DASH Diet thread

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  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited January 2019
    Did okay today, pretty similar to yesterday.

    Using the Oregon spreadsheet with my modifications as explained above:

    Fruit -- 3-4 servings: 2
    Veg -- 4+ servings: 11
    Dairy -- 2-3 servings: 1
    Whole grains, beans, etc. -- 3 servings: 2 (black beans and brown rice)
    Meat -- 3-6 oz: 4 oz (steak)
    Added fat -- 2 tsp: 2 tsp (olive oil)
    Nuts and seeds -- 1-2 servings (28 g/serving): 1 serving

    The next couple of days will be interesting, as I'm traveling for work. Or I might be traveling for work -- I was supposed to fly out early tomorrow morning but my flight got cancelled due to the crazy cold in Chicago and rescheduled for 2 pm (which is kind of a problem, but workable).

    Anyway, I'm not going to log but will count servings. (I didn't log today either as lunch was leftovers and I hadn't logged the meal before), so that's why servings only.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    edited January 2019
    So yesterday was an epic DASH fail-being trapped in my house with our crazy weather has gotten to me I think lol. Split a frozen pizza with the kiddos for lunch (it did have a nice protein content hah), ate a ridiculous amount of Triscuit crackers (though in my defense it counts as a whole grains..), and drank enough coffee to OD on potassium :D I didn't bother tracking at all, just chalked it up to a blip in the road and moving on.

    Back at it today and focused on DASH again :)
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    crazyravr wrote: »
    The more I read what / how you guys eat on this diet, the more I see thats how I have been eating for a long long time now. Either this or a combination or this and the Mediterranean. Difference is that I track calories over the winter because I dont bike / run much.

    Really it's just a common sense approach to food I think, nothing is off limits but it does cause you to focus more on veggies and fruit, whole grains etc. I don't know that I'll continue marking off specific serving sizes for the long term, but I definitely see myself continuing to eat in a DASH like style.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,593 Member
    I struggle with added sugar. I like sugar. At my age/height/weight there isn’t room for much sugar at all if I hit my nutritional goals. I do think focusing on the backbone of DASH will make maintenance less of a struggle after I lose the last 20 lbs.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    edited January 2019
    emmamcgarity wrote: »
    I struggle with added sugar. I like sugar. At my age/height/weight there isn’t room for much sugar at all if I hit my nutritional goals. I do think focusing on the backbone of DASH will make maintenance less of a struggle after I lose the last 20 lbs.

    Sugar is one of the things that has most surprised me about this experiment. I'm actually not a sweets person (gravitate towards savory things), and thought my added sugar was pretty low. I didn't realize how much was added to things like condiments though, or that I was using as flavor enhancers (cinnamon sugar sprinkled on my sweet potatoes etc). It adds up so quickly! Doing DASH has really made me more aware of sugar and how easy it is to slip it in, without even being intentional about it. I'm not ant-sugar by any means, but this process has made me think more about my eating habits for sure.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited January 2019
    I started obsessively looking at everything for added sugar when I did my no added sugar experiment, and found that the condiments I mostly use don't have all that much -- sriracha was the main one, and anything for BBQ (I have dry rubs) will have at least a bit, but otherwise I mostly have some spicy ones that don't have any, vinegars, and mustard (never been a ketchup fan). I don't really add sugar to any savory dishes ever, and honey only rarely, so after being really hardcore during that experiment I don't worry about small amounts of added sugar in things like that. (That said, I had a restaurant dish of brussels with a little maple syrup in them last weekend at a restaurant we went to during restaurant week, and I admit it was tasty.)

    I'm not anti sugar either, but I do watch it partly just out of curiosity. What works for me right now is limiting foods with significant added sugar to an occasional small dessert, although I certainly don't think it's necessary for health. For some reason I haven't been in the mood for anything sweet besides fruit much anyway so not having it while doing this experiment isn't a big thing. Maybe it's because my favorite sweet food is ice cream, and that's the last thing I want with the weather right now!

    (Speaking of which, I am not in warmer Atlanta today, since my morning flight got cancelled and now they've cancelled everything for the rest of the day.)
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    Recommended Servings & Today's Totals [for 1,400 calories]

    Grains & Beans 5-6 servings: 6
    Vegetables 3-4 servings: 4
    Fruit 4 servings: 2
    Low fat dairy 3-4 servings: 4
    Lean meats & fish 3oz or less: x
    Nuts & seeds 3 servings a week: 2/3
    Fats and oils 1 serving: 1 (olives)
    Sweets/added sugars 3 servings or less per week: 3/3

  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Fruit -- 3-4 servings: 2
    Veg -- 4+ servings: 9
    Dairy -- 2-3 servings: 2
    Whole grains, beans, etc. -- 3 servings: 2
    Meat -- 3-6 oz: 4 oz
    Added fat -- 2 tsp: 3 tsp (olive oil)
    Nuts and seeds -- 1-2 servings (28 g/serving): 1.25 serving

    Hit all my nutrients but D (71%, and in theory I supplement although I do not consistently remember) and iron (77%, not really concerned as my levels are always fine when tested at the dr). Fiber 42 g, so still not hitting the 50. Big 3 for DASH of calcium, magnesium, and potassium were all reached.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,593 Member
    Fruit -- 6
    Veg -- 3
    Dairy -- 2
    Whole grains - 2
    Meat -- 4 oz
    Added fat -- 4
    Nuts and seeds -- 1/2
    Added sugar - yes

    My fiber landed at 21.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    I started out tracking today but then had unexpected guests for supper tonight and ended up making different food than originally planned/tracking went out the window :p
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,593 Member
    I printed out the Oregon paper tracker. I am thinking that laminating it would make for easy tracking with a dry erase marker.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,593 Member
    Fruit -- 4
    Veg -- 4
    Dairy -- 2.5
    Whole grains - 3
    Meat -- 2 oz
    Added fat -- 0
    Nuts and seeds -- 0
    Added sugar - yes

    My fiber landed at 30.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    I made a spreadsheet from it and am finding it super helpful.

    Today ended up being a good day (at least as I define it, I'm still not perfectly hitting the servings but my nutrition looks good).

    Fruit -- 3-4 servings: 3
    Veg -- 4+ servings: 15
    Dairy -- 2-3 servings: 2
    Whole grains, beans, etc. -- 3 servings: 2 (cannellini beans and whole grain pasta)
    Meat -- 3-6 oz: 4 oz
    Added fat -- 2 tsp: 2 tbsp (so 6, oops)
    Nuts and seeds -- 1-2 servings (28 g/serving): 1 serving

    Hit all my nutrients but D (21%, but I remembered to take it today), and iron (but 97%, so close enough). In particular, hit calcium, potassium, and magnesium, AND hit 50.2 g fiber. I also watch omega 3 to 6. and it's been continually good on tracked days since we started this.

    So since I whine about grains a bunch, worth sharing this -- I had planned to had the leftovers from this black bean concoction I made in my instant pot (it's good, had it yesterday, and I'll have it tomorrow), but I just decided I wanted pasta, so I made a whole wheat pasta and cannellini dish with olives and a whole bunch of veg (for some reason I counted mushrooms as veg, but didn't count olives as either fruit or added fat, eh, whatever), and it was really lovely.

    I also had zero need to actually go outside, but I wanted to walk a bit since it was up to, gasp!, 0 (and wind chill of only -8), so not having olives on hand was a good excuse to go to the store (picked up some other things too). Of course it's now snowing -- since when is getting up to 0 a reason to snow?

    (I complain about the weather stuff just because I think some others here can relate.)

    We're at -1 this morning, it was supposed to finally be better today but they've adjusted the forecast and we're supposed to still be miserably cold today (no more snow though, whew!). I'd like to do my Aldi run today, but roads are still a mess so I may just wait till Monday-we're supposed to be at almost 50 degrees then, crazy lol.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    edited February 2019
    Going to try something a bit different today, I've been doing my green smoothies in the afternoon (an easy way for me to get in fruit, since I'm not a big fruit eater), but have realized that I prefer an afternoon cup of coffee and struggle to actually follow through with the smoothie. Going to move it to my mornings and have it with my toast/cheese and see how that goes-hopefully I'll be more inclined to make them more regularly this way :)
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    zeejane03 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    I made a spreadsheet from it and am finding it super helpful.

    Today ended up being a good day (at least as I define it, I'm still not perfectly hitting the servings but my nutrition looks good).

    Fruit -- 3-4 servings: 3
    Veg -- 4+ servings: 15
    Dairy -- 2-3 servings: 2
    Whole grains, beans, etc. -- 3 servings: 2 (cannellini beans and whole grain pasta)
    Meat -- 3-6 oz: 4 oz
    Added fat -- 2 tsp: 2 tbsp (so 6, oops)
    Nuts and seeds -- 1-2 servings (28 g/serving): 1 serving

    Hit all my nutrients but D (21%, but I remembered to take it today), and iron (but 97%, so close enough). In particular, hit calcium, potassium, and magnesium, AND hit 50.2 g fiber. I also watch omega 3 to 6. and it's been continually good on tracked days since we started this.

    So since I whine about grains a bunch, worth sharing this -- I had planned to had the leftovers from this black bean concoction I made in my instant pot (it's good, had it yesterday, and I'll have it tomorrow), but I just decided I wanted pasta, so I made a whole wheat pasta and cannellini dish with olives and a whole bunch of veg (for some reason I counted mushrooms as veg, but didn't count olives as either fruit or added fat, eh, whatever), and it was really lovely.

    I also had zero need to actually go outside, but I wanted to walk a bit since it was up to, gasp!, 0 (and wind chill of only -8), so not having olives on hand was a good excuse to go to the store (picked up some other things too). Of course it's now snowing -- since when is getting up to 0 a reason to snow?

    (I complain about the weather stuff just because I think some others here can relate.)

    We're at -1 this morning, it was supposed to finally be better today but they've adjusted the forecast and we're supposed to still be miserably cold today (no more snow though, whew!). I'd like to do my Aldi run today, but roads are still a mess so I may just wait till Monday-we're supposed to be at almost 50 degrees then, crazy lol.

    I think we are one day ahead of you (you are in MI?, I'm in Chicago). It broke here yesterday and now is a balmy 9, but we got snow. Supposed to be 40s on Sunday. Melt that snow!
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    zeejane03 wrote: »
    Going to try something a bit different today, I've been doing my green smoothies in the afternoon (an easy way for me to get in fruit, since I'm not a big fruit eater), but have realized that I prefer an afternoon cup of coffee and struggle to actually follow through with the smoothie. Going to move it to my mornings and have it with my toast/cheese and see how that goes-hopefully I'll be more inclined to make them more regularly this way :)

    I used to do a smoothie breakfast and restarted it, and am really enjoying it (eggs is my other favorite breakfast and they were counting toward my meat count and although I used to like oats it wasn't working for me). Skipping breakfast today because of work lunch (calories) and I suspect my veg with be low as a result.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    zeejane03 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    I made a spreadsheet from it and am finding it super helpful.

    Today ended up being a good day (at least as I define it, I'm still not perfectly hitting the servings but my nutrition looks good).

    Fruit -- 3-4 servings: 3
    Veg -- 4+ servings: 15
    Dairy -- 2-3 servings: 2
    Whole grains, beans, etc. -- 3 servings: 2 (cannellini beans and whole grain pasta)
    Meat -- 3-6 oz: 4 oz
    Added fat -- 2 tsp: 2 tbsp (so 6, oops)
    Nuts and seeds -- 1-2 servings (28 g/serving): 1 serving

    Hit all my nutrients but D (21%, but I remembered to take it today), and iron (but 97%, so close enough). In particular, hit calcium, potassium, and magnesium, AND hit 50.2 g fiber. I also watch omega 3 to 6. and it's been continually good on tracked days since we started this.

    So since I whine about grains a bunch, worth sharing this -- I had planned to had the leftovers from this black bean concoction I made in my instant pot (it's good, had it yesterday, and I'll have it tomorrow), but I just decided I wanted pasta, so I made a whole wheat pasta and cannellini dish with olives and a whole bunch of veg (for some reason I counted mushrooms as veg, but didn't count olives as either fruit or added fat, eh, whatever), and it was really lovely.

    I also had zero need to actually go outside, but I wanted to walk a bit since it was up to, gasp!, 0 (and wind chill of only -8), so not having olives on hand was a good excuse to go to the store (picked up some other things too). Of course it's now snowing -- since when is getting up to 0 a reason to snow?

    (I complain about the weather stuff just because I think some others here can relate.)

    We're at -1 this morning, it was supposed to finally be better today but they've adjusted the forecast and we're supposed to still be miserably cold today (no more snow though, whew!). I'd like to do my Aldi run today, but roads are still a mess so I may just wait till Monday-we're supposed to be at almost 50 degrees then, crazy lol.

    I think we are one day ahead of you (you are in MI?, I'm in Chicago). It broke here yesterday and now is a balmy 9, but we got snow. Supposed to be 40s on Sunday. Melt that snow!

    Yes, 45 minutes from Lake MI, so we get a lot of lake effect snow (yuck!).

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