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Chief Longwind Of The North

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WEll, after 20+ years of being diabetic, my potassium levels went too high and I ended up in the hospital for a few days, to get it back down. Now I have to go on a kidney freindly diet of low sodium, low potassium foods. Do you know how may great foods are high in potassium? At the top are white beans, black beans, tomato sauce, spinach, whole grains, cantelope, all of the tropical fruits, kiwi, nuts and most seeds, rutabagas, Sweet potatoes, potatoes, and the list goes on. Fortunately, fruits native to the U.S., except apricots, and berries are good for me to eat.

Anybody with great food ideas, I'm all ears. Of course I can make pasta dishes with herbs and spices, meat, not salamiies and such though, eggs, and allowed veggies. I ca make deserts with gelatin, fruits, white flour, nnon-dairy whipped toppings, and such. I've been blessed with the cooking know-how to eat well, even on a restricted diet.k But now baked beans, pea soup, or spaghetti with tomato sauce, it's almost unthinkable. And what about those lovely home made bbq sauces I've always made... What about my Raginng Bull Salsa? I have to fid a way to make it without tomato:ohmy:!

Kidneys, when treated properly, can heal mto a certain degree. It breaks my heart though, to see all of these adds selling products, or books that promise to cure kidney desease. I assume they are snake oil, designed only to fattern the bank accounts of Those selling the products.

In any case, this is me, relearning how to eat healthy.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Good luck with the new diet Chief. I'm sure you are up for the challenge. And god bedring (good bettering in Danish).
 
Eons ago during the health boom days, an elderly guy at the beach with us said that eating too many bananas wasn't necessarily a good thing, noting that bananas are high in potassium. I kinda sluffed him off, thinking, bananas must be good for all! I didn't quite get the potassium connection at that time. That old guy was right, to a degree.
 
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Chief, glad to hear you are on the road to recovery. I have no doubt with your ingenuity and food knowledge you will manage your new diet to a "T".
 
I was placed in a similar situation about a year ago.
Had some blood work done, cholesterol and triglyerides were high ( which I kinda expected) but my sugar was high too, placing me in the diabetes range. Doc told me I had to change my diet immediately, severely cutting carbs from my diet. Being a vegetarian, that kinda crippled me by eliminating many of my options or go to foods. Luckily, with my ability to cook and the internet, I was able to get creative and fill my 'new diet' with many other options. There were a lot of trial and errors, a lot of stuff Id never ever ever ( did i say never ever..? ) ever ever again, but , after 3 months of a very strict diet, I gotall my level back into the ' within normal limits' range. luckily my situation was a diet controlled and semi reversible situation. Now, I limit myself to much fewer high carb meals and keep a closer watchful eye on my intake, but last least I know I have control of the situation to some extent.

Sorry to hear about your newfound medical/ diet situation, but im sure your creativity and the help of others will give you more options.
 
Eons ago during the health boom days, an elderly guy at the beach with us said that eating too many bananas wasn't necessarily a good thing, noting that bananas are high in potassium. I kinda sluffed him off, thinking, bananas must be good for all! I didn't quite get the potassium connection at that time. That old guy was right, to a degree.

That elderly man was right on the mark. Every time my legs start to get cramps in my calf, I just eat one or two bananas and the cramping stops for about another month and a half. This was told to me by my doctor. He had some blood work from my physical, and told me that my potassium was a little on the high side. I told him I had eaten a couple of bananas just before I came to see him. He asked me why two bananas. That is when he said one a day should be enough. Just don't overdo it. Now I save those bananas for when I really need them. Only when my legs cramps in the calves.
 
That elderly man was right on the mark. Every time my legs start to get cramps in my calf, I just eat one or two bananas and the cramping stops for about another month and a half. This was told to me by my doctor. He had some blood work from my physical, and told me that my potassium was a little on the high side. I told him I had eaten a couple of bananas just before I came to see him. He asked me why two bananas. That is when he said one a day should be enough. Just don't overdo it. Now I save those bananas for when I really need them. Only when my legs cramps in the calves.
If you eat them regularly, you won't get the cramps at all.
 
Good Luck for the future Chief. I have faith that you can do it. After all, you have been living with a diabetic diet all these years, so this is just one more little obstacle has been set in your path.
 
I'm sorry to hear about your health issues, Chief. I've had to make adjustments to my diet a few times. I know it's frustrating, but you have the know-how to do it.

I hope your DW is doing well. Take care.
 
That elderly man was right on the mark. Every time my legs start to get cramps in my calf, I just eat one or two bananas and the cramping stops for about another month and a half. This was told to me by my doctor. He had some blood work from my physical, and told me that my potassium was a little on the high side. I told him I had eaten a couple of bananas just before I came to see him. He asked me why two bananas. That is when he said one a day should be enough. Just don't overdo it. Now I save those bananas for when I really need them. Only when my legs cramps in the calves.


Actually Addie, the old guy way back when was implying too much potassium is bad for some. Everyone dismissed his assertion.
Eating lots of bananas are health food, high in potassium ! Not for some. Unhealthly levels of potassium in their system is not a good thing.
 
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If you want to talk leg cramps, I had them bad years ago, and still do (to a degree). I used to be able to acquire quinine at my local pharmacy. Quinine is now prohibited for leg cramps , even tho it was given to WWII jungle troops to prevent malaria. Serious side effects . Leg cramp pills have an altered form of quinine now.
 
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Sorry to hear of your health scare, Chief. Like Andy and GG mentioned, I trust you have the skills and wherewithal to adjust your favorite recipes to something that works for you and still tastes good. Take care of yourself with as much attention as you've been taking care of your DW. You both need YOU.
 
I'm allowed some carbs, and so for my father's day dinner, I enjoyed a blueberry pancake, with home-made blueberry syrup, and '15 freshly cleaned smelt, dredged in equal parts flour and Cream of Wheat, with Old Bay added for seasoning. I'm a big fish lover, and have smelt frozen in gallon bags in the freezer. I skipped the ketchup as tomato is on my "don't eat" list. It was great anyway. Sadly, I have to stay away from canned salmon, canned mackerel, and such. They are high in sodium. I do have to purchase some lemons though, and berries are a wonderful treat that I can eat, along with good cherries. And just so's ya knows, Traverse City Michigan is the cherry capital of the world, and we get great cherries around here. Soon, it will be blueberry time. Michigan produces more blueberries than any other state. We're just not as famous for them. We have an abundance of apples, pears, corn, and a lot of other great produce, not to mention that Great Lakes fisheries, and hundreds of trout streams and inland lakes. Add to that goose, duck, grouse, woodcock, pheasant, cotton tail and snowshoe rabbit, venison, elk, and bear, and you can see that there is no shortage of good things, if you know how to get them. I have wild raspberries in my yard, several blueberry plants, apple trees, cherry trees, and maples. I'll soon have green beans and cukes sprouting in the garden, along with cantaloupe (DW will have to enjoy them as they are not allowed for me).

All in all, I am blessed with abundance of good things, especially an amazing bunch of kids and grand kids. If I didn't do anything else right in this world, I brought in kids who were destined to make the world a little better place in which to live, especially for me. What more can a guy ask for, except more time to be with them.

And if all that weren't enough, I'm still turning heads. In my 20's, on the beaches of Southern Ca., I'd be in my swim suite and ladies would be turning their heads toward me. Now, I take my shirt of at the beach and they're still turning their heads, only, away from me, saying, "Oh, put the shirt back on! I don't want to see that!":ROFLMAO:

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
I think you mentioned every edible on the planet. Bananas have too much potassium for some people is what the old man said decades ago.
 
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Well I've learnt something about bananas, I get cramps every now and then, so I'm starting a banana a week now.
Quinine is in tonic water Schweppes I think?? Might be why I drink gin,lol

Russ
 
I find that one or two bananas a week, keeps me cramp free. So I am happy with that.

I get my lunch delivered five days a week, to my home. A banana is in the package at least once, mostly twice a week. There is always some sort of fruit in the lunch. It is a balanced meal designed by a registered nutritionist. And it is the same lunch that everyone in Winthrop gets. Also it is one less meal that the Pirate has to cook for me.
 
I find that one or two bananas a week, keeps me cramp free. So I am happy with that.

I get my lunch delivered five days a week, to my home. A banana is in the package at least once, mostly twice a week. There is always some sort of fruit in the lunch. It is a balanced meal designed by a registered nutritionist. And it is the same lunch that everyone in Winthrop gets. Also it is one less meal that the Pirate has to cook for me.
So glad to see a comment from you (re bananas & potassium). I've not been around much and couldn't find anything about or from you and I had begun to get quite worried. Hope you're keeping well.

Mad Cook
 
If you want to talk leg cramps, I had them bad years ago, and still do (to a degree). I used to be able to acquire quinine at my local pharmacy. Quinine is now prohibited for leg cramps , even tho it was given to WWII jungle troops to prevent malaria. Serious side effects . Leg cramp pills have an altered form of quinine now.
They did a lot in WWII (medically) that they don't do now due to it doing more harm than good!
 
Talk about confusing -


The NHS and "Diabetes UK" say that eating fruit is good and it may ward off Type 2 diabetes. (NB some fruits are not good)


On the other side of the a senior diabetes "specialist" researcher on the BBC the other day now tells us that eating fruit will actually GIVE us diabetes.( He didn't state whether some types of fruit are the villains - just left it as "fruit".)


It seems we can't win. Do you think we should stop eating altogether?.................


Oh, no, that won't work!
 
For the past couple of years, I have been flirting with diabetes. Pre-diabetic, my VA doctor said. Very much overweight, and a totally crushed knee that prohibits running, jogging, and enough walking to be aerobically effective. I opted for a ketogenic diet, dropped 70 pounds and my numbers are all good these days. It is still less than 20 grams/day of net carbohydrates. I have had to learn some new tricks in the kitchen, but it is amply workable. Good luck, sorry to hear about your...problem, for want of a better word.
 
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