Leading the Troops by Example - British Liver Trust

British Liver Trust

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Leading the Troops by Example

canadaliz profile image
9 Replies

Hey Troops, This is a challenging time of year for us with finicky livers so I thought I would post daily to show what I am doing to maintain a good state. The transplant doctor that has been monitoring me says I am nothing short of the poster girl for adherence to instruction as nobody ever does what the doctor tells them. Maybe it's the OCD :) Don't have it but I take my future very seriously.

So where to start: Okay, so you're with family, they are driving you nuts but it's Christmas and you have to play nice. So what do you do to blow off steam--two options: you either stress graze your way down the length of the dinner table and lash it with an unholy flood of gravy or you hit the booze cabinet and join pickled Aunt Martha that swears she's just had a thimbleful and numb the pain. Well don't!!! To every gathering take Aunt Lizzie's No Fail Success Weapons.

The basis of my artillery is protecting myself against invaders. By making great healthy choices I am valuing myself and investing in my future. Sure cake tastes better than a piece of fresh fruit but by eating your fruit you are banking on your future. See your body as a savings account. Eating crap is making a withdrawal.

Breakfast: Steelcut oats with cocoa powder (I do them in a mason jar overnight in the fridge then just nuke them in the morning easy!!! with skim milk/banana, walnuts a splodge of 0% fat Greek plain yoghurt on top of the oats and a vat of coffee with 0% fat. We call it skim but not sure about the UK.

Lunch is a turkey breast sandwich. Choose your bread carefully and aim for fibre and low sodium. I blow my sodium load at lunch. Now, try and aim for 3x the potassium as sodium so I clock in at 3000mg daily of Potassium as it is the key to metabolizing the sodium. My typical go to is a baked potato (in the UK you call them jacket potatoes which I think is so cute). I might add no sodium tuna and 0% fat sour cream or any other topping you like that has low to no sodium. There you are getting your potassium (not all but a good chunk) and top it with protein. Today it is turkey as I did a breast in the oven last night and it is a great choice for low fat and tasty protein. Don't ever eat prepared luncheon meats!!! They are just loaded with sodium. To make it easy just whip on the oven and toss in a turkey breast or a chicken. How hard is that??!!!! Then slice it up or pick the chicken from the bone, put in a container in the fridge and that is your meals sorted for a couple of days. While you have the oven on stick in a couple of jacket spuds and BAMMO! there is lunch for two days just nuke them when you want.

Potassium rich foods include:

Bananas, oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew, apricots, grapefruit (some dried fruits, such as prunes, raisins, and dates, are also high in potassium)

Cooked spinach

Cooked broccoli

Potatoes

Sweet potatoes

Mushrooms

Peas

Cucumbers

Zucchini

Eggplant

Pumpkins

Leafy greens

Juice from potassium-rich fruit is also a good choice:

Orange juice

Tomato juice

Prune juice

Apricot juice

Grapefruit juice (mind this as it can interfere with medication absorption.

Dinner (I can never keep your terms for the evening meal straight--supper?) anyway, the meal I eat when the sun is down tonight will be cod loin and veg with brown rice. Again, I make 3 days worth of brown rice and keep in a container in the fridge. I always tart it up with sautéed onion and mushrooms. Frozen assorted organic veg couldn't be simpler. Boil water, reach into freezer and scoop out a bowl of frozen veg. drop in boiling water, cover, wait a few mins, set the table, come back, drain and put on plate. But you have just boiled up a key investment in your future! Frozen organic is often more nutritious as it is flash frozen when picked thus preserving the nutrients. As for the fish, I'll get a baking dish, lay in the cod, pour a tin of no salt tomatoes over it but will drain 1/2 the juice out as we're not making soup right? chop an onion and maybe a pepper over it. Sprinkle Greek herb blend (NO SALT!!) Salt hides in many prepared blends. Then bake it at 350 for about 20 mins to 1/2 hour.

Before bed it will be whole grain toast and peanut butter and a glass of skim milk. We need the LNS (late night snack to keep our sugar stable and fuel our bodies.) If you haven't yet, Google the importance of a LNS.

Throughout the day drink your tea, water, coffee and any no sugar beverage. Stay hydrated but don't over do it. I aim for 2 litres which is 8 cups. Follow your doctor's advise if you have fluid restrictions.

And exercise!! No you don't have to go to the gym but keep moving. Do chores and take pride in the result. Cancer taught me that I have now. I don't know about tomorrow but I will use my body to the best of my ability and live in the now. I am investing in the moments I know I have in the hope that they will strengthen my future. LIVE NOW AND DO IT WELL.

Right Troops! Go out and conquer. Choose you! Fight for you! Defend you! Invest in you!!

Cheers, The Determined General

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canadaliz
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9 Replies
Owlie profile image
Owlie

Vote for Canadaliz! Where do I sign up Captain?! I have to say you are the first person ever to call a jacket potato ‘cute’! With you all the way on the grub...seriously have you seen how many calories are in a mince pie? Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year! Alex 👍

in reply toOwlie

Sweet mince? cause I had pie, peas & cute potatoes thinking I was sweet. 💪

Simples eh? 😇

Thanks canadaliz. On it! :-)

Thank you for sharing this, really helpful.

Merry Christmas :)

Double on it! Thank you very much Liz. You posted a link a couple of months ago to The Nutrition in Cirhossis Guide- I've been looking at it and your diet above. It's really great. Mmmm. Just had turkey, brocoli, celery, courgettes and sweet potatoes all roasted in bags so not much washing up and lovelier food than I ate in ages. And enough for more meals, all ready, no bother.

You mentioned food boredom - that's where I usually come off the tracks. But it seems like sharing menus makes it all tempting again. And there's experts here to help with staying on the wagon, the food wagon.

Good work you done!

Who says cussin' has no place? Thanks for drawing attention where it was needed by this old chocaholic :-)

in reply to

Less of the chocaholic. 🤭

in reply to

ok!

in reply to

Once bitten, twice shy. 🍫🙄

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