Nutrition advice from men

PibblesRun

My husband has suffered several kidney stone attacks...Ive already over the years..made him stop drinking soda, drink a lot of water and cut back on red meat. He had another attack yesterday, so apparently I need to make more changes. Salt and sugar control are what im working on now.

I know how...but my problem is making food my husband will actually eat that's not loaded with salt or sugar. I have trouble staying under 2500 a day eating only 1400 calories...my husband doesn't need to lose weight and MFP says his daily intake to maintain should be about 2600 some. How in the world do I stay under on sodium and sugar with that many calories?

Any tips is much appreciated! I wont succeed on this mission to make these kidneystones stop unless I can make food he will actually eat...now I just need to get him to stop the French Vanilla coffee creamer in the morning with like 40g of sugar!

ilovedeadlifts

stick to veggies and unprocessed foods, and I'd say you can keep the sodium at a reasonable level.

I rarely use more than a teaspoon of salt in my dishes, and I get by fine.
Just learn to give things a "kick" by adding things like black pepper, peppers, onion, garlic, etc

thesupremeforce

I don't cook using salt (for the most part). Mrs. Dash makes a good substitute. If you're preparing most of the meals at home, it's not too difficult to limit sodium (in most cases) by going with fresh foods. Sugar is more dependent on what you're eating.

ilovedeadlifts

I don't cook using salt (for the most part). Mrs. Dash makes a good substitute. If you're preparing most of the meals at home, it's not too difficult to limit sodium (in most cases) by going with fresh foods. Sugar is more dependent on what you're eating.

Mrs. Dash has some GREAT seasonings to add some kick to your dishes as well.
I love their southwest chipotle on my beef.

csuhar

Have the doctors given any recommendations about dietary changes?

The reason I ask is that my father had kidney stone issues and was given a list of what foods to avoid and what ones to emphasize that was based on the composition of the stones.

MinnieInMaine

Since there are different kinds of kidney stones, I'm going to assume his doctor is the one who suggested reducting sodium and red meat intake. If not, please make sure you refer to his doc to make sure the changes in diet that you plan are appropriate for him. Some folks are just susceptible to getting stones more often than others unfortunately but it's good you're trying to prevent them through dietary changes.

To reduce sodium, eat more fresh fruits and veggies. Frozen vegetables are ok but check the labels, especially those with sauces as they can be high in sodium. You are going to have to become an expert at reading nutritional labels because you can't necessarily trust things like "reduced sodium" or "low sodium" labels - the other brand may actually be lower in sodium as is. Pretty much any prepared foods (cereal, dinner mixes, jarred sauce, canned veg, instant potatoes, etc) are going to have to be used sparingly if at all. And things might taste blah at first, but as others pointed out, get used to using herbs and pepper to spice your meals instead of salt or sauces with lots of sodium. You can google for more ideas.

As far as the coffee flavoring goes, how about sweetener or just going with a good flavored coffee bean? If you can find it, unsweetened almond coconut milk (Blue Diamond brand, in the cooler) is a great coffee flavoring. Per cup, 130mg sodium, zero sugar.

Above all else, he really needs to make sure he's drinking a ton of water a day. Everything I've read about kidney stones says that adequate hydration is the highest form of prevention. If he's drinking any flavored bottled water/drinks, check the labels as many of those are just as high in sodium as soda.

Smirfettewithmuscles

Ask him. He will be more successful if he has some responsibility for his health too.

PibblesRun

Thanks for the input. They are the most common type...calcium oxalate. I told the dr what diet changes I have made and going to make and he said that's good. I also searched what foods are high in oxalates to avoid...spinach being one...avoiding too much vita C is another...and of course lots of water consumption! All he drinks is water and coffee...(just one cup of coffee in the AM) and water the rest of the day...although its not near enough. So now im "reminding" him every hour or so to go drink some water! He said "I don't have time to drink water at work" I told him well he is going to have to make time or suffer from kidney stones forever! lol Limiting protein is the number one thing to do with any type of kidney stone...dr said that as well. But he has to have protein so im going to make sure he gets the dietary minimum and no more, no less. Making sure he gets enough calcium is crucial too...because too little calcium is just as bad as too much with the calcium oxalate stones...too little calcium and it will "store" the calcium he does get to preserve it or something like that. So he needs "just enough" calcium as well.

I asked him...but he doesn't know anything. He of course wants to make changes because he doesn't want to go through that pain all the time...but convincing his taste buds is another story. he doesn't like a lot of fresh veggies, only a few frozen ones (like brussel sprouts) and the rest he will only eat canned which has tons of sodium...and if I get the low sodium ones (ive tried before) he complains they taste like crap. Ive tried cooking fresh veggies with spices etc...and he said they taste like crap. He wants to prevent them...but convincing his taste buds is a different story. He complains that things without a ton of salt are tasteless...even if I use herbs and salt less spices etc...

MinnieInMaine

How about trying to cook different veggies in different ways? I used to hate all vegetables growing up but as I started cooking for myself and then for/with Hubs, I discovered that the preparation can make a difference. For instance, sauteed fiddleheads (they're a young furled fern green in case you're not familiar) are so-so and need lots of salt and butter if boiled but sauteed in a little olive oil with garlic, they're absolutely fantastic! I love bell peppers just about any way you cook them (or raw) but my absolute favorite is roasted - they are so sweet. Also, try new things - I used to saute up some broccoli slaw as a side dish but now I use it to make stirfrys by adding some bell pepper, musthroom and meat.

Instead of cutting out the meat altogether, just try using less. I do this sometimes to cut the calories in dishes. Bulk up with veggies and only use 1/2 of the meat the recipe calls for. You still get the texture and flavor but less protein. If he likes beans/legumes, you might be able to get his protein in with vegetarian meals as long as these kinds of protein sources are included. Make sure he's not getting protein from other things like nuts. This site has good ideas:

http://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/enjoy.cfm

Sounds like he's a bit picky but you're just going to have to keep trying things. Don't tell him up front what you've done, just do your best and wait and see what he says. I had to do this a lot when I started lightening up our favorite dishes with things like turkey sausage instead of full fat or whole wheat pasta instead of white or reduced sodium versions of things. If I told Hubs ahead of time, he'd make faces and say he didn't like it as much. But if I didn't tell him, 99% of the time, he didn't know any better.

In addition to herbs, spices, add savory veg like onion and garlic and things like lemon zest and hot sauce. A little zing of flavor can go a long way, especially to someone who wants a salty taste.

Good luck!