potassium boosters
My dad has high blood pressure and low potassium (the two are commonly linked) Well, about one month ago, he stopped taking his blood pressure meds because it was too inconvenient. Now hes having symptoms again. Honestly, I'd like to see him go back on the meds but I'm not going to try to tell a grown man (much less my father) what to do. I'm trying to help him incorporate more potassium into his meals. The trouble is, he is VERY picky! I gave him this list of foods from the internet:
High potassium foods:
All meats, poultry and fish are high in potassium.
Apricots (fresh more so than canned)
Avocado
Banana
Cantaloupe
Honeydew
Kiwi
Lima beans
Milk
Oranges and orange juice
Potatoes
Prunes
Spinach
Tomatoes
Vegetable juice
Winter squash
MODERATE (125 - 225 mg per serving)
Apple juice
Asparagus
Beets
Blackberries
Broccoli
Carrots
Cherries
Corn
Eggplant
Grapefruit
Green peas
Loose-leaf lettuce
Mushrooms, fresh
Onions
Peach
Pears
Pineapple
Raisins
Raspberries
Strawberries
Summer squash, including zucchini
Tangerines
Watermelon
Of that list he likes orange juice, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, kiwis, and (uggg) meat. Thats IT! (He hates bananas more than anything in the world) So the other day we made portabella burgers for dinner, which he LOVED (hes even trying to find out how to grow portabellas so he can eat them all the time) We picked up some single serving bottles of OJ for him to take to work with him and some kiwis for him to snack on. He does also like berries of different kindas but doesn't want them because they are not in season/ not fresh. I suggested frozen berries shakes for a dessert after dinner or for breakfast (which he doesn't eat) but I think its still too cold up here for such foods.
The problem is, hes stuck on frozen meals for lunch. and they are incredibly high in sodium, which counter acts the potassium and leads to higher blood pressure. :o Thankfully, he is very slender and has low colesterole, but those things still are not good for you...I try to make extra food at dinner to be left over for him to take to work for lunch and sometimes he remembers and sometimes he forgets. I kinda think he likes the TV dinner things because its (kinda) his only opportunity to eat meat. While he loves the vegan food I have been making, he has an emotional attachment to meat. So I think it bothers him to eat vegan at both lunch AND dinner. I can understand that, I guess...but I wish if he still wanted to eat meat he would do it more healthfully. (I will NOT cook meat)
I'm trying to be really positive and focus on the things he does like/will eat. We are going to have some steamed zucchini tonight with french onion soup (home made and obviously vegan so hopefully wont be too rich in sodium) Does anyone know how much a person should get a day for sodium? (he is 51, 6 feet tall and about 150 lbs) A good thing is that he has pretty low stress now (compared to other times in his life) and he does have animals to pet, which he loves (petting animals lowers your BP) he also listens to soothing nature sounds when he goes to sleep at night. He doesn't exercise much at all anymore but in the past he has enjoyed running and wants to learn Tai Chi. I was thinking of looking around for a tie chi class and suggesting we take it together.
Also, can any of you help me understand how the nutritional data at the bottom of the food label works. I understand the table over all, but the very bottom is where they list potassium and the numbers seem really high (like in the 1000s)
Erm, sorry its a long post.
if he has high blood pressure he really shouldn't get any more than 2000mg/day from sodium.
i can't believe he doesn't like potatoes? there is no way he enjoys them prepared?
have you heard of the DASH diet? it stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension and it is very high in fruits and veggies (though it does incorporate lean meats and FF dairy-- yuck)... it also puts a limit on sodium. maybe you could google that or something. anyway, i would just focus on any fruits and veggies, don't add salt and try to prepare as much from whole foods as possible.
maybe you could pre-cook meals and freeze them for him?
my advice: just feed him bananas.
As you might know, I'm a nurse, and if he has known hypertension and quit taking his meds without making dietary lifestyle changes, that is pretty dangerous. Most of the time one can't feel their high blood pressure, so he might feel fine but he could be setting himself up for a stroke, etc. End of lecture but the nurse in me couldn't help it.
I have borderline hypertension myself which is worse when I'm not eating well. Luckily I love fruits and vegetables and when I eat right and exercise, I don't sustain high blood pressure to warrent medication.
Really your body only needs about 500 mg of sodium a day, but over 2400 a day can lead to problems. Best to try to stay below 1500 mg/day.
I've read we should get about 4700 mg. of potassium a day. One author, Dr. Steven Pratt (author of SuperFoods) is recommending 8000 mg per day, which is very high even for a veg*n to get. He further says potassium intake should be 3 to 4 times sodium intake to avoid hypertension.
Does your dad like V8 juice? Low sodium V8 juice is packed with potassium. Many yogurts have a good amount of potassium in them too and didn't see that on your list.
Good luck. Bottom line is that we can lead a horse to water, but we can't make him drink.
funny you made that list VHZ...im in the opposite boat... VERY high potassium!
i think beans were on my list of high pot. foods...and he seems to like the black beans?!
also, i was warned about salt substitutes. i am assujing these are those flavoring/ spice mixtures. they would be easy to sneak into foods.
there are also drinks out there...like propel flavored water or gatorade that have a good amount of potassium.
other foods: lentils, tomato products, broccoli, nuts, dark leafy greens.
i found this page: http://www.essense-of-life.com/info/potassiumfoods.htm
seems like papaya would be a great fruit for him!!! 936mg!
on my list too, there was whole grains and oats.
basically, all the good stuff! *sigh*
If you live in the US, there is a salt substitute on the shelves of regular supermarkets called "Nu Salt". It is basically all potassium chloride (or maybe a similar potassium salt). It's not marketed as a supplement and it does taste different from salt (like metallic sodium chloride) but you can sneak some of into food without any change in taste and it would add a significant amount of potassium and reduce the need for some salt in the dish. I believe they also sell a variety of salt substitute that is half sodium-salt and half potassium-salt, but I can't remember what it was called.
if he has high blood pressure he really shouldn't get any more than 2000mg/day from sodium.
i can't believe he doesn't like potatoes? there is no way he enjoys them prepared?
that reminds me, he does like baked potatoes. I was thinking of baking several and having them in the fridge for him to take to work...but then he might load it up with salt and pepper?
I'll defiantly google that dash diet. And all the varieties of salt substitutes. I think a little bit here, and a little bit there and it might make a difference. Right now the weather outside is FREEZING, so I'm almost wondering if I can just take a Tupperware thing full of food after dinner each night and say "hey Dad, I'm gonna stick this in the passenger seat for you for tomarrow so you don't forget!" I also suspect that most of the foods he identifies as foods he does not like, are actually just foods he has not had much experience with or has had poorly prepared. He has liked everything Ive made (certain recipes he keeps asking for us to make again) One of those recipes were black bean burgers, good memory, LucidAnne! He wants to give his new fruit dehydrator a run, so maybe I can suggest we dry some papaya? Ummm! :D
Tweety, what you said is my exact concern. Thankfully he is good about checking his BP every time we go to the grocery store. But its been running a little high. And he is waking up in the night with carlie horses in his calves (which I do know is a sign of low potassium) What especially worries me is that he has a family history of strokes! His mom had several and the final one is what actually ended her life. You are right that you can lead a horse to water but not make them drink. I'm hoping that while I'm hear I can show him how easy and tasty it can be to eat more healthfully. I think I'm leaving in about a month so that doesn't give me much time. :-\
Thanks guys for the advice, I'll keep you updated on how its going!
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