Diet Community

Hi stay away from proccessed foods eat primarily from nature fruits vegies whole grains proper portions of lean meats fat free dairy and some nuts in moderation.
this will be the healthiest approach most of the salt we ingest comes from proccessed foods
if you trim the fat off of meats it is less fatty
Hope this helps Hugs Judy:)

I totally agree! Stay away from most things that come in boxes or packages in which you can't even pronounce the ingredients! When you go to the grocery store, shop on the periphery, where the produce section is--stay away from those middle aisles with all the cookies and crackers and chips.

To An_247692,

Foods that can help you not only lose weight, but lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure (AND they're tasty!):

Baked sweet potato fries (if thinly sliced, approx 350 degrees for 20 mins, spray pan and sweet potatoes lightly with canola oil spray)

Beans! Garbanzo, navy, kidney, black, pinto, etc! Make your own veggie soup and throw some beans in there. There are tasty vegetarian burritos at Trader Joes or Whole Foods Market.

Brown rice. You can get already made brown rice in the frozen food section. Brown rice is a workout for your jaw! You'll eat less of it and burn more calories just by consuming it. Top it with baked beans, Asian stir fry, fish and steamed veggies, etc.

Green smoothies. Here's my recipe: kale, 1/2 apple, banana, 1/2 avocado, coconut water, and a couple teaspoons of stevia (natural sweetener from a leaf) to sweeten it. Blend and enjoy. (TIP: Put in a little bit of kale first until you get used to the taste. When I first tried kale, I hated it, but then after a few months of eating no sugar and no junk food, suddenly kale tasted great! I love it now.)

Fruit smoothie: for breakfast, in a blender, add non-dairy milk (try almond, rice, hemp, coconut, etc, to see what your fave is...mine is almond milk), a banana, 1/2 cup to 1 cup of frozen blueberries (you can get a huge bag at Target...I'll usually defrost them a bit because I don't like freezing cold smoothies), AND A PROTEIN POWDER...there's tons to choose from: whey, brown rice, hemp, soy (can give stomach trouble, I stay away from soy), or another protein powder that combines a bunch of other protein powders together.

For dessert: an apple (slices OR baked with cinnamon and stevia sprinkled on), dried fruit and nuts, date and nut bar (my fave, Larabars... www.larabar.com ), a couple dates cut in half with a pecan stuffed inside each half, a small yogurt, etc!

Hi 247692, Whew that's hard to type, got a name?
Anyhow, for the most part, when trying to lose some weight and get healthier, reducing carbs and cutting some calories go hand in hand.
If you really think about what you consume in a week, I'd bet it'd be pretty easy to cut some carbs out of your diet. And since carbs like bread, pastas and sweet baked goods are pretty much loaded with calories per serving, if you cut some, then you automatically cut calories.
If you like sandwiches, try wrapping your meats and condiments in romaine, baby butterhead or some other lettuce leaf and not using breads at all.
If you like pasta, like Judy said, eat whole wheat pastas, still high in calories and carbs but at least healthier for you. Better choices for pastas, and now that it's fall we'll start seeing these, is Spaghetti Squash. Just cut one in half, place cut side down on baking sheet with raised sides add just a little water and bake like acorn squash. Use a fork to dig out the "spaghetti" and top with pasta sauce. Way way better choice.
Otherwise , thinly slice zucchini lengthwise poach for just a couple min till tender and top with your pasta sauce. Or use eggplant or portabella mushrooms as a sauce holder. You really don't need all that pasta to make it work. I hardly ever eat pastas and am doing just fine.
Like Judy suggests, make your foods from scratch most often. Don't add ANY salt while cooking, wait till it's done, and is slightly cooled. Your taste buds cannot actually "read" added spices till foods are cooler so more often than not ppl add way too much salt to their foods. With your high bp, I cannot suggest strongly enough not to have salts on the table.
If you aren't taking bp medicine, you can eat a grapefruit a day. Try pink ones, peeled and eaten like an orange. The acids help control hunger and they are the only food out there that burns more calories from just peeling them than you consume FROM them, lol.
BUT CAUTION~ if you are on bp meds, google your med and make sure that they don't react to grapefruits. There are a few that do.
For your bp , also try to eat a 1/2 (dry) serving, which makes 1 c of cooked of Rolled Oats. The slow cook oatmeal , NOT quick oats, is whole grain and gives you better fiber benefits.
Which reduce your cholesterol and help lower bp.
Avocados do the same thing. High fiber to help lower bp.
hope some of these ideas help you on your journey.
kim

The WebMD Fppd and Fitness Planner has helped me loose and the great thing is it is up to me. It shows me how many carbs, fat, sugar, etc. I have eaten from one meal to the next and also tracks my fitness. I have lost from 217 to 185 in two months (much of it water weight as I have high blood pressure too). I truly rely on the planner to help me keep up on my exercise and food intake. It also will let you know how much sodium, fat, and so on you should be eating.

Agree, Totally Wigged Out.

An_247692, if it's hard to quit salt cold turkey, as it is quite addictive, try phasing salt out with Morton Lite Salt...I call it my low-sodium salt and use just a quarter teaspoon on occasion.

It has only 290 mg of sodium per 1/4 teaspoon, compared to regular salt which I think is 540 mg per 1/4 teaspoon. PLUS Morton Lite Salt has 350 mg of blood pressure lowering POTASSIUM. Most experts say that potassium is needed in balance with sodium, and that our high blood pressure epidemic is caused by too much sodium and not enough potassium (Potassium is in all fruits and veggies, plus beans, etc.).

Check with you doctor to see if he/she agrees for you to consume low-sodium salt.

Morton Lite Salt is available at Target (some carry, some others don't) or any grocery store in the salt/spice section.

I agree with the Morton Lite Salt. I keep one on my stove top for cooking and fill my table shaker with it. The best thing about it is that noone who has used it, even notices that its different from the regular stuff. Bonus health points for everyone involved.
kim

Thanks Judy, this was helpful.
My principal concern right now is high blood pressure so I need a diet that focuses on reducing sodium, but also allows for weight loss. Your suggestion focuses on those goals, so I appreciate that.

This helps a ton. Thank you very much.

Thanks Kim,
Really good suggestions. I have tried cutting carbs in the past, but have found that low carb foods usually compensate with either higher fat or higher sodium. I know that I will still lose weight which might attack the core problem anyway, but I need to get my blood pressure under control fast and then I can attack the core problem. I am told to reduce sodium so that I retain less water and lower my blood pressure, but I'm not sure what they mean by less. I don't know how much I am currently eating. I don't know what a normal amount of sodium is, and I don't know how much sodium would constitute a low sodium diet. Once I get that figured out, I'll be coming back to this suggestion for ongoing weight management.
Dane

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll eat more potassium. Eating too much salt causes the body to retain water because it is trying to dilute the salt content in the cells. I assume then that by eating potassium you get an electrolyte balance inside and outside the cells which signals the body that no additional water needs to be retained. If I'm way off, maybe you could help me with the mechanics. If I can visualize how potassium might help, it will be easier for me to buy-in so to speak.

Hi Dane, If you can, start making your meals from scratch. Flat out, there is too much sodium in frozen or prepared meals, and VERY much to much in anything takeout.
If you cook it, you control what goes in it. Use Mrs Dash seasoning blends IN PLACE of salt because they are salt free. OR just season with salt free spices and herbs that you like, again don't add salt or if absolutely necessary , just a few shakes of lite salt should do.
The very best thing to do is not add any. It's that simple.
Watch your intake of colas and other pops, there is quite a bit of sodium in them and NEVER use the "sport drinks" as they have TONS of sodium in them and unless you are a marathon runner, or do those iron man thingys you don't need a drink to give you 4 days worth of sodium in it in one container.
Read the labels on everything you eat. Avoid salted nuts, processed meats like bologna, hotdogs, and most lunch meats, and salt cured smoked meats. Too high in sodium. NEVER ever eat those jerky stix or slim jims , terrible amounts of sodium in them.
You just have to be more aware of what you put in your mouth. Cut sodium whenever and wherever possible. It's not hard. I was prescribed bp meds in Jan and am now completely off of them , even though my dr said I'd have to take them for the rest of my life. It is possible to go without salt in most things.
kim

Hi and thanks so much for your posting. There are so many people out there just like you who have to watch their sugar/fat/salt intake to either prevent or reverse medical problems. The great news is that we have a couple of valuable resources available to help you.

Please log onto the WebMD Food and Fitness Planner. This is so important because this is a unique planner customized to your medical issues. The planner will automatically adjust your food intake so that you can adhere to the food restrictions you have. It's easy to use and will help you track your progress.

My new book THE HUNGER FIX will help you understand how to avoid the sugary/fatty/salty food combos you become hooked on. It explains how to get out of the food and addiction rut and reclaim your brain from these refined and processed foods. In the book, i highly recommend tracking on WebMD's Food and Fitness Planner.

The foods you'll eat are whole foods, avoiding refined and processed products. Fresh produce, veggies, fruits, whole grains are essential to an excellent tasty delicious way of nourishing yourself. This will include lean proteins as well. There are countless wonderful food combos you will use to achieve and sustain your healthy eating.

Also, remember that not all carbs are bad. The refined and processed are the worst. Stick with veggies, whole grains and watery fruits.

Good luck and let us know how you're doing!

Dr. Peeke