Bev from Santa Cruz, CA

Bev Davis said:

Hi all,
I found this forum last year and then promptly forgot it. I'm so glad I found it again.
I started out trying to be totally vegan in April 2016. I was overweight when I started, but have continued to lose weight even when I don't need to anymore, approx 40 lbs. I want to stop here because I'm almost 68 yrs old. I walk about 2 miles per day with my dog except when there is massive rain. I live up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, CA. Just this Jan/Feb alone we got 90 inches of rain...

My doctor urged me to eat more dense calorie food. I ended up being a selective vegetarian. I recently started eating organic yogurt, a little 1/2 and 1/2 with coffee and wild fish every few weeks because I really can't afford really good probiotics and fish oil. Everything I eat is organic and I eat more food than I ever have, including lots of beans and grains. No matter what I do I can't seem to get off my hypertension med. I don't want to eat fish at all. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Welcome Bev!

Very good questions!

You can obtain DHA and EPA fatty acids from a vegan supplement, such as "Ovega-3" (maybe you already saw the link in another thread?).

Calorie-dense plant foods include nuts, nut butters, seeds, and dried fruits. Nuts and seeds contain 650 to 1000 calories per cup (depending on which type). Nut butter contains about 100 calories per tablespoon. Raisins contain about 500 calories per cup. You can look up additional foods on a calorie data website, such as http://www.calorieking.com.

As you've noted, yogurt can be a good source of probiotics. If you are interested in non-dairy probiotics, you might try kimchi (from the Korean food market), miso, tempeh, or sauerkraut - all of these are affordable. Here is an article about prebiotics and probiotics, published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the world's largest association of Registered Dietitians): http://www.eatright.org/resource/fo...ods/prebiotics-and-probiotics-the-dynamic-duo

Regarding your hypertension: You might find it useful to make 1 or 2 appointments with a Registered Dietitian who specializes in cardiovascular disease and in vegetarian nutrition. They can work with you and your physician to tailor your food choices towards improving your blood pressure.

In the Santa Cruz area, there are a couple of Registered Dietitians who specialize in vegetarian nutrition (see below ). You an also find a local RD through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' website: http://www.eatright.org . Just click on the "Find an Expert" button, located in the upper-right-hand portion of the webpage.

Registered Dietitians in the Santa Cruz area:

Jocelyn Dubin, MS, RD
130 Walnut Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Phone: 831/429-9355
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.nourishsantacruz.com/nutrition/

Lea Crosetti, RD
1737 Granite Creek Rd
Santa Cruz, CA 95065
Phone: 831/818-0194
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://nutritionbylea.com/medical-nutrition-therapy/

What natural remedies have you tried?
http://www.healthline.com/health/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/herbs-to-lower?m=2#Herbs2

One thats not on here, but has lowered my low blood pressure when I was drinking it daily, is hibiscus tea.
I eat most of whats on that list for anti-inflammatory effects

Oh, and watermelon