Dear Dr. Gourmet,

Q: I am on the MAOI Parnate and I cannot have anything with tyramine in it. Could you tell me exactly what is in the Acai Berry fruit? I ordered the freeze dried berry in a capsule. I’m just not sure if I can have it.

A: It is possible that acai berries may contain tyramine. Many fruits do, including grapes, figs, plums and pineapple. As fruits age, the levels of tyramine they contain increase, so fresh fruit may not be as much of a problem.

All of that said, the freeze dried acai that you ordered is likely to be a scam. Acai Berry Supplements

Q: Which salt substitute would you recommend?

A: Generally speaking I don’t recommend salt substitutes. I believe that it’s more important to learn to use salt carefully. Here’s some information on how to get started and understand sodium better: Salt

Q: Since I have high blood pressure one of my major concerns is salt content. Some recipes (like eggplant parmesan) call for salting items like eggplant, zucchini, and cucumber to either cut down on bitterness or excess water.

I have usually skipped the salting because I am concerned that it significantly increases the sodium content of the recipe, even if the salt is rinsed off the vegetable after the soaking. Does covering the vegetables in salt result in significant absorption of sodium? If it does, are there alternative methods that will achieve the same goals?

A:I never salt eggplant (or other vegetables, for that matter) in the way you describe. There are two suggested reasons for doing this. One is to remove moisture and the other bitterness. My experience is that moisture is fine for eggplant and helps keep it tender. Salting Eggplant