Low Sodium + Weight Loss + What the heck can you eat!?

Bushway72

I have hypertension (high blood pressure) and I started a low sodium diet along with trying to lose weight to get it under control. I have not figured out how to eat anything very tastes suggestions welcome

sollyn23l2

Look at the DASH diet. It's meant to low in sodium for hypertension.

yirara

Just try to eat less salt. After a while you won't notice it anymore. I've lived in countries which overall have little salt in things such as bread, snacks, desserts, lots of other things, and first I thought: meh! then got used to it. And then moved to countries where more salt is used and I first thought: meh, and then got used to it as well. There are lots of things you can use for cooking: lots of spices, to get more taste into tomato-based food or stews then a bit of lemon juice, or more fruity barberries are great. Especially cook and don't depend on ready-made products. It's so easy after a while to cook within, say 30 minutes. Or do mealprep.

titus2cat

Did you get a blood test? I have high blood pressure and followed a low salt diet for years. Started feeling crappy. Electrolyte Blood test showed my sodium level was low. Doc said eat more salt. You dont have to tell me twice ! 😊. Sodium level is normal now and my hypertension got better.

kshama2001

yirara wrote: »

Just try to eat less salt. After a while you won't notice it anymore. I've lived in countries which overall have little salt in things such as bread, snacks, desserts, lots of other things, and first I thought: meh! then got used to it. And then moved to countries where more salt is used and I first thought: meh, and then got used to it as well. There are lots of things you can use for cooking: lots of spices, to get more taste into tomato-based food or stews then a bit of lemon juice, or more fruity barberries are great. Especially cook and don't depend on ready-made products. It's so easy after a while to cook within, say 30 minutes. Or do mealprep.

Yes, more spices and acid can help mask the missing salt (as well as reduced fat.)

Hopefully your doctor mentioned the DASH diet and gave you references. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/education/dash-eating-plan

My library system has 228 results for "dash cookbook" so your library should have resources as well.

loulee997

Bushway72 wrote: »

I have hypertension (high blood pressure) and I started a low sodium diet along with trying to lose weight to get it under control. I have not figured out how to eat anything very tastes suggestions welcome

I too suffer from blood pressure issues.

FOODS THAT HELP
Some foods really help blood pressure such as beets and oats. Yeah, I know. No one loves beets. But if you are one of the few, they do help some.

Here are 18 other foods that help with blood pressure.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322284#list-of-foods

LOWER SODIUM
I'm sure you are lowering your sodium and trying to stay away from meals with a lot of preservatives. See below about adding other seasoning. Unfortunately, eating out less is a must. So much sodium in restaurant food. I save it for 1 day a week to eat out. On your 'sodium heavy' days, balance it with some potassium such as having a banana. Salt and potassium balance each other. It off sets some of the water retention and bp issues. Not a fix--just a helper.

VITAMINS!

Make sure you are getting enough D3,B6, Magnesium, Potassium, and Vitamin C. If you are deficient in Magnesium (found in leafy greens) or D3, Vitamin B--your blood pressure will be difficult to control. I just take supplements but you can get them through food.

Natural sources of magnesium include:

• Green leafy vegetables
• Whole grains
• Beans and legumes
• Avocados
• Salmon

Vitamin D comes from sunlight or food sources such as:

• Red meat
• Liver
• Egg yolk
• Oily fish (e.g., sardines, salmon, mackerels, herring)

And so on... you can google it.

SEASONING BESIDES SALT
If you just want to make what you are eating taste better, I recommend black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder. They add a lot of flavor without adding salt.

EXERCISE
Add some lite exercise. Even a light walk every day for 15- 20 minutes.

LOWER STRESS
Some people meditate. Some people walk. Some people play solitaire. Whatever lowers your stress.

sollyn23l2

loulee997 wrote: »

Bushway72 wrote: »

I have hypertension (high blood pressure) and I started a low sodium diet along with trying to lose weight to get it under control. I have not figured out how to eat anything very tastes suggestions welcome

I too suffer from blood pressure issues.

FOODS THAT HELP
Some foods really help blood pressure such as beets and oats. Yeah, I know. No one loves beets. But if you are one of the few, they do help some.

Here are 18 other foods that help with blood pressure.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322284#list-of-foods

LOWER SODIUM
I'm sure you are lowering your sodium and trying to stay away from meals with a lot of preservatives. See below about adding other seasoning. Unfortunately, eating out less is a must. So much sodium in restaurant food. I save it for 1 day a week to eat out. On your 'sodium heavy' days, balance it with some potassium such as having a banana. Salt and potassium balance each other. It off sets some of the water retention and bp issues. Not a fix--just a helper.

VITAMINS!

Make sure you are getting enough D3,B6, Magnesium, Potassium, and Vitamin C. If you are deficient in Magnesium (found in leafy greens) or D3, Vitamin B--your blood pressure will be difficult to control. I just take supplements but you can get them through food.

Natural sources of magnesium include:

• Green leafy vegetables
• Whole grains
• Beans and legumes
• Avocados
• Salmon

Vitamin D comes from sunlight or food sources such as:

• Red meat
• Liver
• Egg yolk
• Oily fish (e.g., sardines, salmon, mackerels, herring)

And so on... you can google it.

SEASONING BESIDES SALT
If you just want to make what you are eating taste better, I recommend black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder. They add a lot of flavor without adding salt.

EXERCISE
Add some lite exercise. Even a light walk every day for 15- 20 minutes.

LOWER STRESS
Some people meditate. Some people walk. Some people play solitaire. Whatever lowers your stress.

I love beets. Steamed with some butter... perfection.

MacLowCarbing

Generally I just use other herbs and spices to bring in the flavor without the salt. Just try to avoid the pre-blended ones like 'taco mix' or 'cajun mix' or whatever, a lot of those will include salt. Buy them fresh, or buy plain ones dried and make your own blends up.

rileysowner

For what it is worth, I have had high blood pressure for quite a while. It was managed well with medications, but I was on 3 different meds to keep it down. I went keto and now it is in the 115/75 area regularly with only one medication. If I am really active it drops down to the 80/65 range. If this continues, I am likely to be able to get off my blood pressure medications completely. I am throwing it out there as something that worked for me as a sample size of 1.

As for the sodium thing. As mentioned above, if your blood levels of sodium and potassium have not been tested, simply saying cut sodium seems to me to be a blanket statement that could not apply to you in particular. In my searching around I found that potassium deficiency it a possible cause as is magnesium deficiency. Sadly, both of those electrolytes are not accurately tested for with just blood tests.

hildebark

I'm doing a variation of the Mediterranean diet because of a heart attack, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, all that fun stuff. I've found that if I go pretty heavy handed with the garlic, chili powder, cumin, or other spices, I don't miss the salt. Staying away from prepackaged foods has been a must, of course. There's actually a lentil cauliflower taco filling recipe that is fantastic, (and I hate cauliflower!). A quick Google search and you can find some easy recipes. I wish you peace with all this. ❤️

kshama2001

MacLowCarbing wrote: »

Generally I just use other herbs and spices to bring in the flavor without the salt. Just try to avoid the pre-blended ones like 'taco mix' or 'cajun mix' or whatever, a lot of those will include salt. Buy them fresh, or buy plain ones dried and make your own blends up.

Speaking of which, I am making this tonight. People with ALL THE SPICES who need to reduce salt can leave that out. I'm sure blends without salt are available, but not in McCormick's one-serving packets.

I was debating going to the gym today, but I'm out of onion powder and the spice store is on the way to the gym, so I guess I'd better get going.

https://www.mccormick.com/recipes/other/homemade-taco-seasoning

singer201

I just was seen for a high blood pressure event (probably a combination of stress, poor diet this summer, and ibuprofen use). The cardiologist I spoke with recommended staying under 2000 mg. sodium, which hasn't been too hard (1500 mg is harder). She recommended limiting restaurant/fast food meals and too many packaged/canned/processed foods. Home-cooked meals of mostly whole foods, where salt addition can be controlled, and more fresh veggies/fruits has made it easier for me to stay within the parameters the doctor recommended, and still not blow the carbs clear out of the water. I've been tracking my potassium intake as well, since it was below the normal range, most likely due to the salty junk food (and not salads) I was eating this summer. Hoping with weight loss and attention to diet, I can get off at least one of the BP meds.

Corina1143

titus2cat wrote: »

Did you get a blood test? I have high blood pressure and followed a low salt diet for years. Started feeling crappy. Electrolyte Blood test showed my sodium level was low. Doc said eat more salt. You dont have to tell me twice ! 😊. Sodium level is normal now and my hypertension got better.

My salt is low, blood pressure high; yet I am sensitive to salt. I need to eat more salt most days, while being careful not to eat too much in one day.

neanderthin

Yeah, the ubiquitous recommendations by PCP's that basically have no medical training in nutrition and are just following the basic standard of care policies where they are instructed to recommend to lower salt intake, when in fact it's just one factor of the very many might require a rethink. Like mentioned, salt is essential to life and helps cells breath but unless our potassium and magnesium intake is in harmony with sodium that function will more than likely be dysfunctional, so maybe have those checked. As far as food goes, whole foods have almost no salt to speak of, so maybe increase those to where it might make a difference and even then your blood pressure may not be effected because like I said there's quite a few other factors that influence high blood pressure that never get addressed in that 10 or 15 minute doctors visit.

Motownmadmann2023

there is a lot of useful info in these post thanks i to need to watch my sodium intake due to some serious heart issues i have. its been challenging but if you really look at labels it helps a lot. just watch the portion to salt ratio thats been the hard part for me to start out with.

loulee997

Bushway72 wrote: »

I have hypertension (high blood pressure) and I started a low-sodium diet along with trying to lose weight to get it under control. I have not figured out how to eat anything very tastes suggestions welcome

I make a lot of my food. I supplement black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to make up for the very low sodium.

If you do eat something higher salt, try to balance it out with something with a lot of potassium like a banana. It helps with sodium.

It's trial and error, but I had to learn to use other seasonings to give me taste. I love black pepper. I like jalapenos. I like banana peppers. I often use these to season my food instead of salt.

When I'm busy, I make a big pot of chicken potato soup. I add in frozen pre-chopped carrots, onions, and corn. If I have leftover roasted chicken, I'll use that. If I don't have any, I found a brand of precooked chicken breast strips--unseasoned that I throw in instead. Frozen chicken--I always have to check the sodium. Frozen chicken can have salty preservatives. I am not anti-salt. I just use low salt. The only salt in my soup is a reduced salt bullion cube. Keeps the salt low and I really like it. I do put al of black pepper, onion powder, and just a bit of garlic powder in it. IF I want to switch it up, I sometimes add tomato paste. That is a personal like. Black pepper and tomato goes really well together.

I throw it in the instant pot and it's done in an hour on pressure cook setting, stays warm for 8 hours. I can have soup off an on during that week. Makes it easier when I don't have time to cook.