DASH Diet thread

Options
1…1112141617…23

Replies

  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    edited February 2019
    Options
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Reading all these comments, I do feel like tracking the "servings" will be annoying to me, because they are different from what I have become used to as servings by weighing them out. And counting beans and lentils towards other categories, which makes a lot of sense to me.

    I already eat a "grain-based" diet anyway :lol: I might instead just work on increasing my fruit & veg servings, raising my fiber goal, and reducing meat and sat fat a bit. Rather than tracking servings.

    I'm thinking we need to start our own protocol, we need a catchy name :D

    I agree with you-I've enjoyed this experiment but what I've gotten from it so far is that I need to keep my fiber intake to 30g+ (this is more from other things I've been reading, than DASH though), and then focus on the veggies and fruit (ideally around 10 servings a day between the two). Along with using more non-meat choices for protein (again, this is more from my reading on Blue Zones, but DASH goes along with this).


    I don't want to say I'm done with my DASH experiment, but may just focus on the above more. I'm also trying to use cronometer more regularly because that gives a really good breakdown of micros.


  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,593 Member
    Options
    I know that several of us following DASH don’t actually have high blood pressure. I personally have increased my whole grain servings due to DASH as has my sister. According to AHA the DASH plan can reduce blood pressure by 10 points which is pretty significant. So if you are following it for blood pressure reduction you may want to consider a week with and a week without the whole grains to test the impact in your results. I personally am including them to support my sister who does include them and has had good results with DASHs impact in her blood pressure and cholesterol.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Options
    zeejane03 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Reading all these comments, I do feel like tracking the "servings" will be annoying to me, because they are different from what I have become used to as servings by weighing them out. And counting beans and lentils towards other categories, which makes a lot of sense to me.

    I already eat a "grain-based" diet anyway :lol: I might instead just work on increasing my fruit & veg servings, raising my fiber goal, and reducing meat and sat fat a bit. Rather than tracking servings.

    I'm thinking we need to start our own protocol, we need a catchy name :D

    I agree with you-I've enjoyed this experiment but what I've gotten from it so far is that I need to keep my fiber intake to 30g+ (this is more from other things I've been reading, than DASH though), and then focus on the veggies and fruit (ideally around 10 servings a day between the two). Along with using more non-meat choices for protein (again, this is more from my reading on Blue Zones, but DASH goes along with this).


    I don't want to say I'm done with my DASH experiment, but may just focus on the above more. I'm also trying to use cronometer more regularly because that gives a really good breakdown of micros.


    Yes, we can trademark it and make a mint!!!

    The lure to me has been I see the DASH, Mediterranean, and Blue Zones data and they're all telling me the same thing. I'm pretty darn healthy right now, but I'm only 46. My parents were both perfectly healthy (seemingly at least) when they were in their 40s, but by the time they were in their 60s they were dealing with a whole host of doctors and prescriptions. That's what I don't want :smile:

    The one thing I'm tabling for now is avoiding convenience foods. My diet is probably 50/50 convenience/whole food. I keep trying to prepare more food myself but it's just not how I was raised and not yet a priority in my mind, so I'm more trying to choose my convenience foods mindfully so that I can get my macros/fiber where I want them. More than that can be a "someday" goal.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Options
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Reading all these comments, I do feel like tracking the "servings" will be annoying to me, because they are different from what I have become used to as servings by weighing them out. And counting beans and lentils towards other categories, which makes a lot of sense to me.

    I already eat a "grain-based" diet anyway :lol: I might instead just work on increasing my fruit & veg servings, raising my fiber goal, and reducing meat and sat fat a bit. Rather than tracking servings.

    I'm logging and then counting the servings after the fact when I report in. For foods like grains and beans I tend to eat gram amounts that are easy to convert to the cup amount anyway.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Options
    zeejane03 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Reading all these comments, I do feel like tracking the "servings" will be annoying to me, because they are different from what I have become used to as servings by weighing them out. And counting beans and lentils towards other categories, which makes a lot of sense to me.

    I already eat a "grain-based" diet anyway :lol: I might instead just work on increasing my fruit & veg servings, raising my fiber goal, and reducing meat and sat fat a bit. Rather than tracking servings.

    I'm thinking we need to start our own protocol, we need a catchy name :D

    I agree with you-I've enjoyed this experiment but what I've gotten from it so far is that I need to keep my fiber intake to 30g+ (this is more from other things I've been reading, than DASH though), and then focus on the veggies and fruit (ideally around 10 servings a day between the two). Along with using more non-meat choices for protein (again, this is more from my reading on Blue Zones, but DASH goes along with this).


    I don't want to say I'm done with my DASH experiment, but may just focus on the above more. I'm also trying to use cronometer more regularly because that gives a really good breakdown of micros.


    I'm enjoying this, since I keep saying I really want to try lowering meat and increasing fiber (mine was over 30 regularly, but I like the idea of focusing on getting it closer to the recommended DASH level, as well as the calcium and potassium). Adding in the dairy more (although I've been up and down on that) and especially limiting meat/fish to one meal and having at least one bean-based meal a day has been working for me (not that I've done it every day). My veg amounts were generally good, but I'm also eating more fruit than I normally do in the winter and I'm liking that too.

    I don't mind keeping the discussion in the DASH thread since it's related to DASH and overall supportive of what people doing DASH are doing.

    I love Cron so much, even though I'm still not logging every day.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Options
    Heh, another thing I like about Cron is I remember I should supplement D in the winter. I'm terrible about remembering to take any vitamins.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    Options
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    zeejane03 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Reading all these comments, I do feel like tracking the "servings" will be annoying to me, because they are different from what I have become used to as servings by weighing them out. And counting beans and lentils towards other categories, which makes a lot of sense to me.

    I already eat a "grain-based" diet anyway :lol: I might instead just work on increasing my fruit & veg servings, raising my fiber goal, and reducing meat and sat fat a bit. Rather than tracking servings.

    I'm thinking we need to start our own protocol, we need a catchy name :D

    I agree with you-I've enjoyed this experiment but what I've gotten from it so far is that I need to keep my fiber intake to 30g+ (this is more from other things I've been reading, than DASH though), and then focus on the veggies and fruit (ideally around 10 servings a day between the two). Along with using more non-meat choices for protein (again, this is more from my reading on Blue Zones, but DASH goes along with this).


    I don't want to say I'm done with my DASH experiment, but may just focus on the above more. I'm also trying to use cronometer more regularly because that gives a really good breakdown of micros.


    I'm enjoying this, since I keep saying I really want to try lowering meat and increasing fiber (mine was over 30 regularly, but I like the idea of focusing on getting it closer to the recommended DASH level, as well as the calcium and potassium). Adding in the dairy more (although I've been up and down on that) and especially limiting meat/fish to one meal and having at least one bean-based meal a day has been working for me (not that I've done it every day). My veg amounts were generally good, but I'm also eating more fruit than I normally do in the winter and I'm liking that too.

    I don't mind keeping the discussion in the DASH thread since it's related to DASH and overall supportive of what people doing DASH are doing.

    I love Cron so much, even though I'm still not logging every day.

    I've never been a daily logger, even back during my main weight loss phase (I did ADF and only tracked on my 'fasting' days). Right now I'm trying to track 3 day a week on cron. to give me an idea where I'm coming in at. I love seeing the micros sections hit green though, so I may try to do it more frequently, especially since I eat pretty repetitively and can start copying days, with some tweaks.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    edited February 2019
    Options
    kimny72 wrote: »
    zeejane03 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Reading all these comments, I do feel like tracking the "servings" will be annoying to me, because they are different from what I have become used to as servings by weighing them out. And counting beans and lentils towards other categories, which makes a lot of sense to me.

    I already eat a "grain-based" diet anyway :lol: I might instead just work on increasing my fruit & veg servings, raising my fiber goal, and reducing meat and sat fat a bit. Rather than tracking servings.

    I'm thinking we need to start our own protocol, we need a catchy name :D

    I agree with you-I've enjoyed this experiment but what I've gotten from it so far is that I need to keep my fiber intake to 30g+ (this is more from other things I've been reading, than DASH though), and then focus on the veggies and fruit (ideally around 10 servings a day between the two). Along with using more non-meat choices for protein (again, this is more from my reading on Blue Zones, but DASH goes along with this).


    I don't want to say I'm done with my DASH experiment, but may just focus on the above more. I'm also trying to use cronometer more regularly because that gives a really good breakdown of micros.


    Yes, we can trademark it and make a mint!!!

    The lure to me has been I see the DASH, Mediterranean, and Blue Zones data and they're all telling me the same thing. I'm pretty darn healthy right now, but I'm only 46. My parents were both perfectly healthy (seemingly at least) when they were in their 40s, but by the time they were in their 60s they were dealing with a whole host of doctors and prescriptions. That's what I don't want :smile:

    The one thing I'm tabling for now is avoiding convenience foods. My diet is probably 50/50 convenience/whole food. I keep trying to prepare more food myself but it's just not how I was raised and not yet a priority in my mind, so I'm more trying to choose my convenience foods mindfully so that I can get my macros/fiber where I want them. More than that can be a "someday" goal.

    We sound similar :)

    I lost the excess weight while still eating a very SAD diet and improved all my health markers with the weight loss. That's been working well for me through several years of maintenance, but I hit 40 last fall and more and more am thinking of the longer term. My grandma is in her late 80s and has been obese for most of her life. Her type 2 diabetes is so bad now that she can barely walk and has fallen several times, thankfully without broken bones so far. She's also had cancer several times and her poor health has made her treatments/recovery really difficult. She's a shut-in at her house at this point and her quality of life is very poor. And this is the trend of older people in my family-Type 2, cancers (several different kinds but especially breast cancer) etc. Most of these people are/were overweight or obese though.

    If I can make small changes now (keep a healthy weight, be more intentional about exercise-really need to work on this one, eat a more nutrient dense diet etc), hopefully I'll stack the odds in my favor for a better outcome some day. It's worth a try at least!

    But, I still gravitate towards convenience foods for sure, I only just recently cut out my daily Lean Cuisine lol. I think it really does come down to small steps, and changing to other options that I actually like eating (I will never, ever eat Brussels sprouts :p ). It means nothing if we make a bunch of drastic changes and then a month later we throw all of them out the window-it's better to make 1-2 changes that we can keep long term, and then at some point add 1-2 additional changes etc etc.

    (I say these wise words while drinking a can of Diet Coke and eating La Choy Chow Mein Noodles, baby steps LOL :# )
  • trisH_7183
    trisH_7183 Posts: 1,486 Member
    Options
    emmamcgarity wrote: »
    trisH_7183 wrote: »
    Finding whole grains a hard thing to track. A lot of pkgs say “Whole Grain”.....but no info on how much per serving.MFP doesn’t list whole grains in tracking. A lot to learn,so just becoming more aware,but not even close to tracking.

    Here is what I am seeing on the Oregon DASH tracking sheet to describe whole grains.

    One OZ portion =
    1 OZ slice bread 1⁄2 cup cooked rice or pasta
    1⁄2 -11⁄4 cup dry cereal*
    *check Nutrition Facts label

    I generally count a cup of Cheerios as one serving of whole grain or a half cup of cooked oatmeal. I don’t often eat rice or pasta since they are more calorie dense. I also have been counting a granola bar as a serving of it states that it is whole grain.

    Thank you. The more we share,the easier to learn.Do regular oats & steel cut have the same nutrition?

  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Options
    trisH_7183 wrote: »
    emmamcgarity wrote: »
    trisH_7183 wrote: »
    Finding whole grains a hard thing to track. A lot of pkgs say “Whole Grain”.....but no info on how much per serving.MFP doesn’t list whole grains in tracking. A lot to learn,so just becoming more aware,but not even close to tracking.

    Here is what I am seeing on the Oregon DASH tracking sheet to describe whole grains.

    One OZ portion =
    1 OZ slice bread 1⁄2 cup cooked rice or pasta
    1⁄2 -11⁄4 cup dry cereal*
    *check Nutrition Facts label

    I generally count a cup of Cheerios as one serving of whole grain or a half cup of cooked oatmeal. I don’t often eat rice or pasta since they are more calorie dense. I also have been counting a granola bar as a serving of it states that it is whole grain.

    Thank you. The more we share,the easier to learn.Do regular oats & steel cut have the same nutrition?

    Pretty much. Both vary some by brand.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    Options
    Fruit 2.5
    Veggie 8
    Grains & Beans 8.5 (incl. 1 serving beans)
    Dairy 2.25
    Meat: x
    Fat: x
    Added sugar yes-3tbsp teriyaki sauce

    Fiber: 44 grams
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,593 Member
    Options
    trisH_7183 wrote: »
    emmamcgarity wrote: »
    trisH_7183 wrote: »
    Finding whole grains a hard thing to track. A lot of pkgs say “Whole Grain”.....but no info on how much per serving.MFP doesn’t list whole grains in tracking. A lot to learn,so just becoming more aware,but not even close to tracking.

    Here is what I am seeing on the Oregon DASH tracking sheet to describe whole grains.

    One OZ portion =
    1 OZ slice bread 1⁄2 cup cooked rice or pasta
    1⁄2 -11⁄4 cup dry cereal*
    *check Nutrition Facts label

    I generally count a cup of Cheerios as one serving of whole grain or a half cup of cooked oatmeal. I don’t often eat rice or pasta since they are more calorie dense. I also have been counting a granola bar as a serving of it states that it is whole grain.

    Thank you. The more we share,the easier to learn.Do regular oats & steel cut have the same nutrition?
    I’m really not sure. Honestly if I can’t microwave it or quickly heat it on the stove, I probably am not eating it often. My favorite on oatmeal is one cup skim milk mixed with half a cup of oats, one teaspoon of Splenda brown sugar blend, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Once cooked, I mix in an entire diced apple. It’s filling and indulgent and hits several servings from different groups in one bowl.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,593 Member
    edited February 2019
    Options
    Fruit 4
    Veggie 5
    Whole grain 2
    Dairy 2
    Meat 5
    Added sugar yes

    Tonight was my craft night which means dinner at Panera with my friends. It was a nice night and although over calories was a balance to the rest of my day which was mostly DASH compliant.

    I do use a lot of convenience foods. I keep several Lean Cuisines on hand to deal with poor planning. I’ve also made a point to keep lots of precut apples and veggies on hand. This would be a lot of work but I buy them precut in the produce section of Kroger. I find DASH easier to stick to if the components I need are easy to grab and go. I also found pre-packaged celery sticks at 5 calories per pack and over 100 mg potassium at Walmart when picking up some household items. These are a nice addition to my lunchbox for work. I take a frozen pre-grilled chicken breast and frozen veggies for lunch almost every day. Skim milk with a piece of whole grain toast is my commuter breakfast then fruit and yogurt later in the morning at my desk. I am sure there are many tweaks I can make to improve. I just need it to stay somewhat easy.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,593 Member
    Options
    Great article!
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Options
    Yesterday I logged:

    Fruit--avocado, strawberries, some rhubarb, about 3.5 overall (also olives, which I basically don't count as anything but maybe added fat)

    Vegetables--about 11.5 (romaine, spinach, radicchio, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, turnips, pumpkin, red peppers)

    Grains and beans--1 serving (not great) (kidney beans)

    Dairy--2 servings

    Nuts--one serving

    Meat--3 oz (chicken)

    To the main things I'm looking at: fiber was 40 g (I'd like higher, but fine), omega 3 to 6 is good, protein 86 g, 94% calcium, over on magnesium and potassium.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    Options
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Yesterday I logged:

    Fruit--avocado, strawberries, some rhubarb, about 3.5 overall (also olives, which I basically don't count as anything but maybe added fat)

    Vegetables--about 11.5 (romaine, spinach, radicchio, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, turnips, pumpkin, red peppers)

    Grains and beans--1 serving (not great) (kidney beans)

    Dairy--2 servings

    Nuts--one serving

    Meat--3 oz (chicken)

    To the main things I'm looking at: fiber was 40 g (I'd like higher, but fine), omega 3 to 6 is good, protein 86 g, 94% calcium, over on magnesium and potassium.

    I'm jealous of your magnesium and potassium intake, I've yet to hit 100% on those, during my tracking days sigh....

    I eat olives almost every day and I count them in the fat category. Love them in my salads!
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Options
    I eat them almost daily too. If we were really watching sodium I suppose that might be something to look at, but I love them so.

Categories