Cutting Back On Carbs and Sodium - Help?

j_franklin88
j_franklin88 Posts: 5
edited October 2014 in Food and Nutrition
Hey. I have been doing pretty good for the past year, but I have had issues with carbs and sodium. I am pre-diabetic, so carbs aren't the best, and I have had a heart issue, so sodium isn't the best either. The nutritional table on the app has really helped me realize that there is still too much of the 2 in my diet, even though I thought I cut back already. Does anyone have any tips for getting the intake of the 2 under control?

Replies

  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Without knowing what specifically you're struggling with, it's hard to offer meaningful advice.

    Avoid prepackaged meals as they will often be higher in sodium (though not always). Restaurant foods are often high in sodium as well. Carbs are fairly easy as they are pretty easy to identify. Anything that wasn't once an animal is probably a carb.

    you can't go wrong with fresh meat - beef, chicken, fish, pork.
  • j_franklin88
    j_franklin88 Posts: 5
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Without knowing what specifically you're struggling with, it's hard to offer meaningful advice.

    Avoid prepackaged meals as they will often be higher in sodium (though not always). Restaurant foods are often high in sodium as well. Carbs are fairly easy as they are pretty easy to identify. Anything that wasn't once an animal is probably a carb.

    you can't go wrong with fresh meat - beef, chicken, fish, pork.

    Sorry about that. I usually make everything that I eat. Prepackaged food is maybe once a week and restaurants are once a month. I try to eat a lot of vegetables, fish, and chicken. With that being said, I still seem to consume way too much of both. Breakfast is usually a serving of yogurt with a serving of fruit, a serving of oatmeal with fruit, or some type of "healthier" cereal. Lunch is salad, half a sandwich, or a small amount of left overs from the night before, and dinner is a meat, veg, and a carb.

  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited October 2014
    breakfast: yogurt, fruit, oatmeal w/ more fruit or cereal.
    that's VERY carb heavy. yogurt is carbs, fruit is all carbs, oatmeal or cereal is mostly carbs. I'd replace the oatmeal/cereal with eggs.

    lunch: salad, half a sandwich, or leftovers from dinner
    Also pretty carb heavy - salad is mostly/all carbs, half a sandwich is mostly carbs, leftovers will vary. Choose a salad OR a sandwich. If salad, add chicken or steak. If sandwich, double the meat. FYI - lunch meat/cold cuts are usually very high in sodium. Add a side of nuts, cheese, or similar as desired.

    dinner: meat, veg, carb
    Also pretty carb heavy - meat is fat/protein, veggies is mostly carbs, a carb is mostly carbs. Do a veggie OR a carb, or replace one with a bean/nut/legume for added fiber and protein.


    It's pretty clear where all the carbs are coming from, but sodium should be fairly low unless you are using a bunch of salt-based seasonings/sauces.


  • dgroulx
    dgroulx Posts: 159 Member
    I buy low carb yogurt. It only has 4 carbs. Fruits are full of sugar. Some are better than others. I eat only berries and melon and then only about 2 days per month. Try a Costco protein shake for breakfast. Only 4-5 grams of sugar (depending on flavor) and low in calories, too.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Instead of cereal or oatmeal, eat eggs, chicken, small hamburger, or leftovers from the day before. Instead of bread, use Romaine lettuce for wraps.
    Eat full fat yogurt. It has fewer carbs than the low fat kind.

    This is one plan for lowish carb -- depending on the instruction of the doctor:

    Limit this: bread, pasta, pizza, rice, corn, potatoes.
    Limit this: fruit

    Eat this: beef, pork, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, beans,

    Eat lots of this: broccoli, swiss chard, kale, spinach, romaine, cabbage, mushrooms, asparagus, avocados, okra, cauliflower, bell peppers, snow peas, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, winter squash, brussels sprouts,
  • laciemn
    laciemn Posts: 77 Member
    I like to make "wraps" with lettuce instead of bread. I take two pieces of ham, put a piece of cheese between them, melt it in the oven, then place in lightly salted lettuce leaves and sort of roll it up or if you're not very good at rolling just fold it over like a taco.

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