Help! I'm addicted to peanut butter!

F

fitmom24

Cathlete
Hi. I was put on a low sodium diet (no more than 1000 mg a day) about 8 months ago due to an ear disease. I always thought I ate low sodium because I don't really care for salt too much but was shocked when I started paying attention to the sodium content on food labels. My diet has become rather boring. One item that I found that I can have is a brand of natural peanut butter that has very little salt added and is inexpensive. My problem is, I can't STOP EATING IT! I'm gaining weight and I have to figure it's the pb because everthing else is veggies, saline-free turkey breast and Kashi high fiber/protein cereal. I do let myself eat a free meal like Vietnamese Salad Rolls along with a large bowl of light ice-cream on Saturday but I have eaten like that for 18 months. I actually dropped 5 lbs. when I cut back on the sodium. I need a protein replacement but am out of ideas since I am so limited. I would love to eat cottage cheese but can't find any low-sodium brands. ANY and ALL suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Michelle
 
You can get plenty of protein by eating beans and grains - beans are low-fat, low-sodium, and high in complex carbs, too. Try grains like brown rice (skip the white stuff - it doesn't have much nutritional value), millet, and barley. I really like millet- it has a nutty, wholesome flavor.

And don't forget soy products - tofu, the various soy burgers on theh market, etc.

Seitan is also a good protein source, but I don't know much about it. You might do a search on these forums - I think Carole has posted some info here and there about it.

You may have lost weight when you cut back on sodium because sodium increases water retention, so now that you're not eating it, you retain less water.

Good luck.
 
I wish I had some suggestions for you but I'm addicted toox( Peanut Butter calls my name and I have SUCH a hard time resisting especially in the late evening. I know for a fact that if I can cut it out for a few weeks I'm guaranteed to drop a few pounds. Others will be more help with how to replace it, and I'm very interested in the responses, but I just wanted to say that you are not alone in your addiction and level of frustration with how difficult it is to resist.

Take Care
Laurie:)
 
I eat it in the evenings too. Kinda like a treat in place of something sweet, so eating beans might not do the trick for me. I have so much self control when it comes to eating healthy the rest of the time and exercising daily but I can't get a grip on this one!
 
Beans in a can are not low sodium!!!! They are very salty.

If you eat a bigger breakfast, you can try and cut down on the evening food fest.

Other than that, try Sparkpeople to track your sodium intake.

Have you tried some Trader Joe's other nut butters? I enjoy those, but I don't think the sodium in them is quite as high or something- I can't OD on those like I can peanut butter... :9 :9 :9
 
>Beans in a can are not low sodium!!!! They are very salty.


Which is why I always drain and rinse and drain again before using.
 
I actually cook my own beans and portion them out for the week to throw into a sald or eat with some salsa and tomatoes. I found no sodium canned tomatoes at Wal-Mart and Target. I don't have a Trader Joe's. Would Whole Foods Market be similar? I have one of those about 15 miles from home. They would probably carry the other grains that were mentioned earlier too I suppose. Thanks ladies!
 
I just re-discovered peanut butter. I had a stomach virus last week, and, although I don't ordinarily eat bread, all I wanted was toast and I asked my DH to buy me some PB to put on the toast to add some protein. I hadn't had any PB in years, and it is sooooooooo good!

I'm not surprised that you are attracted to fats these days. Fatty foods like PB are so good, they don't need salt. And your diet is so lacking in flavor, you are trying to get it wherever you can. How long do you have to stay on such a restrictive diet? Will you be permitted to add some salt back later?
-Nancy
 
I'm in it for life unless I want to invite additional vertigo attacks on myself. I suffer with a disease called Meniere's Disease. They aren't really sure what causes it and there is no cure or real treatment. Dr.s seem to think that trying to control fluid balance can reduce symptoms. I'm not really sure if the salt intake really makes a difference in the number of vertigo attacks I have. I am to test it out. Not only is it a completely miserable experience but I have 4 kids. One is still at home and the others are at 3 different schools that I have to drop and pick them up at. When I have an attack I am down and out. Literally. The disease has killed off most of my balance system in my left ear already. I don't take the meds that were prescribed because they make me feel worse (diuretics) and knock me out (sedatives). So, the only advice I am following is the low sodium thing. I continue to live my life as close to normal as possible which means continuing my fitness regime even though I am not able to participate at the level I once could. Thanks for asking!
 
My husband has recently been diagnosed with this disease. It is awful. Some days he can't even get up. I have noticed that if we eat out, the next day he will have a very bad vertigo attack. I always wondered if it had to do with the sodium levels in some of these meals. I keep thinking there has to be some answer for solving this problem aside from the medication that works only sometimes.

I'm sorry I have no answer to your peanut butter problem. I just wanted to share with you because you are the only other person I have heard that has this disease. I am really going to make sure he is aware of his salt intake.

Thanks for listening and good luck to you.

Lisa
 
Michelle, (and Lisa)....my husband too has had some really horrible vertigo attacks this past year, and it is indeed very nasty. The first one occured shortly after our move to AZ....scared the daylights out of me. The salt intake issue is an interesting one....since his doc couldn't find a reason for his attacks. As far as the peanut butter goes, it is a healthy fat, especially since you are doing a natural one...maybe you are overdoing simply because you have had to make so many changes to your diet. Perhaps the cravings will subside when you get sick of it....until then, I would just try to cut down on the amount you are eating. I love it too....
 
Lisa and dpiglet,

It is a horrible disease. It attacks without warning. I have had attacks while driving with my kiddos in the car. Talk about scared. That led to small panic attacks on top of the vertigo. My suggestion is to read as much as you can. A good place to start is www.menieres.org . There are lots of other things that can cause similar symptoms. I took me 3 ENT doctors, 2 neurologists and a neurotologist to finally come to terms with the fact that I have this, it's not going away and there is no treatment. The sodium thing is supposed to help most people but some do not respond to it. Good luck and keep me posted if you don't mind.

Michelle
 
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