Celery? For Hypertension?

I was very surprised to find out that celery, of all the veggies, has been researched and proven to work the best in lowering blood pressure among those with hypertension.  Well, since transforming our lifestyles, I have NOT had hypertension.  However, I want to stay in "preventative mode" until I've lost at least 100 lbs. and see feel that this is no longer such a dramatic change for us.

So, here's one of the many articles that I read about celery.  The emphasis is on ALL fruits and veggies, but they're saying that just 3-4 stalks of celery can lower your blood pressure.  It supposedly acts as a natural diuretic.  I find that quite surprising since celery actually contains more natural sodium than other veggies.  I first heard about it watching a video of "Dr. Helen" on Christian television website.

I may just start eating more celery.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/138916-celery-hypertension/
http://modernhealthsecrets.com/hypertension/celery-for-high-blood-pressure_615.php

What a Trip!

I wish that our trip was as peaceful as this picture.

Staying healthy, eating well and traveling;  IMPOSSIBLE.  Well, maybe not impossible, but extremely difficult, for me at least.  I packed lots of healthy snacks for everyone; grapes, cucumber slices, peanut butter apples and bread to make sandwiches.  So we left on Monday morning, dropped my husband's car off at the shop to get fixed before we leave out of town.  We begin our drive down to Gulf Shores, AL (vacation AND business reasons). 

Boom, puff & cu put!  Our van broke down in the middle of I-85 South.  Perfect!  About 20 miles out of Atlanta, we had a choice to either abandon our mission or continue on by renting a car.  Well, either way renting a car was in the mix.  We decided to continue on the trip because we really needed the money from this business trip.  Plus, I really want to see my Granny who lives in Mobile, AL.  So, our schedule was set back a couple of hours from the tow truck and car renting, but we made it to Gulf Shores, FINALLY, around 5:00 pm.  Just enough time to let the kids play at the beach for a couple of hours and then off to dinner.

Now, dinner, it was suppose to be a healthy one, so I planned, but ended up being at my families favorite seafood restaurant, King Neptune's.  I tried to compensate for having fried seafood by ordering a side salad and subbing veggies for fries, but ultimately, it was not a healthy meal, but DELICIOUS.

We finally arrived at Granny's house at 11:00 pm.  Why so late?  Embarrassingly enough, I got lost on the way there.  I haven't visited in a while and I was super tired.

So, morning comes and I am determined to make it a day just like any other at home and eat my normal low sodium foods and drink lots of water.  Eggs with toast and milk, then pasta with cream sauce and salad for lunch.  I was at about 800 mg of sodium so far and 20 oz. of water.  It was the snacking that got me.  I was so hungry!  Not sure why, because I had my protein in the morning and veggies for lunch.  My guess is that I doing alot more than I normally do at home from all the traveling, going to the beach and making sure my kids didn't break anything in my Granny's house.  So, snacking including whatever saw at that moment;  cookies, cheese crackers, pop tart.  Then, to my surprise, my cousin was graduating that evening and the party was going to be a Granny's house.  I'm all for a party, that is until the PIZZA arrived.  I could've just NOT eaten it.  But.....I did.  Two slices to be exact...and cake and chips and dip AND pigs-in-a-blanket.  A bit of emotional eating when I found out that my husband had a few clients back out of the training which meant us losing about $500.  Not good news, with us needing to get TWO cars fixed and pay for our past-due bills and the rental car.

I felt aweful!  Physically and emotionally.  I went to bed feeling the effects of my very unhealthy meal & the worries of the world.  So, the cycle continued through today despite the fact that I knew what came from eating this way;  swolleness, heart burn, fatigue, ect.  Those are all the things I experienced from the moment I started consuming the highly processed and high sodium food. 

Now, how to get back on track?  I know that when I started eating better and drinking more water, I felt great AND continued to feel great.    Truthfully, I mainly felt great because I felt the grace of God giving me strength to do all of that and faith that God was healing my body.  I think....I am sure what I need is personal time with Jesus to help me re-focus and get back on track.   Troubles will always be there, so I must learn to cope without sabotaging a healthy lifestyle. 

On a personal personal note:  I must say that was happy to get to see family and all, but so far this trip was more than I could handle (due to all the unexpected twists and turns).  I am glad that I got to spend time with Granny.  She's such a peaceful woman and peace radiates from her.  It ministered to me to see her at peace amidst my chaos.

DASH

I don't know if many of you have heard of "The DASH diet", but that is what I started with when I decided to change our eating habits.  A pretty good "starter diet", but I customized it to better fit what I think would work better long-term for my family and I. (also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DASH_diet)

Depending on your caloric intake, you will want to set your sodium intake at
1,500mg - 2,400mg.  My family and I chose to go with 2,400 mg as our max intake of sodium, but we often are below that.

I found that while eating low-fat is good and all, some fats are actually good for you.  Most aren't and I am still in the process of cutting the bad fats out.  But here's a list of food that you DO NOT want to opt for the "low-fat or Fat-Free" option due to their high sodium content and sometimes higher sugar and carbs:

• Most cheeses
• Cream cheese (use real cream cheese and not the "spread")
• Soups
• Breads
• Butter (I use only real, unsalted, sweetcream butter)
• Puddings
• Yogurt

Now this is just my opinion and observation.  I prefer to eat the full fat version of these products and not take in all the extra sodium and other things.  The fat that you are taking in with these products is good for you (dairy fat, ect.).  Just watch the "Saturated Fat"  or "Trans Fat" content in these foods, especially if you are prone to high cholesterol.  All fruits and veggies are great for you and have many medicinal and nutritional benefits, but one veggie that I love, that is not necessarily "fat free", is the Avacado.

Avacados are also a GREAT food and contain good fats.  I eat avacados as much as I can.

Low Sodium Restaurant Menu Guide

I found this great website, https://www.healthydiningfinder.com/,  that has many restaurants listed and has low-sodium menu options.  Here are just a few restaurants mentioned.  Click the link to see the low sodium menu options:

Captain D's
Cracker Barrel
IHOP
KFC
Longhorn Steakhouse
Moe's Southwest Grill
Olive Garden
Red Lobster

Now, not all of these selections are "low sodium" for an entire meal.  But if you are going to "splurge" a little, then these are the better options.  Once you see some of these "lower sodium" entrees, you can only imagine the horror of finding out how much sodium a regular entree contains (usually 2,400-4,800 mg of sodium).  So, you can imagine if you weren't watching your sodium intake, you could easily consume your daily maximum or twice that in one meal sitting.

Here's to moderation!

Interesting Finding on Low-Sodium Lifestyles

After reading this blog, http://www.physiciansplan.net/blog/?p=22, I have begun to rethink and research on the actual health benefits of sodium and what it means to live a "Low Sodium Lifestyle".

I love that this physician mentions, "Americans don't do anything in moderation", because it's so true.  I think that this low sodium lifestyle is really just a lifestyle of consuming high sodium food/drink in moderation.  We are a very fast-paced nation with "convenience" everywhere.  In food terms, "convenience" means "processed" and the American version of something being processed means to add tons of preservatives (including sodium).

I don't really know about this physician's other ideas and theories, but from my research, he sounds pretty accurate about the "Low Sodium Controversy"

Dining Out Low-Sodium Style - Not Impossible

One of my favorite restaurants is Sweet Tomatoes (also called Souplantation in other areas).  We usually go to the one on Ernest Barrett Pkwy. in Kennesaw, GA.  It's a bit expensive, even for lunch, BUT if you sign up to get their monthly coupons, the price is quite reasonable.  For myself, my husband and our 3 kids (ages 9, 5 & 3) we can eat lunch there for $25.  It is a buffet, but not the type of buffet that I usually avoid.  ALL of the food is fresh and I would say that 90% of all of their food would be considered healthy (low-cal, fat-free, low fat, vegan & even vegetarian).

I am looking for LOW SODIUM items, so this restaurant is where I begin when considering dining out with my family.  Pictured are the items that I found best to eat at Sweet Tomatoes for a low-sodium option.  If you pick all of the lowest sodium items from each category, then your total sodium count for your entire, HUGE, meal would be 530 mg;  and for the size of that meal, I'd say that pretty good.

Of course they have tons of fresh veggies and fruits which have NO SODIUM and you should fill up on those as much as possible to prevent from filling up on the other higher sodium options.  My absolute favorite salad there is one of their pre-made tossed salads called Wonton Chicken Happiness and for 1 cup of my fav salad it's 290 mg. (mainly due to the dressing used in the salad).  290 mg for a salad is a bit more sodium than I'd prefer, but I can also fill my plate with as much fresh lettuces and veggies that I'd like and use only 2 TBSP of dressing to create a huge, filling salad with only 90 mg of sodium.

So, my final take on dining out with a low sodium lifestyle:  very possible and very delicious.  I will post more restaurant low-sodium options later on.



Food Journaling & Water Intake

I've been doing horrible these past couple of days with my food journaling.  I've noticed that when I do write down everything I eat/drink, I am more conscience of what I eat.  Of course I was doing great the first week or so, but then I start to slip. 

As far as what I've actually been eating, it hasn't been so bad.  I recently gave into the "soda" craving and bought those tiny cans of soda (ginger ale).  They have 65 mg of sodium each.  But I've managed to limit my consumption to only 1 per day. 

Drinking anything other than water makes me drink less water, of course.  So, I need to watch that.  I was trying to make a habit of drinking a min. of 64 ounces of water per day.  But the last couple of days have been hard in that area and I've only drank about 32 ounces per day.

So, I'm back on the journaling wagon and I am going to continue to move forward:

My Goal:    Daily max. 2,400 mg of sodium  & 64 ounces of water

These are my "baby step goals" of course.  A lot more needs to change, but I am a person that does better with gradual, small changes.

Breakfast - My favorite meal of the day

(these look a lot better than mine, but basically the same thing)

Since I've been pregnant, protein for breakfast really helps me for the rest of the day.  Plus, my husband always wants me to have homemade Mexican charro beans on hand to prepare with EVERYTHING.   So, 3 or 4 times a week, including today, we will have a Mexican-style breakfast and maybe I add a little southern "flare" :-)

Today consisted of refried charro beans (pinto beans), scrambled eggs, tomatillo salsa, queso fresco, tortillas & homemade biscuits.  Sound like a lot, I know, but the biscuits were mainly for my two little ones as they don't really eat the beans or tortillas. 

Now, how did I make all this with low or no sodium, you may ask?  Well, normally with the beans, I make a huge batch of them and we just eat them all week long.  I make them in my dutch oven and it's only a 1lb. bag of dried beans, but it's lasts us a while.  Before changing to our new lifestyle, I would cook the beans with lots of salt & bacon for flavor.  This time around I used only 1/2 tsp of sea salt & 1 slice of bacon instead of the normal 3.  So each 1/2 cup serving ends up only being 90 mg of sodium.

We eat the eggs and beans as tacos with our warm corn tortillas.  The tomatillo salsa adds excellent flavor and so does the queso fresco (Mexican crumbling cheese).  This is actually a very typical Mexican breakfast in most parts of Mexico. 

I made the biscuits using my normal recipe using regular milk instead of buttermilk and I only used 1/8 tsp sea salt.  The recipe made 12 biscuits & each biscuit is 25 mg of sodium.  My corn tortillas are 25 mg. of sodium each so I limit my intake to 2 tortillas, although my husband eats about 5 or six sometimes :-0

So, our entire breakfast: 
2 beans/egg tacos w/ salsa & cheese & 1 biscuit w/ jelly & 1 cup of milk = 306 mg sodium

A bowl of cereal with milk can be up to 400 mg of sodium, so I think this was a pretty hearty and low sodium breakfast.

Here's are the recipes I used for the beans and biscuits:

Frijoles Charros
1 lb bag of pinto beans, rinsed
8 cups water, hot
1/2 onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 slice bacon

Place all ingredients in a large pot an bring to a boil.  Once at a boil, cover and lower temperature to low.  Cook 3-4 hours or until beans are tender.  Stir occasionally. 

This can also be done in a crock-pot or slow-cooker.

90 mg sodium for 1/2 cup serving


Buttermilk Biscuits
3 cups all-purpose flour (I prefer White Lily brand)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup shortening or butter

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder & baking soda.  Add shortening or butter and mix with hands until crumbly (like bread crumbs).  Place in freezer for 5 minutes.  Measure milks and add salt to milk to slightly dissolve.  Remove flour from freezer and add milk mixture.  Mix just until combined and turn out onto a floured surface.  Knead slightly, but not too much.  Roll out to 1/2 inch thick and cut into circle (I use a cutter that is 3 in. wide).   Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.  Makes approx. 12 biscuits.

25 mg sodium per biscuit

Beef and Broccoli over rice w/ Asian Salad

Trying to make my favorite recipes into healthier versions has been easier than I thought.  It has also been surprisingly delicious.  Tonight's dinner will include Asian Beef and broccoli over white rice.  I will also try to make a delicious Asian salad using store-bought plain salad, a vinagrette made from sesame oil, garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar, green onions & brown sugar.  I love sunflower seeds and even though these may not be "Asian" I will put lots of these in my salad.  Other veggies in my salad include: carrots & snow peas.

Finding a good sauce for the beef and broccoli was a bit difficult.  The one I normally make is very high-sodium.  So, I've adapted a completely different recipe:

Beef and Broccoli 

16-18 oz. Beef Sirloin, thinly sliced into strips
1 head of broccoli, cut into pieces
3 green onions, chopped, diagnally, white and light green parts only
2 TBSP corn starch or flour
1/4 cup beef stock or water
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 TBSP minced or finely shredded ginger
3 TBSP brown sugar
3 TBSP sesame oil

Dredge the steak in corn starch or flour.  Place 2 TBSP sesame oil in a hot wok and cook steak for 5 minutes.  While steak cooks in a small skillet add 1 TBSP sesame oil.  Once oil is heated add garlic and ginger and cook for about 15-30 seconds.  Quickly add brown sugar and when it is dissolved add soy sauce and beef stock.  Add sauce to beef & stir.  Add broccoli to beef then cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir and add freshly chopped green onions on top. 

This makes 4 servings.  I serve it over 1/2 cup white rice.  Each serving, with rice contained 250 mg of sodium.

Fresh Tomatillo Salsa

Last night's dinner was great!  And only contained 216 mg of sodium per serving.  Nothing beats fresh, homemade salsa.  I made salsa using tomatillos, jalapeño, onion, cloves garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, sea salt and lime juice.  My recipe makes approx. 4 cups of salsa, so I put it in a mason jar and it should last about 7 days or maybe a little more.  I adapted this recipe from an old Pampered Chef recipe that I had.  After making the salsa, I sauteed some boneless skinless chicken breast and poured 1/2 cup of the salsa on top just before the chicken was cooked through.  I placed a lid on it to simmer and the chicken turned out so flavorful and juicey all without seasoning the chicken.

I served the chicken with salsa over 1/2 cup of white rice with a side of sauteed summer squash and zuchini.  I couldn't believe that it was not only very low sodium but low fat and low-cal.  It was delicious.

Here's the recipe for the salsa:

6 tomatillos
1 jalapeño
1/2 an onion
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tomatoes
1/2 cup cilantro

1/4 tsp. sea salt 

2 TBSP lime juice

Peel and rinse tomatillos, then slice in half across the width (horizontal).  Slice onion into 2 thick, round slices & take off outer layer.  Slice jalapeño in half lenght-wise.   Place the tomatillos (sliced side down), onion, jalapeños & 3 garlic gloves on a hot griddle or large skillet.   Cook for 3 minutes on each side or until charred.  Try not to spill the tomatillo juices onto the skillet.  Depending on how spicey you want it, you should remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño after charring it.  Place everything in a blender or food processor.  Also add 1 more clove of un-cooked garlic, cilantro, lime juice and sea salt to the mix.  Blend until it is your desired texture.  I like mine very thin because we will add some chucky tomatoes later. 

Let the salsa cool, then add fresh, choped tomatoes to the salsa.  Depending on the taste, I may also add more fresh garlic or minced onions (your preference really).

Makes approx. 4 cups.  Contains 36 mg of sodium per 1/4 cup serving.

Beginning of a new AGE!

First a little background:

Sounds quite dramatic, I know, but turning 30 is a huge deal for me.  I know it's not technically "old", but 30 is a big milestone.  Before giant beginnings, I like to look back a bit.....let's say on the last 29 years of my life. I think of all of the "to do lists" that I created and hoped to accomplish before I turned 30, 40 or 50 years old.  No regrets, just pondering.  For instance, one biggie for me was to be done having kids by the time I was 30.  Well, before my 30th birthday, next year, I will already have my fourth child. WOW!  Now that was definitely NOT on my "to do list" (have 4 kids).  But here we are, and I wouldn't change it for anything.  My first child came when I was a very young 19 years old.  She was born on August 5, 2001.  Elora is the light of my life, hence her name meaning "God is light" in Hebrew.  Then came Gabriel, my angel, when I was 25 yrs. old.  He was born on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2005.   Quickly after came Eden, the little princess, when I was 25 yrs.old.  She was born on July 23, 2007.   So, our family was complete, right?   Obviously not, because in January of this year I found out that I was pregnant with our fourth child.  I am due on Sept. 13th, 2011.  

AGE is not the only transition that I or my family are facing currently.  Of course my age seems very trivial compared to what is to come this/next year.   There's the new baby, trying to find a home and move before the baby is born, also my son starting Kindergarten and my husband & I transitioning his business provide additional services which includes more WORK for my hubby.  AND in the midst of all this, changing our lifestyles completely to help lower my blood pressure.  By changing our eating habits to only include low-sodium and fresh food, I have already been successful in lowing my blood pressure.  However, I want it to stay down and NEVER creep up again.  So, losing weight and exercising are on the "list" as well.  I know you might be asking, "What about blood pressure medication?", but I really HATE medication.  I know it has it's purposes, but I would rather take a more natural approach before jumping on the "medication bandwagon".  I also would like to add that I don't "condemn" anyone on meds, it's just my preference to not start on that route.

Thus, me creating this blog, which also gives me a way to stay accountable, to develop a ACTUALLY DELICIOUS - LOW SODIUM LIFESTYLE.  Now, I am a foodie at heart.  I love food!  And not just food, but good food, exceptional food.  I don't claim to be a gourmet chef, but I have a few great recipes up my sleeve and I love to share great food with great people.  When I say "lifestyle" I mean that this is a lifetime change.  NO DIET, not temporary.  So, even if you don't have high blood pressure or even if your doctor has not recommended a low-sodium diet for you, I think that you could still get alot out of this blog.  We will journey together to find ACTUALLY DELICIOUS, low sodium foods, recipes and cooking techniques. 

I hope that everyone can benefit from this blog and begin to live healthier lifestyles to make this life well lived and lived long.