With diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and taking the prescribed drug warfarin post valve replacement, you can use HELP. Start with the Healthy Body Calculator® by adding your data, then click Next to get your results. This calculator will determine if you can lose as much weight as fast as you want. Read info below Your Nutrition Facts to see if the Healthy Body Calculator® changed your weight loss goal from what you chose because you should eat more than 1200 calories a day to meet all your vitamin and mineral requirements. On the results page, click the button “Do you need HELP with a healthy eating plan?”
That will take you to HELP where you can choose what type milk, meat, beans or not, meat eater or not and snacks (for type 1 diabetes add snacks at times suggested by your dietitian). You should leave the percent fat, protein and carbohydrate at the default levels unless you have different recommendations from your doctor or dietitian. Click next and HELP will create a custom eating plan for you to achieve your weight loss goal.
You can click on any food group to see a list of HELP Essential Foods TM from which you can choose. You know what foods you can or cannot eat for diabetes (consistent amount of carbohydrate at every meal), high blood pressure (no salty foods or salting food when cooking or salt used at the table. etc.), high cholesterol (lean meat, fat-free milk, polyunsaturated fats, limit egg yolks, etc.) and foods high in vitamin K to avoid for warfarin.
HELP is a plan for eating healthy for just about everybody whether you want to lose, gain or maintain. HELP is similar to how a dietitian would plan your individual eating plan and then it is up to you to choose foods from the HELP food lists that are appropriate for your diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and warfarin blood thinning medication. With your medical history, you should be seeing a dietitian who can read your medical chart then provide you with lists of foods you can eat. You can read my diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and vitamin K topics for more information.
Hope this provides more information.
