Dining in Cancun on a restricted diet
 

Hello boardies....we are travelling to cancun for thanksgiving week with my folks. My father is on a sodium-restricted diet due to his heart condition. We are staying in a hotel that gives us a kitchen in the room (Ambiance Villas), so at the very least we know we can always prepare meals for him/us.

But I know we'd all like to go out for a few meals (it IS vacation, after all!!). The thing is, he really has to be very very careful about sodium...NOT just table salt or salt used in cooking...but even the sodium already found in butter, eggs, etc. that are themselves used in cooking.

Any advice as to how to navigate in a restaurant in Cancun given those parameters? Has anyone had experience with such restricted diets while on vacation?

Thanks!

Here ya go:

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguid...tural_cancun-i

I can highly recommend all of their food, and this is a good place for breakfast especially...

I should add that Mexico is a tough place to find low salt food as so much of the dishes have LOTS of salt, but that if anywhere is going to be able to meet his needs, it will be 100% Natural.

They make almost all of their dishes from scratch while you wait, so they should be able to come up with something for him.

The language barrier sometimes does not help either when trying to find a place that will make something for him.

There are some really nice supermarkets there in downtown like Chedraui that will definitely have low and no salt items.

Good luck! :)

Hi Diana!
Thanks you again!!! You have been very helpful on both of my inquiries! We will absolutely check out 100% Natural!~

We opted to stay at the Ambiance for this trip as it has the full kitchen, we know that we will probably be eating a good number of meals in with my folks. (plus Ambiance also appears to have a fantastic stretch of beach for the kids!) But it is nice to know of any opportunities to eat out.

My brother in law is from Mexico...we have asked him to give us translations for such phrases as "can you make that with no salt/butter/margerine?" "can you steam the vegetables?" and "can you prepare that in olive oil"? LOL!!!
We figure we will be doing a lot of calling in advance :)

Thanks again for the great info!

May I offer a few phrases for you to write down on a piece of paper so you can hand them to your waiters at restaurants.

"Mi padre esta enfermo del corazón y por orden médica esta bajo una dieta estricta en la que solo puede consumir platos que tengan muy bajo contenido de sodio lo que significa que no puede comer nada de sal, ni huevos, ni mantequilla."
English translation: My father has a heart condition and has been placed on a strict diet. He can only consume dishes that are very low in sodium which means that he cannot eat any salt, nor eggs or butter.


"Nos puede sugerir algún plato con verduras al vapor con alguna carne a la plancha sin condimentos."
English translation: Can you suggest a dish that contains steamed vegetables with a grilled meat that has no seasonings?


Due to the fact that a lot of the dishes being offered in Cancun are from the sea, you should find out what type of fish are beneficial for your dad to eat either grilled or steamed. That's a nice alternative when you're out dining.

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

Roxby - thanks!

I'm emailing this to my dad. Maybe he can laminate it! :)

You read my mind-100% Natural ! It's my favorite place to eat when in town...they have several all easy to find and get to...Have Fun !