I'm new to this forum (and really glad I found it). But I hope someone can offer advice. I've read Atkins and PP and am confused about sodium. I'm on two types of meds for HPB, (main reason for starting a LC diet...to lose some weight and to bring down the BP) but both books mention a lot of foods that are high in sodium like bacon, ham, most cheeses, etc. My doctor has told me to limit sodium intake so I don't use regular salt. I'm happy so far with 10 pounds lost over three weeks, but I've avoided bacon, ham, and "luncheon" meats such as sliced turkey, salami, etc. because of the sodium. I have eaten a lot of cheese, but I keep worrying that I'm asking for BP troubles by taking in so much sodium.

Is there something I'm missing about a LC diet that makes the sodium intake less threatening? I'd love to be able to eat all the wonderful recipes and snack suggestions you good people have posted here.

Any insight or advice would be appreciated.

Rick

the cause of most hypertension, according to lots of these doctors, is excess insulin. PP and Atkins are insulin-control diets. normal levels of insulin should normalize BP in most people. Longer explanations of the mechanism are in both books--just check the indeces and you'll find it.

I believe only a minority of people (like 10-15%) suffer salt-aggravated high BP. You may be one of them, in which case, stay off the high-salt foods and continue to use potassium salts. I eat salt like you wouldn't believe and the highest my BP is any more is 120/76...was 140/90 when I started this WOE. Your mileage may, of course, vary.

Check the archives of the general health forum for information about BP meds and the effect of LCing--I'm not knowledgable about when to decrease dosages and so on, but others here likely are and can arm you with info to take to your doc.

best of luck to you!

Welcome to the forum Rick!

I'm really glad to see you read both books. The only thing I have to add is that most of us find the first week of the plan highly diuretic, which will automatically lower your bp.

Oh, and maybe one more tidbit, I've had a problem with angina for 15 years which has completely disappeared.

I think you'll be pleased with your results if you follow either of those plans closely.

Hope to see you around!

Allison

Hi Rick,

To avoid too much sodium, just avoid processed stuff, including ham, sausage and the like. Eat natuaral, fresh fish, poultry and meats with green veggies, and you should be o.k.

To keep track of sodium, use our online nutrition counter (from tools in the menu above), but you can't go wrong with natural food.

Wa'il

hi Rick, welcome aboard!

Just a note ... you mentioned you don't use regular salt, so I'm assuming you use a potassium-containing salt substitute, such as NoSalt or NuSalt?? Potassium will be helpful with balancing sodium in the body as well .. BUT, some blood pressure and heart medications can cause the kidneys to retain potassium, and this might lead to a buildup in the system. On the other hand, some blood pressure medications have a diuretic effect .. and potassium is LOST. It might be a good idea to double-check with your pharmacist if it's safe to use potassium salt with your particular medications.

In general, ACE-inhibitors such as captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec) and Monopril can cause potassium retention.

As for excessive sodium in the diet, I agree 100% with Wa'il ... eat fresh unprocessed foods as much as possible. You can't go wrong.

Doreen

Thanks for the replies. I found them all very helpful.

Yes, I'm using the Morton Salt Substitute and I take two meds for BP: Enalapril being one and Metoprolol being the other. So I will check with the Dr. about using a salt substitute while taking Enalapril. I have been eating mainly fresh meats like fresh chicken, beef and pork, but was hoping I could endulge with ham, bacon and salami, etc. but wasn't really sure how the sodium fit into the picture on this new way of eating. And as I mentioned, I was worried about the sodium in cheese since I've eaten a lot more cheese than normal.

My BP has come down a bit since starting the diet; hopefully it will continue to drop so I won't worry about the sodium issue. (And would love to get off the meds at some point.)

Again, thanks to all, and I'm so glad to have found this forum!

Rick

Welcome Rick, I too came upon this way of eating in order to control hypertension.

I am a firm believer in measuring things to know if the process is working right, scales to see if the weight is falling off, a glucose meter to see if the blood sugar is under control and a blood pressure cuff to see if B P is under control.

An investment of around $100 in your health with these devices compared with the cost of one doctor visit.....With these devices you can see for yourself if your diet is working and pro-actively discuss with your doctor the need for changes in BP medications.

One other aspect of self measurement with hypertension is that there is such a thing as "white coat" hypertension associated with the visit to the doctors surgery, by taking the measurements at home you avoid this possible distortion.

Thanks for the info Old Salty. I do have a cuff and check the BP at home once or twice a day. But will look into the glucose meter. That brings up another question I've had that maybe you can answer. In the absence of a glucose meter, the books mention the strips for testing your urine. But I'm not sure if these are the same stips as a diabetic uses. I've asked at one pharmacy and they said the only such strips they have are for diabetics to test the glucose. Is this the same thing as the Lipolysis Testing Strips?

Thanks, Rick

Rick, the strips LCers use to test urine samples are Ketone Strips or Ketostix. They test for the presence of ketone bodies that have spilled over from the blood into the urine as a result of fat burning. They are usually available from your local pharamcy behind the counter and are refered to as ketone test strips or Ketostix.

HTH
Nat

Thanks Nat!

Rick

Certainly everything I say must be interepretted with the assumption that you are working with your doctor's knowledge and consent. But this is the way I would probably approach it.

Keep LC'ing for at least a month the way you are with restricting your sodium. Then get a new baseline BP after perhaps having your meds adjusted. Then keep LC'ing but add in sodium a few hundred mg a week and keep monitoring your blood pressue to see if and when you see a rise.

Alternatively, you could do the same thing now. Go ahead and start bringing in the sodium-rich foods gradually and just keep monitoring your BP for changes.

I have found that my sodium intake came way down on average compared to pre-LC eating but, as you pointed out, some things really could shoot it up quick. But bacon wasn't really one of them - I can have four strips of bacon for breakfast and, if I avoid the pepperoni and beef franks and the like, I can still easily keep my daily sodium under 2000mg. But if I don't avoid those I can easily hit 5000mg.

But I have also found that the sodium doesn't appear to affect my BP too much which has come down from 135/85 to 110/75. I definitely see a water retention effect with sodium and I may be seeing some BP effect, but it is minor and very tolerable.

Best of luck - let us know how things progress. Especially if you are able to cut back or get off your meds - that is always a major triumph.

Thanks wbahn. Very good info. Dropped another pound this week and BP seems stable altho still too high, but I'll report after a few more weeks.

Rick