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Have a friend who is really discouraged due to a doctor ordered change in diet. Friend needs low salt/no salt ideas for food. To start we would like ideas for snacks. Any ideas for toppers for rice cakes? Or other snack ideas?

Healthy, filling, and no salt.  
grape tomatoes, mini cucumbers, carrot sticks, the list is endless.  
also whatever fruit is reasonably priced and in season, make up a fruit salad.  
Much better than the cardboard rice cakes.  
Worked for me.

The biggest thing is to stay away from pre-packaged foods.  
Your best bet is fresh vegetables (use hummus or a low salt dip to liven it up), fresh fruits, yogurt (top the yogurt with fruit or granola - may be best to make your own granola). Unsalted nuts, hard boiled eggs, bowl of oatmeal, make your own poporn etc.

I know a guy who makes his own salt-free seasonings to go with meats and veggies and such because he's also on a low sodium diet. You could Google recipes to do some of the same kinda stuff

stay away from prepackaged foods, eat fresh and make your own dips and seasonings with herbs  
 
ex-taco seasoning  
 
1Tbs garlic powder  
3/4 tsp onion powder  
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes  
1tsp oregano  
1Tbs paprika  
1tsp cumin  
1tsp pepper  
 
mix to taste with low fat sour cream/yogurt for taco dip, i bake my own tortilla chips to dip also otherwise id get way to much salt anyway  
 
many more similar things on the net, just google no salt recipes  
 
 
 

has access to a computer, Davita has a lot of recipes that are low salt and salt free. It is a Kidney disease website.

here is a good website for how to make your own low sodium snacks and recipes.  
 
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/low_sodium_snack_recipes?slide=1#leaderboardad  

There are some great books on low salt cooking (and other special diets) at the library at the Brandon hospital. It's on the main floor, next to Tim Horton. It's a great little library, with all sorts of books on healthy living, caregiving, and illness. It is open to anyone in Westman and the staff are very helpful. Check them out!

veges when stir fried and not boiled can go without salt. You can add spice of your liking. Also salads with Greek yoghurt dressing can be saltless as the yog. simply tests salty(not the sweetened one). Also, cut tomatoes in cubes, add some veges in it and cook them covered for around 7-10min on medium, makes a nice topping. Anything with no gluten will be less on salt too.

recycler said "Dont change the diet. Instead spend some time sweating it out on these hot days with physical activity or just moving around. The problem will fix itself. Just dont eat excessively salty foods and all will be well. "

Ignore the doctor's orders and take advice from e-brandon?  
Guess the doctor shortage in westman has now been solved.

watch the salt content in yogurts and other things, read the packages and eventually you will get used to the taste, eat more fruits and veggies and unprocessed foods will drastically cut back on the sodium  
 
 
its hard to make meal suggestions as there are sooo many options and it comes down to personal tastes but just follow the basic advice and it will come easier and your ravings for salt and crap you ate before will eventually disappear too

They could try a juice fast to begin with.  
 
I spent $100 on a juicer and completely fasted on home made juices for two weeks. Once that was over I found things tasted better - I did not need to add salt to eggs or things like that. It almost reboots your taste buds. After two weeks of fasting, I added lean proteins and solid veggies and fruits again, and a main staple I had for dinner was greek salads. (Cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, olives, feta w balsamic and EVOO)  
 
Yes, there is salt in the feta cheese, (I rinse the olives well too) but your body does still need some sodium to work well. I find it very filling and the salty cheese is enough to satisfy.  
 
It is more about rebooting your system and taste buds. Now I find most processed foods too salty.  
 
Even without juicing, your friend can just really stuff themself with fresh fruits and veggies, and home made dips like hummus where they control the ingredients.  
 
It's hard to suggest things without knowing what they like, the biggest thing will be cutting out all processed foods and even sneaky places like commercial breads - you have no idea how much hidden salt and sugar are in those. If they have to eat bread, best to make their own too.  
 
The one thing to be careful of too - if they cut out a ton of sodium from their diet and begin drinking a lot of water too, it can be very bad for your body. I guess everything has to be in moderation....  
 
From experience though - the best help you can be to your friend is to do this with them. I am sure it will not hurt you to go low salt, the peer support can make things so much easier.  
 
My dad needed to quit smoking and lose weight, but did not have any support from my mom, who refused to quit or eat better. Can't help but think he might be alive now if they worked together....