Diet or Meal Planning? Part 5

What Foods to Reduce

Before getting started today, it has been a while since I have thanked my readers for coming to the site and I am still being blown away by the readers we as a group have grown to be and those being added.  Not to scare anyone, as I mention we have added two new countries to our list, Poland and Italy.  I am not able to see who they are - just that we have added two more countries.  

For the new readers, you can send me an email to bob.dant@gmail.com if you want me to cover anything in a post.  You can follow me on Google or send messages there.  You can also leave comments on the post and I will see them - does not require any of your information.  You can also sign up by email and get this to you inbox.

If you are sharing with your friends, I appreciate it as I am just hoping to help one person manage their life style - then this blog has been worth it.

FBG 103 - not bad as I had a nice meal last night at song writers night.  One of the nice things about living in Nashville is the great talent we have and the collection of song writers.  They get together at places and for $25 per person, Kathleen (my wife) and I get a meal and entertainment.  The bad news is the meal is usually not for a diabetic.

BP - 131/77 - HR - 58 on my home machine that I should be replacing.

I have another request for you to lift up to your higher power.  I mentioned Dr. Bayne's Dad yesterday has had a stroke and is fighting for his life at the moment.  His Dad indicated to the doctors and his family that he would love to hold on for a little while longer.  So I think our prayers to our higher powers is to grant his Dad the ability to fight the good fight.  Thanks again for each of you caring about people who are reading this blog or a part of my life.

We will continue with the FDA report and discuss foods we should eliminate in our diets or reduce.  Part of planning is to know what to eat and what not to eat.

Please keep in mind that "text in quotes and underlined" is straight from the source of my research - in other words I am cheating!!  Actually, I am just looking to help you get a snap shot - you can go and read the entire report - it is awesome.

Introduction

" The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides science-based advice to promote health and reduce the risk of major chronic diseases through diet and physical activity. Currently, very few Americans consume diets that meet Dietary Guideline recommendations. This chapter focuses on certain foods and food components that are consumed in excessive amounts and may increase the risk of certain chronic diseases. These include sodium, solid fats (major sources of saturated and trans fatty acids), added sugars, and refined grains. These food components are consumed in excess by children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. In addition, the diets of most men exceed the recommendation for cholesterol. Some people also consume too much alcohol."

As a diabetic, each one of these major groups should cause us to be concerned and we will discuss how each of these "bad" food groups can cause us diabetics more problems than the normal person.

Sodium

"Sodium is an essential nutrient and is needed by the body in relatively small quantities, provided that substantial sweating does not occur. On average, the higher an individual’s sodium intake, the higher the individual’s blood pressure. A strong body of evidence in adults documents that as sodium intake decreases, so does blood pressure. Moderate evidence in children also has documented that as sodium intake decreases, so does blood pressure. Keeping blood pressure in the normal range reduces an individual’s risk of cardiovascular disease, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease. Therefore, adults and children should limit their intake of sodium.

Virtually all Americans consume more sodium than they need. The estimated average intake of sodium for all Americans ages 2 years and older is approximately 3,400 mg per day."

WOW - the recommended level is 2300 mg a day and 1,500 mg for people over 51. The normal progression for diabetics is to reach a stage of high blood pressure.  There are many reasons for high blood pressure but sodium is a major player.

The amount of sodium we get from processed foods is the major source - how do I know that.  Kathleen took me off sodium as soon as we were married.  Unlike her mother, she does not cook with sodium and allows people to salt as they desire.  We do not really have a salt shaker anywhere - so for 38+ years I have not added salt to my food - yet I developed or had high blood pressure and taking medicines.

I have reduced the processed foods I intake and I have added magnesium to my supplements.  Along with the weight lose, I have been able to get my blood pressure under control.  We should explore high blood pressure in another post.

"Some sodium-containing foods are high in sodium, but the problem of excess sodium intake also is due to frequent consumption of foods that contain lower amounts of sodium, such as yeast breads (which includes white bread or rolls, mixed-grain bread, flavored bread, whole-wheat bread or rolls, bagels, flat breads, croissants, and English muffins) contribute 7% of the sodium in the U.S. diet).  Other sources of sodium include chicken and chicken mixed dishes (7% of sodium intake), pizza (6%), and pasta and pasta dishes (5%). Some of the sources discussed here and in the following sections contain larger varieties of foods than others (e.g., chicken and chicken mixed dishes). Therefore, some of these sources include foods that can be purchased or prepared to be lower in sodium, as well as lower in other food components recommended to be reduced. For example, chicken naturally contains little sodium. Chicken and chicken mixed dishes can be prepared by purchasing chicken that has not had sodium added to it and by not adding salt or ingredients containing sodium."

Now we know that Americans should cut down their sodium intake.  I do have a difficult time with my government stepping in and banning salt shakers on the tables in restaurants - only one state so far.  I think all of us should have the freedom to eat as we desire.

On the other hand - it is evident that us Americans do not know or have not been taught enough when we were kids to eat balanced meals.  We are also a nation on the go and fast foods are a primary source of our diet.  These are all heavy in sodium.

The following table is directly from McDonald's nutrition guide.  Now I am not picking on McDonald's.  Totally the opposite, they are my favorite and I have spent a lot of time in one of these babies - eating while on the road.  I could pick hundreds of fast food or foods prepared and you would be shocked at the amount of sodium you are getting.

McDonald’s Item	Sodium Level	Percent of Daily Recommended MG
		2,300 mg	1,500 mg
Big Mac	970	42%	65%
Quarter Pounder® with Cheese+	1100	48%	73%
Quarter Pounder Bacon & Cheese+	1440	63%	96%
Premium Crispy Chicken Club Sandwich	1410	61%	94%
Premium Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich	1250	54%	83%

You know, each one of these sections is fascinating to me and I want to do each one justice.  So I am going to dedicate a post to each one.  My apologies but since this is fascinating to me and I am putting out the post, I get to select where we go.  J

READ LABELS _ GET TO KNOW THIS STUFF!!  TAKE CARE OF YOUR SELF!!  DO NOT GET TO THE LEVEL I DID - TAKE CHARGE TODAY.

May God grant us the ability, courage, and wisdom to read labels.  Give us the daily guidance to understand what we are putting in our bodies and what harm it can be doing.  Simply give us strength to change.

Bob,