How to enjoy vegetarian options with less sodium

>>> this morning on joy's diet s.o.s., here to discuss everything from the best vegetarian foods to the skinny on white bread , today's nutritionist joy bauer.

>> hey, al.

>> we're going to skype nancy in collegeville, pennsylvania, joining us. good morning, nancy . what's your question?

>> good morning. i have a daughter with crohn's disease, and as a result of the inflammation she's prone to bowel obstructions. so she's limited on the foods she can digest such as fruit and vegetables. any idea how to incorporate these foods into her diet?

>> so nancy , produce tends to be easier to digest when it's either cooked, pureed, juiced or peeled, if that's aplikal. so i suggest that you first start with small portions of the low fiber cooked vegetables, carrots, mushrooms, green beans , asparagus. even potatoes, mashed or baked, sweet or white potatoes . make sure you remove the fiber rich skin. you can also try canned peeled fruits, pears and peaches and also natural applesauce because they heat that during processing so it's going to break down the fiber and make it gentler on her system. whip up a big batch of pureed soup, carrot ginger or butter nut squash and also invest in a juicer. because when you juice your produce you're going to remove a lot of that harsh fiber components, and you're going to maintain a lot of the beneficial nutrients. experiment around. and also overly ripe ban mas and avocados tend to be well tolerated during flare-ups. i hope she feels better.

>> thank you.

>> now doris in dallas, texas, she's joining us on the phone with her question. good morning, doris .

>> hey joy.

>> hey.

>> for ians you've been telling us to say away from processed grains. but i was wondering if the artisan bakeries in my area and not the national chain bakeries in the big box bakers, but the real artisan ones, if those are a better alternative or we should stay away from those as well.

>> oh, doris you're going to hate me the way -- you know what it is? all white bread whether it's the smushy white sandwich bread in the grocery store or the crusty bread is made with refined white flour . the whole grain flour that's stripped of all the good stuff. ask your local bakery if they have any whole grain varieties. maybe request that they master a few loefshs. i'm betting that they'll probably do that and your neighbors will enjoy it, as well. sorry, doris .

>> we've got to go to your e-mail. this one from washington, d.c. she writes not a vegetarian but i don't cook or eat meat at home to help me stay healthy. i've noticed a lot of quick, healthy options are loaded with sodium. are they truly healthy?

>> she's exactly right. because a lot of these vegetarian options are loaded with sodium. so when it comes to vegetarian burgers, you want to look for brands that have less than 400 milligrams of sodium per burger and that incorporate whole soy versus soy protein ? whole soy seems to be the healthier way to go. and check out meatlessmonday.com. they've got fabulous vegetarian recipes and meal ideas and you can master the real vegetarian superstars, lentils, nuts, seeds, tofu, soy, and you don't have to rely on the frozen foods night after night .

>> and cheaper probably.

>> yes, absolutely.

>> one more viewer e-mail from hackensack, new jersey. how many calories are there in a six-piece california roll ?

>> 210 calories in a california roll . that's rice, autograph caught dough, crab and cucumber. so it's fabulous. japanese feast for under 600 calories. one to two orders of california roll , some miso soup and edamame.

>> and if you request brown rice ?

>> if you can get brown rice that is a huge bone oubs.