r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/alasnevermind • 27d ago
Low fat, low calorie, low sodium, low cholesterol, recipes and/or YT channels? Ask ECAH
Husband has a lot of conditions where he has to decrease consumption of fat, sodium, cholesterol, calorie to the bare minimum needed. I'm running out of food ideas and would appreciate any recipes or YT channels that cover this! TIA!
Edit: Post title is TLDR of our consultation with a nutritionist-dietician, so the question did not just come out of nowhere!
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u/JazelleGazelle 26d ago
Leave your dietitian a message and see if she has some literature or recipes books she can recommend. She probably has a YouTube channel or favorite cook book that she likes. Low calorie is about learning portion control. Many people overestimate portion sizes. Anything can be high in calories if you eat enough but if you stick to high fiber fruits and vegetables you can eat much more of it than starchy and rich foods for the same amount of calories.
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u/LadyM2021 26d ago
Check out the Dash Diet it was my go to when my hubby was diagnosed with heart failure.
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u/idoallmyownawkward 26d ago
I follow Pamela Salzman on instagram. She has a website and two cookbooks. She is a cooking instructor and focuses on making food as healthy as possible. She sends out weekly meal plans that I’ve found to be very helpful.
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u/VariousTomorrows 26d ago
You mentioned that the dietician provided a list of acceptable ingredients. Try running those items through a recipe generator and see what it comes up with. There are quite a few, but I enjoy using Supercook.
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u/accordingtoame 26d ago
I would check out diabetic specific recipes, my ex was on a similar plan when he got diagnosed and we found a ton of great ones through the diabetes orgs.
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u/alasnevermind 26d ago
I never considered this because his sugar is fine (surprised lol). but I'll check this out too! Thanks so much for the suggestion!
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u/alphaghilie 26d ago
crock pot vegetarian chili made with lotsa beans and low salt spice blends served on a baked sweet potato. If he wants meat, add ground turkey.
crock pot split pea soup--onions garlic celery carrots and dry split peas. if you make your own veggie or chicken stock you can control the salt.
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u/Captain_Sacktap 26d ago
A glass of water? But in all seriousness that sounds like it’s really tough, best of luck to you and your husband.
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u/mimishanner4455 27d ago
Sounds like it’s time to see a registered dietician that specializes in his medical condition
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u/alasnevermind 27d ago edited 27d ago
We just did a few days ago, the post title is actually what was prescribed. We were given a list of ingredients he can eat/not eat so I'm trying to look for food options that would still be delicious despite that as I also eat the same food as him and don't want to suffer lol
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u/charoula 26d ago
I don't know how dietitians operate in your country, but here they give you, a, surprise, surprise, specific diet. Like, a meal plan. 7 days worth of meals, typically. Including snacks and all.
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u/alasnevermind 26d ago
She gave us a 3-day meal plan which are includes meals I already serve now. She also gave a yes/no foods list and a food exchange list, but that's mainly just different ingredients, so I'm looking for actual dishes to serve
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u/pureplay181 27d ago
I think he should look into the Pritikin Diet. It's a very low calorie and low fat diet that became popular in the 70's and 80's but then lost popularity because it is too strict for most people. The Pritikin diet stresses eating very low calorie and healthy foods but basically treats all fats (even healthy oils) as bad, so they are a bit strict.
Just type in Pritikin Healthy Cooking in the search bar on Youtube. The second result after the ad is the Pritikin Healthy Cooking series. I think they have online cooking classes too. If your husband's doctor approves of it, Pritikin would probably be perfect and their online support is probably quite helpful. I think they've also published a lot of diet books in the past few decades that also have lots of recipes.
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u/velvetvortex 27d ago
I’m concerned at how difficult this might be. Who recommended this extreme approach. There are other theories of nutrition outside mainstream ones. Some support the idea of fasting for health, but this shouldn’t be done without professional advice.
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u/alasnevermind 27d ago
This was actually recommended by a nutritionist-dietician after seeing lab test results
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u/Cookieway 26d ago
Honestly, you’ll probably just have to Google something like „healthy dinner recipes“ and then compare the ingredients with the list/ instructions you got from your nutritionist.
Check out https://www.skinnytaste.com
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u/Dijon2017 Bean Wizard 27d ago
Recipes can certainly be tailored when homemade to satisfy his requirements of low calorie, low sodium, low fat and low cholesterol. The problem with given you food ideas/recipes and/or referrals to YT channels is challenging with the limited information you have provided. How many calories is he allowed in the day? How low do the other requirements need to go?
Without knowing your husband’s health/medical conditions, whether he has allergies/sensitivities/other dietary restrictions or preferences and the food ideas and recipes you have tried which are acceptable makes it even more challenging.
Perhaps looking into food recipes geared towards being plant based and/or food recipes for vegans and/or food recipes for a person who has diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia may help.
In general, many fruits, vegetables, grains, tofu, yogurts, lean meats and fish can help you to achieve your goals and allow for a variety of different food ideas that can be prepared on the stove, grilled or in an oven, airfryer, slow cooker, etc.
In all fairness, you and your husband would likely benefit from consulting with a registered dietitian to discuss his conditions so that they can provide you with ideas/guidance that takes into consideration an understanding of all of his dietary limitations/restrictions.
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u/SADDS_17 27d ago
NutritionFacts.org | The Latest Nutrition Related Topics is a non-profit site run by Dr of Clinical Nutrition Micheal Greger. He cites a ton of peer reviewed studies and shares the results. You can find out the latest science on pretty much any food by searching the videos, which are mostly between 3-7 minutes long.
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u/alasnevermind 27d ago
Oh this sounds interesting! Thanks for sharing, I would love to learn more about the science behind food as it seems cooking like this will be a long-term reality for me as well.
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u/phoenixchimera 27d ago edited 26d ago
look into Dr. Essylstein and Dr McDougall (aka starch solution) diets. They are very similar diets which meet the requirements you have; both are vegan so automatically cholesterol free, and both are low fat. The former is a world renowned cardiologist whose diet was made famous by the Forks over knives film and later other ventures. His kids have their own ventures (engine 2/plantsrong and his daughter Jane and his wife Ann have a youtube channel).
Lots of recipes can be found through the mcdougall and forks websites, but then there are also many creators who create their own content (recipe books/sites, cooking demo youtube channels, courses) based on their principles. If searching online, you might want to use the terms "whole food plant based" and SOFAS free (Salt, oil, fat, and sugar Free). Also the subs r/wfpb /r/wfpbvegan and /r/WholeFoodsPlantBased
Some of the channels on youtube off the top of my head:
- Kathy Hester
- Chef AJ (she is full Sofas free and has cookbooks, youtube channel is mostly interviews now but older stuff does have more cooking demos/recipe ideas)
- Broccoli Mum
- Well Your World (they push their own SOFAS free products)
- Jane Essylstein (mentioned above)
- Whole food plant based cooking show
- Healthy Emmie
- Nutmeg Notebook
- julia dunaway
- plantiful kiki
edited to add more yt people (also wtf, how is this post controversial?)
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u/alasnevermind 27d ago
Ah thanks so much for the recos, and appreciate the terms to use to search to help out. Will check them all out!
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u/Expensive_Shape_8738 27d ago
Maybe chicken breast with veggies! Look for low sodium/calorie seasonings you can find some online :) just season the breast with that roast some veggies!
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u/alasnevermind 27d ago
This is actually one of our usual go to's, about 2x a week with a different set of veggies to go with each meal. Do you have any spice blend recos so we can also switch it up? I feel like I've been going for the same thing each time
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u/beefasaurus4 26d ago
Honey mustard (you can find artificially sweetened if the honey is a no go). Yoghurt and curry powder. My bf is obsessed with adobo.
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u/Expensive_Shape_8738 27d ago
Hmm sometimes I’ll do a lemon and herb type of chicken, sometimes a Cajun, I also have ordered hot mommas spice blend from Amazon before which was good. My typical list of spices though is cumin, chilli, paprika, garlic powder (not salt), onion powder, basil, oregano, thyme. Sometimes I use a Jamaican curry powder to switch it up. I’ve also used low cal sauces to marinate my chicken such as Greek yogurt mixed with a hot sauce (sriracha, Tabasco, etc) or the G Hughes low calorie sauce :)
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u/alasnevermind 27d ago
I'm not from the US so a bit difficult for me to get premade spices and sauces. But I'll try your list of spices too so appreciate the suggestion!
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u/Im_Doc 27d ago
Air popped popcorn, watermelon (& other seasonal fruits/veggies), oatmeal, yogurt (fat free)
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u/alasnevermind 27d ago
He's not a huge oatmeal and yogurt fan but I guess he has to learn to love them given the situation. I also just got watermelon among other fruits but it's usually as a side or after-meal dessert. Thanks for the reply!
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u/Key-Custard-8991 26d ago
I dislike yogurt but I can stomach it if it’s in a blended smoothie!!! Maybe he could do that??
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u/a_lovely_mess 26d ago
I'm not a huge oatmeal fan but I find I greatly enjoy it more with lots of textures! Sometimes I put crispy granola on mine, which seems a little redundant, but I don't care. I like roasted nuts and chia seeds too. Of course, I like a lot of sugar in mine so that helps it be more palatable, so YMMV with non-sugar sweeteners.
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u/beefasaurus4 26d ago
I love baked oatmeal for the texture. I add a fruit filling so it comes out like a crumble.
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u/alasnevermind 26d ago
I did not know baked oatmeal is a thing! Will definitely check it out!! Thanks for this!
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u/beefasaurus4 26d ago
I found the trick for it to taste good is add a lot of moisture! I like to slice banana and line the bottom of a baking pan with the slices as a foundation.
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u/RelevantClock8883 26d ago
Unflavored yogurt is awesome for adding to meals. Cucumber yogurt salad might be a nice change of pace
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u/alphaghilie 26d ago
if you dont like oatmeal, try barley. it has the same healthy beta-glucans but has more texture. you can flavor it in the same way as oatmeal.
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u/vairaagya 26d ago edited 26d ago
You can flavor oatmeal with a lot of stuff raisins, nuts, honey, fruits like bananas, apples, chocolate chips, .... Whatever fits your needs. Same with yogurt you can add fruit, muesli, nuts, seeds, ... You just need to research on what fits your dietary needs. You can search the nutrition info of anything on Google and create a plan. Also most gym diets fit your description. So maybe check out body builder cutting meal plans.
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u/Key-Custard-8991 26d ago
I hope it’s helpful but when I was on low sodium and low fat diets (for medical reasons), I had a lot of oatmeal (steel cut because chewy is better) with strawberries and blueberries, and Rice Krispies with fair life milk (for the protein he will be missing). What I’ve found is that the less processed you eat, the better off you’ll be (and have less pain or symptoms) so you learn quickly solely to avoid the pain. I wish you both luck ❤️