Have been gone because of health reasons

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jbest123

Fire Starter
Original poster
Jan 18, 2011
34
14
Glad to be back but I need some help. I have to watch my cholesterol and sodium. What can you suggest for a low fat/sodium diet using the smoker/grill. :grilling_smilie:
 
Welcome back. Glad you health is better.

Go with leaner meats and low to no salt rubs.
 
Eman has a good no salt rub. I use it all the time.
 
Try making hams from pork loins. Very lean and if you use Pops brine, you can go quite low sodium. 

Disco
 
Smoked Chicken!! Anything on the grill or smoker is healthy unless you decide to cure or brine. Lucky for you curing and brining are not requirements, only options. You can help make them healthier by doing them yourself.  BUT>>>>>>>With left over smoked chicken we get "Smoked Chicken Gumbo" its almost healthy. Or smoked oxtail barley stew?

If you want to impress your dietitian, take skinless thighs or breasts, slater 'em in mayo for your protective coating and grill or smoke 'em. Juicy, smoky flavor with nothing but good stuff. The smoke is so good. you will still miss the lack of salt and pepper, but you'll be able to handle it with the smoke flavor. Then learn to use different smokes to keep your taste buds on their feet and before long your spice consumption will reduce sizably! I don't care what they say, spice means you need to use salt too. most mixed spice blends have too much so making your own is another option around here also!

There is so much you can do to help get and stay heart healthy with a pit/smoker.

There is so many exciting and taste things here to try. Also there are a lot of folks here trying to curb diets and eat more healthy also.

Nice meeting you and really hope you find some things you will like.
 
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This subject kinda bothers me from the stand point of stuff that is RARELY mentioned....ugh

Instead of talking about what to cut out let's also talk about what to INCREASE...namely Potassium which will help offset sodium.  Let's also talk about ways to increase good cholesterol HDL and lower bad cholesterol LDL instead of putting cholesterol all in one bucket.

The biggest thing anyone can do to naturally fight bad cholesterol is eat proper amounts of soluble and non soluble fiber...Why is that important?  Eating fiber and pushing things through increases bile production...For your body to produce bile it needs to pull cholesterol out of your blood stream.

A good balanced diet is the way to go.   Eat more greens, nuts, oatmeal etc....   Eat more alkalizing foods and enjoy your Q!
 
Fish!! Specifically rockfish, lingcod, etc. Loaded with good stuff and can be seasoned with all kinds of great herbs and doesn't require salt!
 
Thanks for the info. I have four 10# bags of lump charcoal just setting there and a good smoker. What if I smoke bone in and skin on chicken breasts but not eat the skin or fat?
 
Hi there JBest123! And here's to your new and healthy fantastic eating - BRAVO to you!

The exotic red game meats (kangaroo, elk, ostrich, yak, zebra, venison, and so it goes) are worlds lower in cholesterol and in my opinion have loads more flavor and are fantastic whether grilled, smoked, pan seared, or however you wish - especially if served very RARE in the middle, as there's so little fat and these cook quickly!

Granted some of those need to be special ordered from game meat sites online, but you'd be surprised how much you CAN find in various stores today too.

Also, the darker salts - black sea salt, red Hawaiian sea salt, and even gray sea salt etc. - have more minerals in them (calcium, magnesium and potassium) versus the straight sodium that's in white table salt and thus don't bother blood pressure as much as white salt, nor cause bloating, and so forth.

Of course too, fish is fantastic (hence many of my posts on such) and wine is heart healthy too! (And we just started a wine group in the group section of this site, and so come join the fun - the more the merrier)!

OK, I hope that helps in some way. As a woman who's very passionate about exotic, healthful, minimalistically prepared food (devoid of junk and heavy gunk) I simply wanted to chime in and wish you well!

Cheers! And to delicious and still healthful great things!!!! - Leah
 
Thanks for the info. I have four 10# bags of lump charcoal just setting there and a good smoker. What if I smoke bone in and skin on chicken breasts but not eat the skin or fat?
There is no doubt that not eating the skin or fat is a good thing. Unfortunately, it will still be more fat than if you cooked it without the skin or fat as that juicy texture of the chicken when you cook it with the fat, is fat in the meat.

However, white meat is drier than dark meat. You can make great skinless chicken thighs and drumsticks that will be delicious. You can even get decent chicken breasts if you cook them carefully. If you take the skin off but leave the bones in, you will also get moister more flavourful chicken.

I lost 40 pounds, lowered my blood pressure and lowered my cholesterol mainly by cutting back on the size of the portions of my meat. I now eat 4 ounces of steak instead of 10. I have ham (I go with leaner loin hams) but I have 3 to 4 ounces. I make up for it by eating great side dishes. I also eat a piece of fruit every morning and after every meal. It helps make you feel full and cut snacking.

Snacking was my downfall previously. Chips, chocolate bars, cookies, etc are just something that shouldn't be eaten. They are loaded with fat and sugar. If you need a snack, try a piece of fruit or a bowl of all bran cereal with fruit. Both fill you up and aren't loaded with sugar and fat.

I have eaten ribs, pulled pork, chicken with crispy skin, and all the things that you shouldn't. I just don't do it all the time and I limit myself in portion size.

You can't have a regular dessert every day but you can have it on special occasions. You can have an ounce of cheese, some fruit and port for dessert (you have to try it, it is great). 

Leah is right about fish. Four ounces of fish is a lot more volume than four ounces of meat. It can be cooked many ways including smoked.

Another thing that really helped me was planting some of my own vegetables. You really get hooked on fresh vegetables when you are pulling them from your own garden. The exercise doesn't hurt either! Start small and increase your garden if you feel like it. You would be amazed how much food you can grow in a four by four bed. Check out a book called The Square Foot Gardner.

If you cut your meat portions it is more important than the kind of meat IMHO (try and go to lower fat choices won't hurt though).

Life does not end with eating and living better. It starts! If you cut your meat, increase you vegetables and fruit and get some exercise, I hope you will live long and prosper!

Disco
 
I too have reduced my portion size and am on medications for cholesterol. So I will leave the skin on once in a while.:drool:
 
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