Low Salt, Low Sodium, Diabetic Diets?? About This Page:

[Teresa]

Don't know where else to put this, so I thought I'd post here -

DH was released from hospital yesterday with instructions to follow low salt, low sodium diabetic diet because he has high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high glucose levels. They did NOT give us any info AT ALL - even after I asked. I called today and talked to the diabetes coordinator and the best she could do for me on the phone was say "Tell him to stop drinking soda." Okay, did that.

Here are my questions:
If you or a loved one has ANY of these problems/diets to follow - what are some quick, easy, tasty items we can eat as a family?? I don't want this to be "And daddy has to eat carrots while we all enjoy a cheesecake" I want this to be a change for all of us.

How quickly or gradually did you make the change?
What do's and don'ts can you recommend?
Is this something your whole family is able to keep doing?
How long did it take for a change in dietary habits take to really kick in?
How do I get DH to see this as a change for the better and not a punishment for bad deeds done in the past (bad eating habits - I've been after him for years)?

[duck addict]

The American Diabetes Association ( American Diabetes Association Home Page) has a lot of great cookbooks.
Lots of and as he makes the adjustment.
(It can be done, I know, as I am type II diabetic and high blood pressure (though my bp meds work so well I don't need the low sodium diet).

[Colexis Mom]

When I had gestational diabetes with DD, I had to switch up the eating (but didn't have to take insulin).

Honestly, I was able to eat most everything I was eating before. It's more of a portion control game at that point, and figuring out what things you can have lots of and what things you need to eat in moderation. Is he going to be going to a dietician? I did, and it helped alot. I also kept a food diary, so I could see what and how much I was eating, and how they were affecting my sugars.

It was basically lots of little meals, every 3 or 4 hours. A small breakfast, then a snack, then lunch, then a snack, then dinner, then a snack before bed.

[wheatenwalker]

ADA website and the American Heart Association all have lots of good diet information, so does Healthatoz-
They didnt set you up with any classes for diet?

[pntsmom99]

Hi,

For lower sodium, we cut out mostly all canned and prepared foods. We read lables, and sometime have to switch to our other grocery store in the area to buy specific low sodium things like bread crumbs.

What I did was to figure out how much sodium I am putting into a recipe total, then divide that by the number of servings. When you do that with no sodium product you would be surprised at what you can actually eat.

[stretch2864]

He should have met with a dietician before he was discharged. I can't believe that they sent him home with no education regarding that specific diet. Certainly check out the websites for the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association, but I would call the hospital where he was seen and request an outpt consult with the diabetes educator and the dietician. If they aren't able to provide that, then ask for a referral to someone who can. Diet and an adjustment to his lifestyle in regards to diet are going to be key to his success. Good luck!

[cherylf]

I know how you feel. When I was diagnosed with diabetes, they gave me a prescription and sent me home to figure out what I needed to do. I was so scared but I found the ADA web page and the Joslin web page. Joslin specializes in diabetes research and, although you didn't say DH was diabetic, it's best to get it under control before it happens. Look at Joslin Diabetes Center and they have lots of good information and recipes.

[scottjs]

Stay away from Pastrimi!!! I was eating it was too much.

Stay away from Rice a Roni--I love the stuff--but too much salt.

Drink a lot of water!! (I was addicted to Gatoraid!!)

best of luck

[korki-rad]

When I had gestational diabetes, the dietician gave me a great booklet that had almost every restaurant and all their menu items so that when we ate out, I could look up what was the best thing for me to eat based on the number of carbs I was allowed to have...the book was a godsend, but of course, I can't find it now! Definitely get an appointment with a dietician and get their advice. In our city, we also have a special diabetic center that helps people with all kinds of diabetic issues...you might see if you have something along those lines in your area as well.

Did they give you any more guidelines -- like how many carbs they'd like him to consume, the amount of sodium allowed in a day, etc? It's hard to know what to eat without a road map of some kind (and hard to suggest things without knowing the magic numbers.) For example, with the gestational diabetes, I was supposed to stay under 40 carbs per meal and less if my blood sugar was higher than 120 when I tested.

My parents are both diabetic and they eat everything they ate before, just in different portions. They are on diabetic meds, though, and have to test their blood glucose several times a day -- if they are high or low, they just compensate at the next meal. (If it's a birthday, for example, they still eat the cake, they just have to plan for it throughout the day and eat a smaller piece.) Prepared foods have a lot of sodium, so you probably have to watch those carefully, I'd guess, for the high blood pressure.

A big part of most diabetic meal plans is fitting snacks in throughout the day so the blood sugar doesn't fluctuate wildly...did they talk to you about that at all? Excercise is also really important.

When diagnosed, all of us (mom, dad and me) all made the changes immediately. But we had the help of a dietician.

If you want a specific meal plan, you might try a web site like EDiets...I know you can get diabetic and low-sodium recipes there, but there is a monthly fee.

As far as DH feeling like this is a punishment, as far as diabetes goes (since that's all I really know about), while it is aggravated by poor eating habits, there is a big part of it that is genetic. For example, in my family, every single person over the age of 40 has diabetes. Some are overweight and rarely exercise; others are in good shape and excercised regularly their entire life. We just have bad genes and it is pretty much inescapable for us. On the positive -- it is something that can be controlled. It is way better to control it with diet than to have to go on medication. (And that's where we see a big difference in our family -- those who are in better shape are able to delay going on meds.)

Good luck! I know there are others out there way more knowledable than me, but this is just my two cents. I would definitely look for a good dietician who can help you! Best of luck and lots of

[magic mickey]

My DH is diabetic and also needs to avoid salt because of high blood pressure. I have learned to do all of my cooking without salt. Prepared foods are full of sodium, so they should be avoided. He should avoid eating a lot of carbs as well. Breads and pastas needed to be limited. Multi-grains and low glycemic pastas can be eaten in moderation. I also do my baking with splenda instead of sugar. Two of the best books we have purchased for DH's health problems are the Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies and the Dummies book for high blood pressure. They give some very good advice. There is so much info out there and my best advice is to read as much as possible. Exercise is also very important. If you have any questions please pm anytime.

[graygables]

We use Dreamfields pasta and I try to cut sugar with Splenda in baked goods. Despite the happy little commercials , we are also cutting out HFCS as much as possible. I do a lot of baking at home to be able to control ingredients and sodium levels. We also use Stevia powder to sweeten beverages as it is not only sweet, but also supposed to have a healthy effect on blood sugar levels. I buy TrueLemon and TrueLime to add flavor to things and DDs use them to make "lemonade" with water and stevia. I've also added them to sparkling water with stevia for an alternative to Sprite.

[JoanW]

We try to follow a "no or hardly any white foods" policy, no things made with white flour, sugar, and salt.

Educate yourself by reading the labels on everything. Processed food = lots of sugar and sodium.

We hardly every buy packaged snack foods now, and only if they are low in sodium and are whole grains. We only use frozen veggies if we can't get fresh, never canned. And don't salt after you cook them either, that's a no-no. Use a salt free shaker product like Mrs. Dash's.

Depending on his medications, sometimes you can add salt substitute, but only if the dr. says so.

Does he drink full sugar sodas and juices? Look for those with Splenda. Coke Zero products taste like regular coke to me, and now more soft drinks and juices are using Splenda in them.

The books mentioned above are good ones!

[BzBuyz]

Shaking the salt habit take a little getting used to, especially for the whole family. After a while it will become the norm and you will wonder why you added so much salt before.

When you cook meals without adding salt, the good taste of what you are cooking will shine through. Really, you will be amazed at how much BETTER food tastes!

Check out this low sodium - no salt website for great FREE recipes:
Delicious No Salt Recipes and Low Sodium Source For a Healthy Recipe For Life

All the best,
BzBuyz

[Teresa]

Originally Posted by korki-rad

Did they give you any more guidelines -- like how many carbs they'd like him to consume, the amount of sodium allowed in a day, etc? :

Nope - I mean - the nurse literally said "Low salt, low cholesterol, diabetic diet." and walked away. And told me "NO" when I asked if they had brochures on those diets!

I called the hospital - and talked to the diabetes education coordinator. SHE was wonderful! The hospital actually has lots of info, and even offers FREE classes. She did ask that DH see our Dr. before we come, but said he didn't have to. He has an appointment with Dr. on Tues - and with the dietician on Thurs. (days I'm off of school, so he can't help but go!)

[Teresa]

Originally Posted by BzBuyz

Shaking the salt habit take a little getting used to, especially for the whole family. After a while it will become the norm and you will wonder why you added so much salt before.

When you cook meals without adding salt, the good taste of what you are cooking will shine through. Really, you will be amazed at how much BETTER food tastes!

This is odd - but when I met DH, my then 5 year old (now 25) had no CLUE what salt was! We also never drank soda, or most of the "bad" things we do now. So, for me the change won't be a big deal. The younger kids on the other hand - that might be a problem!