By Nutrition Wise

Q: Is it true that diet soft drinks are high in sodium?

A: No. The sodium content of diet soft drinks sweetened with NutraSweet is generally in the same range as regular soft drinks - 10 to 30 milligrams of sodium per eight-ounce serving. Soft drinks sweetened with sodium saccharin are slightly higher - about 37 milligrams in eight ounces - yet this even falls within the legal classification of a “low-sodium” food; the cutoff is 140 milligrams a serving.

Q: When a recipe calls for alcohol, can I substitute something else?

A: Certainly. Depending on the recipe, you can replace white wine with white grape juice, chicken or vegetable broth, clam juice or nonalcoholic wine.

Instead of red wine, try chicken, beef or vegetable broth; apple cider; cranberry or red grape juice; or flavored vinegar.

You can substitute sherry with orange juice or pineapple juice in many recipes, or replace two tablespoons of sherry with one or two teaspoons of vanilla extract.

- By Karen Collins, a registered dietitian for the American Institute for Cancer Research. Send questions to “Nutrition-Wise,” c/o Town Crier, 1759 R St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009.