Need low sodium/low carb diet for dog with seizures please ?
Tammy Allen
7 years ago
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palmbob
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Plea to forum members dealing with lower sodium cooking...
Comments (17)Some good advice here already. I only have to add 'Persevere'. Honestly, it really doesn't take long to get used to what you call 'blandness'. It took me about a week, and now I add salt to nothing at all. If salt is added, I really, really notice it! That blandness isn't bland at all - it's just not salty any more! Up until now, the only thing you've really tasted is the salt - your taste-buds are attuned to salt, and not much else. Give it time, and soon you'll be getting the REAL taste of food! Meantime, keep well away from processed and packaged foods, frozen meals, take-aways etc. Even make your own bread. I can't comment from my own experience, but I do know from people who have travelled to America find the bread 'over there' is incredibly salty compared with what we get over here - make your own instead, using an absolute minimum of salt, or none at all. Use unsalted butter. Keep away from soft-drinks (carbonated colas and such - they have a lot of salt in them). Start using more herbs. Fresh is best, but dried is better than nothing. Here's a couple of salt-substitute herb mixtures you could try. You don't need to follow the recipes exactly if you don't have all the ingredients: Herbal Salt Substitute (1) 1/4 cup dried parsley 1/4 cup dried savory 1/4 cup dried savory 1/4 cup dried thyme 2 tablespoons dried marjoram Grind all ingredients together. Herbal Salt Substitute (2) 3 tablespoons dried basil 3 tablespoons dried marjoram 3 tablespoons dried parsley 3 tablespoons dried thyme 4 1/2 teaspoons dried chives 2 1/2 teaspoons dried paprika 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary 2 1/2 teaspoons onion powder Grind all ingredients together. Meantime, check out this site:...See MoreNeed help with low salt diet
Comments (13)Elisa, My DH has health problems and we actually have a slightly lower target than your brother's. It seems insurmountable at first, especially when it can't be eased into. If you've got a low-salt diet order, and judging by the ICD implantation, kidney issues, etc., I can guess what you're dealing with, you need to get it in place ASAP. Or your brother will be right back where he started from. The need for rapid change is one of the biggest challenges because it takes awhile for a lowered-salt diet to taste good again. It will get better as you will adjust, but most people eat four or five times that amount, daily. So even thogh 1500 mg/d doesn't sound much less than official ideal for non-impaired people, it's a huge functional and taste change for most people. I know, because we've BTDT. OK, here's some quick tips: almost all prepared food will put you in trouble, unless you only eat once per day. And if he's got diabetes that won't work. By prepared food I mean almost all restaurant food, especially fast food. Almost all canned and frozen prepared stuff, including most stuff marketed as "healthy" prepared food. (There are exceptions, you'll have to read label after label to find the keepers.) Often the lowered sodium product isn't either truly low (300 mg, or less, per portion) or they make it up by loading it with carbs. Here are a couple of good things that are mainstays in our house for fast eats: some of the Imagine Organic aseptic packaged LOWER IN SODIUM soups (corn or sweet potato=140 mg/cup). Other lower in sodium aseptic packaged soups may or may not work for you. (We like some tomato, some roasted pepper, etc. you have to read the labels.) Muir Glen makes a good line of no salt added canned tomato products which are great, esp. the fire roasted ones. Most commercial low or no salt bread sucks, to put it plainly. This is where making your own really is better. But salt has a functional role in bread-making, in addition to its taste role, so you will need to expect to have some trouble adapting "regular" recipes simply by leaving out the salt. Try some of the specifically low-sodium bread recipes for starters. Also if you buy unsliced bread, you can slice it thinner than normal and work the total sodium down that way, at least a bit. No-salt cheese is mostly bad; swiss is naturally low (60-80mg/oz) so it's a my go-to cheese. I do use (sparingly) higher sodium cheeses (e.g. Piave cheddar which can be as high as 500+ mg/oz when all I want is to grate some up as a topping. Then the portion is so small it's OK, and the sharp, rich taste really makes a difference.) You can make good grilled cheese sandwiches with Swiss cheese, too. Use a sharper mustard, for extra taste. For cottage cheese get some no-salt added tubs and cut it 50% with the higher salted product. That produces an acceptable level. Watch frozen veg. products, even some of the un-sauced ones often have baking soda (aka SODIUM bicarbonate) added to preserve the green color, which turns a nearly sodium-free item into something you have to "count". If you need to eat out, go to a restaurant and ask for plain grilled chicken, never seasoned and grilled on a scraped grill. Ask if the veg. were precooked, if so ask that they be rinsed in a hot water and then briefly re-nuked. Most pasta is out because it often has been parboiled in salted water. (You don't need to add salt to pasta if you cook it at home. Never mind what the cook books say.) For nation-wide family restuarant chains when ttraveling, we've had good luck with Ruby Tuesdays. They are usually quite accommodating, and the big salad bar is good, too. There are many, if not most, recipes that you will read in cooking mags and books that will have a sodium content that's way out of your range. But you can always bring that salt way down by not adding it, or adding a lot less. You will have some big recipe failures this way but you will learn what works for you. Your brother's Dr. probably told him this: DO NO USE LITE-SALT or SALT SUBSTITUTES. These usually contain potassium "salts" instead of sodium and they will mess things up on the other end (as well as possibly interfere with some of his meds - ACE/ARBS, diuretics, etc.) These products are meant for people who are just "cutting down" salt, not for people at risk of CHF. It's no picnic dealing with a low-salt, most likely very low-fat, diabetic diet (And maybe also low Vitamin K, as well?). It takes a huge , constant vigilance to put it in place successfully. Your brother will need a lot of help, especially if these are sudden changes, in order for it to not become overwhelming. As JohnLiu says most things that are "too salty" can be made at home. But it's a completely different culinary regimen, because even many certifiably homemade dishes contain ingredients that are very salty to begin with. And it takes a lot more time and effort. Can you give me some idea what you're trying to accomplish, right now? What sorts of meals are you trying to prepare? I may be able to make some specific suggestions. In the meantime, you can't go wrong with broiled chicken or fish, steamed veg, small baked sweet potato and salad for dinner. For lunch a truly lower-salt soup (or big salad), and an egg or tuna or chicken salad sandwich, and fruit for dessert. And maybe regular oatmeal and fruit for breakfast. This would leave you some pretty useful lee-way to add some other tasty, higher-salt add-ons: cheese, lightly salted pop-corn, regular (not homemade low salt for the time being) whole-wheat bread, etc. Possibly some diabetic-OK cookies or icecream; prepared chocolate soy-pudding is a nice snacky-thing, but I'm not sure if it fits with diabetic diets. I remember standing in my supermarket when this was a new thing for me and feeling that nothing I could make would be safe for my husband. I actually cried right in the aisle, I was so upset. We ate pretty simple, even primitive, meals for awhile early on - and I've thrown out a lot of tried-but-turned-out-to-be ghastly recipes. But it does get easier when you learn how to cheat out the excess salt and still go for the familiar flavors. While the prospect of learning a whole new taste-profile can be interesting, in the abstract, familiar tastes and dishes are very comforting and even necessary, IMO for healing. You just need to keep tweaking it until you've got it right. It does get better. L...See Moreseizures
Comments (9)we have a 2.5 year old black lab that has them every now and then. he first loses control of his back legs, starts dragging them or falling over, then his whole body goes rigid and trembles. after about a minute, as he starts to come out of it, he starts drooling and peeing. then he slowly gets control back, usually starting with his head and last thing is his hind legs about 2-3 minutes after the first symptoms. MOST of the time they come on if he is startled and awoken from sleep, but he won't have them eveyr time he is startled awake. the vet said that no more frequent than they are, and because all the tests show negative, to live with it. he would rather not put him on drugs "just because", if it can ever be determined what is causing them or if they become more frequent, then he would feel comfortable with drugs. but for now, since it is maybe 1 a month for the most part, not to worry. he has done this since about age 2. he has had 3 in one day once, but that was the only time. usually it is just once a month or even once every couple months. after seeing the post about having them when not eating, i am beginning to wonder if that may be part of his problem. he is a real finicky eater, soemtimes his food will sit for 2 days untouched. other times he will devour it as we pour it and then want more. doc says he is just like that, nothing shows up as to why he would not eat. his teeth are good, no GI problems, and we have switched his food several times. we lean more towards the fact tha tour daughter likes for him to eat what she does, so he thinks he should have people food. he has got to teh point that if you are eating a burger and fries and give him a fry, he won't eat it until he is sure your burger is gone and there is no chance he will get a bite!...See MoreHelp with Hypertriglyceridemia Diet please
Comments (11)If you can see a dietician, that would be a good start. Although they are not all created equal so it doesn't hurt to do a little research on your own. Monica gave good guidelines. I'm a 'diet' for gestational diabetes but it's really just the way one should eat. I get so many proteins, carbs and fats to eat but primarily I watch the carbs. You want to eat good carbs - whole grains, high fiber, low-starch vegetables and whole fruits in moderation. Eat lean meats and fish for protein. Eat good fats - olive oil, canola, etc. Use low-fat dairy products in moderation. You can eat well once you figure out what you can eat. I've been dropping back to simple meats and sides which makes it much easier. If blood sugar is a problem, you need to eat regularly with small snacks between meals and maybe even before bed. You want to avoid highs and lows. Without monitoring your blood glucose, it's hard to tell what's working or not in that respect. Everything else should fall into place. My BP was lower after not even a week. I'm eating less sodium just due to eating less junk....See MorePLF (Middle TN, Zone 7a)
7 years agonannygoat18
7 years agoSaltiDawg
7 years agoTammy Allen
7 years agonannygoat18
7 years agoPLF (Middle TN, Zone 7a)
7 years agoSaltiDawg
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoPLF (Middle TN, Zone 7a)
7 years agoSaltiDawg
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoPLF (Middle TN, Zone 7a)
7 years agoannztoo
7 years agomurraysmom Zone 6a OH
7 years agotrancegemini_wa
7 years agoTammy Allen
7 years agotrancegemini_wa
7 years agoTammy Allen
7 years agotrancegemini_wa
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
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