1st time doc said I wasn't healthy

cthakkar1985

I was told by my doc my cholesterol is high, blood pressure is high, and I'm not getting enough vitamin D. In addition to exercise and getting back to a healthy weight, any tips on foods to consume or stay away from? My doc was pretty vague with his recommendations so looking for tips here.

lynn_glenmont

Get a different doctor who actually offers a treatment plan in addition to a diagnosis? Or a referral if your health issues are beyond his/her field of expertise? (Can you imagine a doctor saying, "Looks like you have a compound fracture. You really ought to get that under control.")

In the meantime:

Take a vitamin D3 supplement if you're not getting enough vitamin D.

Some people's high blood pressure responds to reducing sodium and/or caffeine, and increasing potassium (bananas, potatoes, kiwis, avocados, etc.), increasing magnesium (spinach, swiss chard, beans, dark chocolate or unsweetened dry cocoa powder), increasing calcium (yogurt and other dairy or calcium-fortified non-dairy "milk," sardines with bones, salmon with bones).

For cholesterol, soluble fiber (oatmeal, barley, legumes, flax seeds, apples with skins, etc.) may help, as may increasing omega-3 fatty acids (flax seed, canola oil, some fish) and eating garlic.

I found "Blood Pressure Down" and "Cholesterol Down" by Jane Bond Brill helpful. She includes citations to the studies for all of dietary and supplement recommendations.

cthakkar1985

This is fantastic, thanks so much for your tips

markrgeary1

Oatmeal with banana or peanut butter or... I have BP issues and am very sensitive to sodium. Couple of fast food meals and I know it. If you're logging check out what foods are high and look for low sodium options, they do exist. I fouund the DASH diet to be a great starting place for information.

I would agree your Doc should have given you more information. I recall with my BP I was given a whole package of information.

ETA - Good luck on controlling your BP without meds. After many years I got off mine. Looking back I so regret not making a serious effort to get into shape to get off meds. So many times that garbage caused me serious issues. Last time I was hospitalized because my heart had dropped to the low 30s from it.

_benjammin

l_g gave great advice. Do you spend much time in the sun? Try tracking your calories/macro nutrients, eat a minimum of ~0.8 grams protein and ~0.3 grams fat per pound body weight and the rest carbs while in a calorie deficit. Increase activity. Have patience.

ElizabethOakes2

Same boat here- Blood pressure can also be responsive to sodium levels. I have my sodium here on MFP set to 1000 below rec (1300 instead of 2300) and rarely have a problem staying under that. Check your sodas and other drinks, because they can be a hidden source of sodium.

RodaRose

There are some people with high blood pressure who respond well to a diet lower in sodium.
Most packaged, canned, and restaurant foods have high sodium.
Perhaps each week or two, add a meal that you can cook at home: pork chops, chicken thighs, small steak with lots of veggies that you can grill or saute and some fruit.

rileysowner

Diet may help BP if you are sensitive to sodium, but not all people who have high BP are. Exercise will also help BP. So will losing weight if you are overweight.

LKArgh

cthakkar1985 wrote: »

I was told by my doc my cholesterol is high, blood pressure is high, and I'm not getting enough vitamin D. In addition to exercise and getting back to a healthy weight, any tips on foods to consume or stay away from? My doc was pretty vague with his recommendations so looking for tips here.

You will need more detailed instructions by your dr (or a new dr).
The usual guidelines are eliminating completely salt (not adding salt when cooking, avoiding anything that tastes salty, and reading all labels for added sodium), increasing potassium and limiting saturated fats for blood pressure, increasing fiber (fruit, vegetables, grains), replacing animal fats with vegetable unsaturated fats and fatty fish, avoiding hydrogenated fats and palm oil, limiting fried food, for cholesterol issues. And for both conditions, losing weight and becoming more physically active, although for the later, restrictions might apply depending on what exactly is going on with your blood pressure, so ask your dr if some types of exercise should be avoided.

Redbeard333

Having high blood pressure myself, I can give some advice:

1. Cut back/eliminate fried foods
2. Drink lots of water
3. Try to not add salt to foods, and consume less-salty ones. For example, when I'm craving something crunchy like chips, celery will fit the bill. Also, some hot sauces will give you awesome flavor w/o adding salt.

Fortunately, I was able to reduce my meds by half last time I saw my dr, and I'm hoping to be completely off them when I see him in March. Good luck!!

Sarahb29

I've had a lot of success on the keto diet - ie very low carbs, high fat, moderate protein. My blood pressure is 101/60. Last May it was around 120/70.

Steve_ApexNC

cthakkar1985 wrote: »

I was told by my doc my cholesterol is high, blood pressure is high, and I'm not getting enough vitamin D. In addition to exercise and getting back to a healthy weight, any tips on foods to consume or stay away from? My doc was pretty vague with his recommendations so looking for tips here.

There is plenty of good data out there on eating for a healthy you. Without knowing how you eat today, it is difficult for anyone to suggest changes you need to make. So, first thing you should do is log everything you eat if you aren't doing so already. Over a couple weeks, watch your calories and macro's and see what is out of whack. As others suggested, probably sodium. This will give you a baseline of what foods you eat that are your problem areas and this will form the basis of where to start making changes.

Step two is to learn to shop and cook for yourself if you don't already. This gives you total control over your food. Yes, cooking takes some time and effort. It is a skill that has to be learned but the more you do it, the faster and better you get. In the long run, it will save you both time and money (not to mention taste better), but you have to give it time to learn the skills and build the habit. If you are learning, get quality books that teach 'why' and 'technique' over pure play recipe tomes. More recipes will not teach you how to cook. I almost always suggest Cookwise by Shirley Corriher for a starter on the science behind cooking. Alton Brown is a food geek extraordinaire, but his science is sound so you can hit his books or shows on Food TV.

If you are just starting out on this journey, please consider starting with just a basic diet over any fads. It isn't sexy, but the US government puts out lots of information at chosemyplate.gov. I am a huge believer in starting with a basic balanced diet. Start with fresh produce and proteins over premade/pre-processed foods will give you more bang for your buck than anything else...it is the 80/20 rule sort of thing. You can find tune specific macro's and micro's later if you need to, but get 80% of the change simply by going 'fresh' and 'balanced'.

Exercise. Well, here we go...you will read a lot about CICO around these parts. That is indeed the prime directive for weight loss/gain. However, it isn't the only thing when you look past the scale and on to a healthy you. Exercise goes beyond just strong heart and muscles; it creates chemical changes in your body such as raising the "good" cholesterol which helps combat the "bad" cholesterol. If you get outside for exercise during the day, your vit D production will also go up. Sunshine is good for both the body and the mood. Exercise need not be tossing heavy weights around a gym and slammin' out hours of road time (although those are my favorites)...it can be as simple as a daily walk about hte neighborhood or playing softball a few times a week or getting out and doing things such as geocaching to get you walking/hiking. The thing I want to stress here is "start where you are", be patient, and be persistent.

To close, I want to repeat those last two points...patient and persistent. This is not a quick fix and change takes time. Your body is not a calculator nor a sitcom; it is an amazing and complex system that adapts when stress/change is applies...but it takes time. And, it changes at its own rate, not the rate your brain wants it to change so patience and persistence is the key.

Good Luck on your journey and welcome to the club.

lorib642

cthakkar1985 wrote: »

I was told by my doc my cholesterol is high, blood pressure is high, and I'm not getting enough vitamin D. In addition to exercise and getting back to a healthy weight, any tips on foods to consume or stay away from? My doc was pretty vague with his recommendations so looking for tips here.

Can you contact your doc and ask more questions? Mine isn't so great with information, either. I have a patient portal where I can contact her, so sometimes I send a message and she answers that way.

cthakkar1985

lorib642 wrote: »

cthakkar1985 wrote: »

I was told by my doc my cholesterol is high, blood pressure is high, and I'm not getting enough vitamin D. In addition to exercise and getting back to a healthy weight, any tips on foods to consume or stay away from? My doc was pretty vague with his recommendations so looking for tips here.

Can you contact your doc and ask more questions? Mine isn't so great with information, either. I have a patient portal where I can contact her, so sometimes I send a message and she answers that way.

Yep, my doc has a portal and I've reached out to him on there and waiting for a response. I anticipate that he'll have some good feedback for me and will likely confirm all of the great advice I've gotten here on MFP. Although physicians have the medical training to provide general guidelines, I still like to rely on the MFP community for more real-life experiences and tips on how to optimize my nutrition and exercise plans. Physicians aren't necessarily going to have suggestions on meal planning, recipes, workout regimens, etc. so I enjoy reaching out to you all as well. Thanks everyone for the tips! I have a follow-up appointment in 6 months with my doctor and hopefully getting down to my goal weight and making some dietary changes will get me back into a healthier range for everything.