I've been researching meals and there seems to be lots of contradicting information on the world wide web. Any help clarifying the following would be very much appreciated...
We now eat a Mediterranean diet - so lots of veg, fish etc. We've been shying away from chicken and meat, from what we've read online.
Is it ok to eat chicken a couple of times per week? What's the deal with beef, lamb and pork?
It's still very new to us so worrying about eating the wrong thing.
Thank you!
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NG84
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A nutrient rich Mediterranean style diet is good for heart health. In your new " Diet For Life" the key is moderation and to find healthy foods that you enjoy eating , including some that you might not have tried before.
You can eat lean white meat like chicken , turkey or pork steak and fish of all sorts , you can have the occasional treat of some lean steak or beef products , venison or lamb ( say once every one or two weeks). It's good to try out going meat and fish free a couple of times a week as long as your plant based replacements are healthy options too.
Eggs are also fine the old worry about cholesterol has been disputed as eggs contain a lot of good cholesterol and other important nutrients.
You can eat full fat dairy products or semi skimmed in the milks , yogurts just take note of the added sugar and other ingredients. Semi skimmed milk or nut / oat milks can be better than skimmed.
Cheese choices are better to be low in fat , and portions small , only have the occasional treat in the hard cheeses.
Eat a good variety of vegetables and sensible portions of fruit.
Roasted unsalted nuts like almonds , peanut , cashew are good for fibre.
Choose healthy fat options like olive, avocado or sunflower oils and use less of them.
It's controlling your sugar intake and saturated fats that is key important. Avoid artificial sweeteners.
It's not that you can never have a small portion of chips , a roast dinner or a slice of cake or pizza again , just that you take care of your options and portion size and only have them as an occasional treat.
Keep an eye on your salt intake , this can be different for different people depending on their medications and help issues , but too much salt is not good for all of us.
Reduce portion sizes of carbohydrates and choose complex carbs instead of simple ones. This helps to reduce weight gain and improve your blood sugar.
That means swapping out processed sugar , cakes and pastry , sugary packet cereals, white bread and flour, white rice, peeled potatoes and pasta and noodles for wholewheat pasta , brown rice, potatoes with skins (eat the skin), wholegrain, seeded and wholewheat bread, oats, a little honey , vanilla or unsweetened apple sauce, buckwheat , wholegrain or nut flours.
Choose different carbohydrates that include more protein like buckwheat , couscous , grains , lentils , beans of all types .
Remember some vegetables and fruit juices also contain quite a lot of carbohydrates and sugar, things like corn and sweet potatoes , peas and carrots so take this into consideration when you decide on your portion of carbs.
Generally try to stick to more protein and vegetables of any sorts and keep your main carbohydrate to about a quarter of your portion on the plate.
Portion control is always important whether you just want to manage your weight and health or need to lose some.
Eat the same amount of calories each day as you will use up in energy and your weight will remain the same ( or you might add a few manageable pounds if you take medications) .
Food shouldn't feel like a punishment it should be a pleasure, if it is you are happy to make lifetime changes and won't keep falling off the healthy food wagon then beating yourself up for it. Which is why a little bit of what you fancy does you good from time to time as long as it doesn't become a habit every day.
It's also good to consider making changes to old recipes substituting less healthy ingredients for more healthy ones , and to consider food stacking when you are having holiday feasts or a meal out. Basically don't splurge on all your favourite naughty foods on the same day or in the same meal unless you want to feel awful , so make sensible choices at a Christmas dinner or on a night out.
That's a fantastically good reply by Blearyeyed, one of the best summaries I've read in20 months of Googling for appropriate diets.
You didn't mention your condition and what, if any, medications, you're taking. Because I'm on anti-coagulants (Clopidogrel), I need to be very careful with Omega 3 supplements, though I eat lots of fish with natural Omega 3 with no worries.
And for some reason that I can't recall at the moment, I'm meant to go easy on greens with Vitamin K, though I usually buy some in my Big Shop.
Vitamin K1 can increase clotting which it's why it's good to take care with certain greens and check that any multivitamin you might choose doesn't contain Vitamin K.Great point about the Omega 3.
You are spot on , you can eat sensible amounts of foods with Omega 3 but Omega 3 supplements aren't recommended because of the high dose.
This can also be true about things like garlic , ginger and CoQ10 foods as well.
People taking warfarin usually need to take more care than others.
Thanks for the compliment it's nice to be appreciated for what little I can manage at the moment , take care , Bee
A very good answer. As far as cheese goes the lower fat cheeses tend to be uninteresting and require much more to get any sort of taste. I would much prefer a small piece of good quality (strong) cheese than a much bigger piece of bland cheese giving the same amount of fat
Excellent summary, pretty much resonates with my diet. Whilst I have lost a lot of weight following this type of diet - my blood sugars have gone up in the prediabetic range in the latest hba1c test.
Not sure if it is age related, genes or statins that is causing this. After paying closer attention to my blood glucose - I can see that my blood sugars spike after eating carbs (oats/brown bread/etc...) Luckily, the level do come down after 2 hours.
So, I may need to experiment with my carb intake to make it more optimal for my body. But it is a bit contradictory since the lifestyle changes and healthy diet should have pushed the blood sugars in the opposite (lower) direction.
It actually depends.Sometimes if portion sizes are big or you include more toppings or things with hidden sugars a healthy option can cause an increase in blood glucose.
People often check their blood glucose level too early after a meal , especially if they have been given or have bought a continuous glucose monitor but haven't been advised correctly about the timing to check before and after a meal.
People with Diabetes are usually advised to check blood sugar levels 45-1 hour before a meal so that they can make sensible choices of what to prepare and how large the portions can be.
If your reading is around 4 , which is average, a larger meal or more carbohydrates are an appropriate option.
If they 5.5-6 it's better to eat a smaller portion and take care about the carbohydrates you choose.
It's not advised to test until 2 hours after a meal because everybody gets a blood sugar spike directly after eating and during digestion.
If after 2 hours your blood glucose is between 8-10 it's considered to be appropriate.
Sometimes you can get higher HbA1c results if you were dehydrated for the test, if you didn't have a fasting test or if you were not tested in the morning.
Sometimes you can have insulin resistance caused by certain necessary medications which can cause your blood test results to be higher.
If you haven't had blood checks for certain nutrients or kidney function tests since beginning medications , particularly PPIs ( Omeprazole) , antacids, steroids , statins , NSAIDs and some heart medications, antidepressants ( also for pain ) it's worth getting them checked in case they have caused some nutrient Insufficiency or deficiency or insulin desensitivity.
You can request these tests to rule out causes of your symptoms or HbA1c level with your GP according to guidelines.
You need full blood count , ferritin/ iron ( to rule out Anaemia), Vitamin B12 and Folate ( these often get absorbed less well on meds that change stomach acid and are a common cause for insulin resistance and poor absorption of Vitamin D and Iron) , Kidney Function test ( salt imbalance can indicate causes for higher blood sugar) , Liver Function , and Vitamin D.
When you get these tests done as your baseline of figures , print off a copy or request one at the surgery for your records.
Don't rely on being told they are normal.
You can have very low or borderline results within the normal range, but low levels are still classed as Insufficient.
It's better to take steps to prevent levels going lower to improve your general health and prevent new symptoms occurring , as well as it helping you to know what foods you could do with more of in your diet to improve your blood glucose.
Bee, thanks for reminding me about the need to be careful with Vit K. In the past 21 months I've spent so much time researching diet I can't recall all the details! One achievement was ceasing to be pre-diabetic after I'd adopted a serious diet, which I still maintain with the exception of one weekly treat: strawberry trifle with cream.
I've had several Full Blood Counts this year, three in A & E, where every time I've been told I'm not anaemic, though with its more detailed investigations Haematology have diagnosed cardiac haemolytic anaemia. The tests on Friday revealed that I still have high ferritin (514, reference range 30-300), following an iron infusion in July and the resumption, on my GP's advice, of 322mg Ferrous Fumarate tablets - which I'm now pausing. The NHS won't re-test for Vit D until three months after starting supplementation; happily I've been told to have a Liver Function Test just as the the three months end, and I'll ask if my Vit D can be tested at the same time
The NHS Eatwell Guide is indeed a useful overview of what we should be aiming for. The irony is, having spent a few days as an in-patient in NHS hospitals over the years, it seems to have bypassed the catering teams responsible for providing meals, and also the people who are responsible for stocking the vending machines rammed with sugary drinks, and sugary and fat laden 'snacks'. And, dare I say it, many NHS staff look like they could do with some education on what to eat judging by their size.
When I was in hospital for my bypass and was sat in reception waiting to come home the healthiest snack was a Chocolate donut which was on a 2 for 1 special offer. This was being swooped on with pleasure by Patients and staff alike. High time the catering services offered better choices, but always accepting that patients may want familiar "comfort" food.
That made me laugh, although it's not funny. When I was on the ward I made all the patients laugh but earned a rather stern look from a few others by calling out "Have you got anything on there that's good for you this morning?" to the trolley vendor doing the round. Guess what, it full of the complete opposite. As you say the NHS staff will be queueing up for it as well!
In the end and against advice I had to get up and walk down to the shop at the hospital entrance to get some fruit, and low and behold it was the same lady, who commented with good humour and said she didn't bother putting fruit on the trolley as nobody bought it, however next day I had 3 others asking me to get them some as I was the only actual mobile patient on the ward.
I think you dare! I'm relieved to hear I'm not the only one who has noticed.I know we're not supposed to comment on the size of people nowadays, or even notice it, but every time I go to the hospital I'm afraid I wonder why so many nurses and other staff are so overweight when they must be aware of the effect on their health and mobility, not to mention the cost implications for the NHS. They're intelligent, I don't understand it.
Here's an alternative view. I don't think anyone should panic about what they eat provided its part of a 'sensible' diet. And by sensible I typically mean avoiding regularly overindulging in food that is known to be particularly bad for you such as lots of fried foods e.g chips, burgers, fried chicken and most take-ways, but eat plenty of fruit and veg that you like, don't overdo the dairy, the more 'homecooked' the better, and cut down on sugary stuff. And if you like bread eat it but go for wholemeal, even better make your own wholemeal bread. Other than that make your diet as varied as possible. So I don't like chicken very much so I only eat it occasionally. But I do eat lean red meat in modest amounts, and also occasionally sausages and cured meat, and I eat good cheese in small quantities. In short I enjoy good food and don't eat rubbish and that is what we should aim for and not get too hung up on strict restrictive diets with lots of excluded food that you otherwise enjoy eating from time to time. Finally, in my opinion, spending more time concentrating on body weight management and taking exercise will have much more benefit for you than being paranoid about what you eat.
I absolutely agree with you. until recently I volunteered at a foodbank and was amazed at what people thought was healthy food, Preferring tins to fresh for instance. And these are people who have real and understandable issues with income. Using foods with UPF’s and giving convenience (I.e. with nasties in) over cost and health.
Often people want tinned foods instead of fresh whom use a food bank because they can last longer and don't need refrigeration or a long amount of cooking time because they often need to ration fuel. If you have to rely on food banks you need food that will last. It's not necessarily that they prefer tinned food to fresh food to eat , or don't realise fresh products can be healthier it's because food with a longer shelf life is a necessity. It's incredibly sad but eating fresh or healthy food products has become a privilege for many rather than a right.
Well I was very surprised when discussing what to eat after a bypass being told by a carpenter who came to do some work that his father eat everything he shouldn’t have and was still alive ten years after.
Im well aware of that, Blearyeyed- I worked for the foodbank for ten years. When I started the only food we could give them was tinned etc. When we got enough money to buy in fresh, some didn’t want this. Yes, many only had a microwave and tin opener and nowhere to store food. And no money for fuel. But the education around “fresh” food just hasn’t been there for them when they were at at school so that’s all they knew.
It's incredibly sad but eating fresh or healthy food products has become a privilege for many rather than a right
Whilst I agree with that for many on very restricted incomes, with perhaps the need to visit food banks, for the majority it does not need to apply. People buy 'unhealthy' food through choice. You have only got to see what is bought at supermarket check-outs to understand that. Trolleys loaded with cola, crisps, sweets, snacks etc, rather than fresh veg for example. Give your child a 'snack' ? It's a bag of crisps over half an apple or a satsuma. Many people would rather spend their money on Sky subscriptions, iPhones, and the like, even cigarettes, alcohol and perhaps recreational drugs, rather than buy food that is best for them.
These days most people know perfectly well what healthy food is but prefer other types of food as it is either more convenient or tastier or cheaper. People who claim they didn't realise a certain food wasn't healthy might have been true 20 years ago but is unlikely today.
'Tastier' for bought-in rather than home prepared foods usually means loaded with salt and sugar. It's a cheap way of disguising what the food really tastes like. It's not that salt and sugar aren't sometimes needed in cooking, it's what is appropriate rather than overload. As for sugar the average Brit consumes far too much. I was on holiday out of the UK last week and the number of obese Brits far outnumbered those from other nationalities. It's not that people aren't aware of how bad excess sugar is for you, it's just down to an addiction which for most starts when they are children when fed sugary sweets, 'snacks' and drinks by unthinking parents who have probably been brought up the same way.
I should have put inverted commas around "tastier" but that is exactly what makers have done by adding salt sugar etc. Personally I can't begin to see the attraction of somewhere like MacDonalds but millions of people think their food is "tasty" and desirable. They know its not good for them though.
Just got back from Switzerland and I was shocked when walking through our local precinct at the number of very fat or very overweight people there were, of which a significant number were eating something, including someone in a supermarket noshing on a pasty.
Dietary advice changes like the wind. Don't eat eggs, do eat eggs. Eat low fat, no eat full fat. Brown rice is best, no white rice is best. Fresh veg is best, no tinned and frozen have more nutrients. oil is best, no butter and lard are healthier, and so on. You pays your money ... I say everything in moderation as next week the advice will change again
Depends what your goals are. If you want to get your LDL to absolute rock bottom then I would avoid chicken and other meats. I've mentioned this a number of times but I tried the Esselstyn diet (very low fat whole foods, plant based) and my LDL went down to a number I'd never seen before, even on high doses of statins.
I've since gone back to eating more fats but still only eat red meat/pork a few times a year and don't eat egg-based meals. I do give myself a treat now and then with a slice of pizza. I'm not 100% sure about the effects of dairy -- since I don't feel like doing a double blind test on myself -- but I'm hopeful that there's going to soon be a mass of evidence that says triple-cream cheese is beneficial! Giving up a lot of cheese has been the hardest for me; I don't find that I miss eating a lot of red meat or pork.
It is confusing..I’ve cut out loads of chocolate…loads of cheese …and loads of booze… We’ve always eaten fresh veggies and salads daily basis.. and we have small portions of meat ..eg 6 oz steak once a week ..cut in two with salad(on our Berni Inn night) so prawn cocktail to start with😉😉.We have fish and chips once a week ..battered from Iceland ..I know not good but.. wife has 3 chips I have 4 🤔…so we try moderation as opposed to abstinence!
If I do make a chilli/ bolognese / lasagne etc ..mainly veggies couple of ounces mince…
It ..as you say …the NHS … which gives you all the advice ..doesn’t seem to follow it….
In fact I’ve lost lot of weight..but maybe due to the Dapa and Spironolactone making me wee…goodness knows how many times?
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I have Pulmonary hypertension does anyone else have this, I would like to hear from you 
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