cruise. We're not sure if it's the ship's water (high level of sodium remaining?), soups, or other food. We've started to buy the water packages, and use those at dinner, and it seems to help significantly.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Just to add another data point, my wife's ankles swell up on a cruise. We're not sure if it's the ship's water (high level of sodium remaining?), soups, or other food. We've started to buy the water packages, and use those at dinner, and it seems to help significantly.

 

Maybe I should do that. I have the same problem. Do you just bring the water with you to the dining room?

[Clarea]

Maybe I should do that. I have the same problem. Do you just bring the water with you to the dining room?

Yes, and it's not a problem. After the first night, the assistant waiter expects it and leaves our water glass empty.

[baggal]

Just to add another data point, my wife's ankles swell up on a cruise. We're not sure if it's the ship's water (high level of sodium remaining?), soups, or other food. We've started to buy the water packages, and use those at dinner, and it seems to help significantly.

 

This is a very good point. Some people will argue, but I agree that even with the ship's desalinization, the tap drinking water has sodium in it. If you are truly interested in being low/no sodium, you have to limit your coffee and tea, since they are made with the ship's water. Your coffee won't taste salty but its there.

 

As for pasta, some HW and waiters are more knowledgeable than others. Two years ago on the Brilliance I was able to have pasta cooked in water without added salt made special for me (just like I do at home!). And they did have low sodium sauce.

 

You have to be very vigilant and yes the food will most likely taste bland but you can have all the pepper you want. To paraphrase a familiar saying: nothing tastes as good as normal ankles and good health.

 

Enjoy!