Hi Bill,

Thanks so much for your very thoughtful email. I certainly understand your concerns, and I share all of them myself! It’s not easy navigating the sea of nutritional pitfalls like butter, refined carbohydrates and salt-laden processed foods. That said, the simple fact that you are cooking from scratch is half the battle to healthy eating because when you cook from-scratch you know exactly what is going into the foods you eat. Also, homemade dishes in general have much, much less salt than the equivalent store-bought products (assuming that the recipe does not call for prepared foods like canned soup, crackers, croutons, etc.). So if you are cooking recipes from this site (but keeping away from recipes with those “convenience” foods) you are well on your way to healthier eating. So be sure to check out my recipes that are tagged  “Healthy”. Although they are not specifically developed to be low-sodium or low-fat, you might find some dishes that fit in with your eating plan.

As for my Overnight Yeast Waffle recipe—I don’t see any reason that a recipe like this can’t be an occasional indulgence in a healthy diet. The recipe as written has less than 1/2 tablespoon butter and a small amount of added salt per waffle—and no convenience foods (that can add who-knows-what to a recipe). It’s actually quite a wholesome breakfast when served with fresh fruit. You can make it even healthier by cutting the salt to 1/2 teaspoon, using reduced-fat milk, and a trans-fat-free margarine (like from Smart Balance) instead of butter. And of course, you might want to forgo that pat of butter at the end! So go ahead, and enjoy a waffle occasionally!

And though we are not able to provide nutritional information for our recipes are you aware of the USDA's Nutrient Database? You can access the nutrition information (including fat, fiber, sugar, carbs, etc.) for thousands of foods—from simple ingredients (like onions and pasta) to prepared foods (like tomato sauce and chicken nuggets). The database is online at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_s.pl .

I also urge you to check out other online resources: If sodium is big concern, the Mayo Clinic has a number of Low-Sodium Recipes you might want to try. The American Heart Association (Heart.org) also has a listing of Low-Sodium Recipes, and their Getting Healthy section has a lot of invaluable information on nutrition and fitness. And whether or not you are diabetic, the website of the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org is a good resource. Their “Food & Fitness” section has a lot of excellent advice on healthy cooking in general (along with information on cooking for diabetes patients in particular). In addition, www.DiabeticLifestyle.com has a large number of diabetic-friendly recipes in all categories.

Again, I thank you for writing. And I am wishing you good luck in your quest for healthier cooking and eating!