Heart (Diabetes, arthritis, etc.) health cooking

mjd

mjd

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Shermie and I were talking about each of us having high blood pressure. I'm sure many of us have a few health concerns that impact the way we cook and eat and even order out.

I thought it might be interesting for us to share some tried-n-true recipes and tips for those of us that have moved away from "anything goes".

What do you think?
What has and has not worked for you?
What changes have you made in your style of cooking/eating?

Feel free to share anything else you think is relevant.
 
I developed high BP over the last five years. I never had it before. It is easily controlled with a small daily dose of medication. I am on a very low sodium diet, but not for high BP. Not a big deal, because I never did use a lot of salt in my cooking. Eating in restaurants too much will kill you -- they use soooo much salt.

My cooking tip -- use more herbs and spices, and less salt for cooking. That wasn't a change I made, I've always done that.

Oh, and cook your own food as much as possible, so YOU can control what's in it.

CD
 
I take medication for high blood pressure, cholesterol, a daily aspirin, and a maintenance dose of an antibiotic for an eye issue related to rosacea (for which I also use a topical). I also have type 2 diabetes, which I don't take anything for (yet).

19 years ago, I lost just under 100lbs over the course of a year. My "secrets" were:

1. No eating in restaurants, especially fast food
2. Portion control
3. No booze
4. Exercise
5. Make the right food choices

That was it. Not really rocket science. Over time, I've gained back about 25lbs, but I've held steady at my current weight (200lbs) for probably 12 years or more.
 
1 gabapentin pill per day for rest of my life, for pain from operation scarring.
1 bp pill a day. Can't remember if it was high or low but I'm normal now.
As mentioned I don't use a lot of salt, lots pepper though. I try to use less sugar, that's the killer!!
Although I don't know what's in my Diet Coke I buy.?
I drink more than normal, but I'm different.

Russ
 
rascal said:
The drug was originally for epilepsy my doc told me, but side effect it takes pain away. I have two large scars that didn't quite knit, and had huge pain. My doc tried it and it worked. Amazing stuff eh??

Russ
Click to expand...
Yeah, my dog knows when it's pill time and she comes out looking for them if we forget:

"Hey, man, you, uh, got any of that, um, gabapentin? <wipes runny nose>" :)
 
mjd-lovescooking, I forgot to mention that a nurse comes over every Wednesday to chef my vitals and fill the medicine tray. She told me that the blood pressure was 112/90, which was good My INR level was too high. I mentioned that they should put me back on Eliquis. It would keep things level, eliminating having to report it every week.
 
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TastyReuben said:
Yeah, my dog knows when it's pill time and she comes out looking for them if we forget:

"Hey, man, you, uh, got any of that, um, gabapentin? <wipes runny nose>" :)
Click to expand...

My nose runs everyday. Today, I was constipated.. Again!!! What the hell causes that?! I'm taking stool softeners every night before going to bed!!
 
Shermie said:
My nose runs everyday. Today, I was constipated.. Again!!! What the hell causes that?! I'm taking stool softeners every night before going to bed!!
Click to expand...
My wife struggles with that, she was just at the doc this week, getting ready for a colonoscopy.

You know what that doc told her? Drink a gallon of water a day and get 25g of fiber a day, for a start.
 
TastyReuben said:
My wife struggles with that, she was just at the doc this week, getting ready for a colonoscopy.

You know what that doc told her? Drink a gallon of water a day and get 25g of fiber a day, for a start.
Click to expand...

Water IS good for you, but a gallon of it a day?!!!! Come on now. That's too much, don't you think?!! She'll be running to the bathroom all day!!
 
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caseydog said:
I developed high BP over the last five years. I never had it before. It is easily controlled with a small daily dose of medication. I am on a very low sodium diet, but not for high BP. Not a big deal, because I never did use a lot of salt in my cooking. Eating in restaurants too much will kill you -- they use soooo much salt.

My cooking tip -- use more herbs and spices, and less salt for cooking. That wasn't a change I made, I've always done that.

Oh, and cook your own food as much as possible, so YOU can control what's in it.

CD
Click to expand...

Good advice. Like you, I have never used much salt in my cooking. In fact, I took it so far that my midwife advised me to add salt to my water because my body wasn't absorbing water the way it should. I rarely use salt when I cook and leave that up to the individual to season their own food.

I have ALWAYS been interested in what I consume and even made all my baby's foods from scratch to ensure I knew what they were ingesting. I credit early good habits with saving my life as I've faced some near fatal health problems over the past decade (mostly due to the stress of my divorce).
 
TastyReuben said:
I take medication for high blood pressure, cholesterol, a daily aspirin, and a maintenance dose of an antibiotic for an eye issue related to rosacea (for which I also use a topical). I also have type 2 diabetes, which I don't take anything for (yet).

19 years ago, I lost just under 100lbs over the course of a year. My "secrets" were:

1. No eating in restaurants, especially fast food
2. Portion control
3. No booze
4. Exercise
5. Make the right food choices

That was it. Not really rocket science. Over time, I've gained back about 25lbs, but I've held steady at my current weight (200lbs) for probably 12 years or more.
Click to expand...

Congratulations on your weight loss (again!) and kudos for keeping most of it off. It is so hard to do with all the "convenience" of fast food. This is one reason that I prep snacks and salads daily. Sometimes I just don't feel up to making anything and grabbing something fast is my only option other than not eating (and, I've done that many times).

I think I have a cookbook somewhere on meal planning for those with diabetes. I'll let you know if I run across it. Sounds like you are on the right track. Good job!
 
rascal said:
1 gabapentin pill per day for rest of my life, for pain from operation scarring.
1 bp pill a day. Can't remember if it was high or low but I'm normal now.
As mentioned I don't use a lot of salt, lots pepper though. I try to use less sugar, that's the killer!!
Although I don't know what's in my Diet Coke I buy.?
I drink more than normal, but I'm different.

Russ
Click to expand...

I take a bp pill twice per day. Sometimes, I have to take an additional one if my bp doesn't stabilize enough. Mine is stress related and I'm working on reining that in as much as possible.

I also take Gabapentin. Actually, it was a blessing and a curse. My doctor gave me 300mg and I started falling constantly. I already have advanced arthritis so we both thought it was just that. I fell so much that I had to get a Life Alert button. I went through that for about four years before an ER doctor realized that I wasn't just a falling down drunk (a lie my ex threw out there during the divorce). Come to find out the dosage was way too high for my body weight. They switched it to 100 mg three times a day and the falling stopped. Yeah!

As far as Diet Coke goes...I've heard that the artificial sugars are worse for us than the sugar(s). I don't know. I don't drink much soda (it's too sweet for me) but usually have regular when I do drink it. I used to be addicted to Pepsi. I weaned myself off it in 1/4 increments and it worked. Now, I can drink one soda and be satisfied until I drink another (I probably have about 5-6/year now). Small, baby steps did it for me.
 
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