The right foods

therapist510
therapist510 Posts: 10 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I just want to eat good and healthy. Not starve myself of delicious foods. I was recently diagnosed with High blood pressure. I have cut out beef pork and salt. Im incorporating more fresh juices especially beet juice and exercising 30 minutes a day. Open to suggestions and recipes...low carb please

Replies

  • asviles
    asviles Posts: 56 Member
    Spinach salads are your friend for helping feel full. 1 cup of uncooked spinach is 7 calories. 1 tablespoon of butter is 100 calories... let that sink in for a second. I say eat a little bit of what you want, but fill up on greens if it's not enough.
  • therapist510
    therapist510 Posts: 10 Member
    Thank you
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Check out the DASH diet. It was developed for blood pressure control.

    https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/heart/dash_brief.pdf
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    Check out the DASH diet. It was developed for blood pressure control.

    https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/heart/dash_brief.pdf

    Good advice.
  • shaumom
    shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
    edited September 2017
    1. Herbs. I highly suggest planting an herb garden, whether in pots or in the ground. A handful of fresh herbs (and it usually takes more than you think it will) is a LIFESAVER for flavor when you have to keep some foods out (and it is expensive to buy fresh herbs all the time, otherwise). herbs I've enjoyed: parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, savory, lemon balm, mint, fenugreek (leaves can be used, or save seeds to use), lemon grass, lemon verbena, lavender, oregano (greek is stronger), rue (look up recipes, as too much can be bad).

    2. Spices - same deal. I would check out any Mexican or Asian markets (Indian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, et...) in your area. Cuisines from these regions use a lot more spices (and different ones from each other) and as a result, they tend to have large amounts of spices available for a much lower cost. You can also get some spices you won't find in regular markets that are fabulous. *note - I would suggest all types of markets from all over the world, but so far, markets from the middle east, various countries in Africa, Australia, etc... have NOT had cheaper foods than the regular markets, but rather simply different foods. So they can be great to look for variety, but maybe not as great on the checkbook. At least in my area.

    3. Learn more about your aromatics - onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, galangal, etc... Also great ways to add flavor.

    4. Check out veggies from other countries - Again, I would check out any Mexican or Asian markets (Indian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, et...) in your area. Cuisines from these regions use different veggies than you may use (depending on your cooking choices currently) and sometimes there can be some very spicy or flavorful veggies you are not usually used to

    5. Check out Indian and Asian recipes - With using the spices, aromatics, and different veggies, it helps to get some better idea how to cook the foods and get the most out of them. How to add the spices (for example, some spices need more cooking to work well, some less, some do well with roasting but poorly with boiling, that sort of thing).

    With all of that, one great thing about all of this is that herbs and aromatics tend to have not only good nutrients, but also more variety of bioflavonoids, which are good for the health of many cells in the body. And of course, more veggies is typically a good thing, yeah?

    Dal dishes are good ones to search for - lentil dishes, often highly spiced, from India.

    This website has some great ideas for Japanese cuisine that goes great in lunches: http://justbento.com/recipes

    Different Korean kimchi is a great place to start, too.


    For low carb, if I'm in a hurry, I tend to make a little meat, and then just add in a ton of veggies and spices for a sort of 1-pan skillet meal, you know? Usually I'd have it over potatoes or rice, but by itself it will work just fine, too. Or, you can make something called 'cauliflower rice,' which is just cauliflower, ground up fine in a blender or food processor until it's the size of rice, and then cooked and eaten that way.
  • therapist510
    therapist510 Posts: 10 Member
    Thank you so much!!
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    What's your grams number for your low carbs target?
  • therapist510
    therapist510 Posts: 10 Member
    Confuzzled4ever wrote: »
    What's your grams number for your low carbs target?

    Maybe 20-50 grams per day
  • therapist510
    therapist510 Posts: 10 Member
    shaumom wrote: »
    1. Herbs. I highly suggest planting an herb garden, whether in pots or in the ground. A handful of fresh herbs (and it usually takes more than you think it will) is a LIFESAVER for flavor when you have to keep some foods out (and it is expensive to buy fresh herbs all the time, otherwise). herbs I've enjoyed: parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, savory, lemon balm, mint, fenugreek (leaves can be used, or save seeds to use), lemon grass, lemon verbena, lavender, oregano (greek is stronger), rue (look up recipes, as too much can be bad).

    2. Spices - same deal. I would check out any Mexican or Asian markets (Indian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, et...) in your area. Cuisines from these regions use a lot more spices (and different ones from each other) and as a result, they tend to have large amounts of spices available for a much lower cost. You can also get some spices you won't find in regular markets that are fabulous. *note - I would suggest all types of markets from all over the world, but so far, markets from the middle east, various countries in Africa, Australia, etc... have NOT had cheaper foods than the regular markets, but rather simply different foods. So they can be great to look for variety, but maybe not as great on the checkbook. At least in my area.

    3. Learn more about your aromatics - onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, galangal, etc... Also great ways to add flavor.

    4. Check out veggies from other countries - Again, I would check out any Mexican or Asian markets (Indian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, et...) in your area. Cuisines from these regions use different veggies than you may use (depending on your cooking choices currently) and sometimes there can be some very spicy or flavorful veggies you are not usually used to

    5. Check out Indian and Asian recipes - With using the spices, aromatics, and different veggies, it helps to get some better idea how to cook the foods and get the most out of them. How to add the spices (for example, some spices need more cooking to work well, some less, some do well with roasting but poorly with boiling, that sort of thing).

    With all of that, one great thing about all of this is that herbs and aromatics tend to have not only good nutrients, but also more variety of bioflavonoids, which are good for the health of many cells in the body. And of course, more veggies is typically a good thing, yeah?

    Dal dishes are good ones to search for - lentil dishes, often highly spiced, from India.

    This website has some great ideas for Japanese cuisine that goes great in lunches: http://justbento.com/recipes

    Different Korean kimchi is a great place to start, too.


    For low carb, if I'm in a hurry, I tend to make a little meat, and then just add in a ton of veggies and spices for a sort of 1-pan skillet meal, you know? Usually I'd have it over potatoes or rice, but by itself it will work just fine, too. Or, you can make something called 'cauliflower rice,' which is just cauliflower, ground up fine in a blender or food processor until it's the size of rice, and then cooked and eaten that way.

    Thank you. This helped a lot
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    If your reason for cutting out beef and pork is the blood pressure, consider some leaner cuts of these meats. Pork tenderloin is quite lean and easily fits into a diet. Different cuts of steak can also be lean. As long as you watch the portion size, these can be healthy choices.

    I agree with the suggestion above to check out foreign markets, not just for vegetables but also for fish. Most fish can be quickly grilled for a low-calorie and delicious source of healthy fats and protein.

    One of my favorite low-carb things is Zoodles (zucchini noodles). There are fancy expensive spiralizers but the one I have cost five bucks and works fine. Use Zoodles in place of pasta. You can also spiralize other vegetables. Spiralized cucumber makes a great base for a cold pasta salad.
  • therapist510
    therapist510 Posts: 10 Member
    rheddmobile wrote: »
    If your reason for cutting out beef and pork is the blood pressure, consider some leaner cuts of these meats. Pork tenderloin is quite lean and easily fits into a diet. Different cuts of steak can also be lean. As long as you watch the portion size, these can be healthy choices.

    I agree with the suggestion above to check out foreign markets, not just for vegetables but also for fish. Most fish can be quickly grilled for a low-calorie and delicious source of healthy fats and protein.

    One of my favorite low-carb things is Zoodles (zucchini noodles). There are fancy expensive spiralizers but the one I have cost five bucks and works fine. Use Zoodles in place of pasta. You can also spiralize other vegetables. Spiralized cucumber makes a great base for a cold pasta salad.

    Thank u very much
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    The two factors that eliminated my high blood pressure were significant weight loss and running. In the meantime you can limit your salt intake. So enjoy your pork chops but forego the ham and bacon.

    I learned to do a lot of home cooking as many prepared foods are high in salt.

    If you are trying to go low carb, incorporate Greek Yogurt and eggs (not at the same time) in to breakfast.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    I set up my diary so it shows me my daily sodium intake. My ideal is the 1300 mg the American Heart Association recommends for a woman over 65. You may have some other limit in mind. I don't always meet that limit but you may want to see your intake right in front of you in your diary display. My diary is open if you want to look at it.

    Hubby and I both have high blood pressure and take medicines to keep it at a normal level. Limiting salt does help us. There's a lot of argument about what is an appropriate number to aim for. The AHA has about the lowest recommendations. Others argue higher numbers. The science is unsettled. There are some studies that argue the link between sodium consumption and blood pressure is not strong but the scientific consensus still seems to be that limiting sodium consumption is important for those trying to control blood pressure.

    We've been at this low-sodium thing for over a year now and have discovered all sorts of ways to limit it in our diets. We buy salt-free items like ketchup and pickles from healthyheartmarket.com. I bake with sodium-free baking powder and baking soda. I also make heavy use of sodium-free and no-salt-added seasonings like Mrs. Dash and the wide variety of spice mixes at penzeys.com. Unsalted butter, no-salt peanut butter, etc., are readily available.

    At first, you may be put off with the changes in flavor when you leave out the salt but pretty soon you will learn where you absolutely can't give it up and where, if you use what were formally "normal" amounts you are put off by an unpleasant saltiness.
  • therapist510
    therapist510 Posts: 10 Member
    HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »
    I set up my diary so it shows me my daily sodium intake. My ideal is the 1300 mg the American Heart Association recommends for a woman over 65. You may have some other limit in mind. I don't always meet that limit but you may want to see your intake right in front of you in your diary display. My diary is open if you want to look at it.

    Hubby and I both have high blood pressure and take medicines to keep it at a normal level. Limiting salt does help us. There's a lot of argument about what is an appropriate number to aim for. The AHA has about the lowest recommendations. Others argue higher numbers. The science is unsettled. There are some studies that argue the link between sodium consumption and blood pressure is not strong but the scientific consensus still seems to be that limiting sodium consumption is important for those trying to control blood pressure.

    We've been at this low-sodium thing for over a year now and have discovered all sorts of ways to limit it in our diets. We buy salt-free items like ketchup and pickles from healthyheartmarket.com. I bake with sodium-free baking powder and baking soda. I also make heavy use of sodium-free and no-salt-added seasonings like Mrs. Dash and the wide variety of spice mixes at penzeys.com. Unsalted butter, no-salt peanut butter, etc., are readily available.

    At first, you may be put off with the changes in flavor when you leave out the salt but pretty soon you will learn where you absolutely can't give it up and where, if you use what were formally "normal" amounts you are put off by an unpleasant saltiness.

    Thank u that was very helpful
  • therapist510
    therapist510 Posts: 10 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    The two factors that eliminated my high blood pressure were significant weight loss and running. In the meantime you can limit your salt intake. So enjoy your pork chops but forego the ham and bacon.

    I learned to do a lot of home cooking as many prepared foods are high in salt.

    If you are trying to go low carb, incorporate Greek Yogurt and eggs (not at the same time) in to breakfast.

    Ok yes Im back walking every day. Soon I will be running again. I power walked 2 miles today. Thank you!
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