Special Diet

I have never had to be on a diet. I feel fortunate to be at my age and have never had restrictions on what I can eat. I've been underweight most of my life, and a picky eater, so my Jewish mother was always intent on me eating anything. Plus there have been times in my life when I couldn't chew and swallow properly. So as an adult eating has been a highly pleasant experience, when I wasn't afraid of choking, because I can eat whatever I want whenever I want. Breakfast for dinner, fine. Dessert before dinner, hey, why not. A big meal at 9 pm - not great for my digestion, but I do it anyway sometimes.

For the past few months I have been dealing with high potassium levels from an unknown cause. Both high and low potassium can affect your heart and become dangerous, so the doctor has had me on a low potassium diet. It is amazing how many foods are high in potassium. Most of what I used to consume has been banned from my daily routine - beans, tomato products, bananas, avocados, potatoes, yogurt, milk, chocolate, etc. Other foods are not super high in potassium but can become high if you eat them in larger quantities, like mushrooms and peanut butter, two more foods I used to eat frequently. I have had to research and read labels and change how I eat, and I am not at all accustomed to that. It has been a frustrating experience. I want to eat healthy, but it's hard now, because so many healthy foods are high in potassium.

Mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole are two of my favorite foods at Thanksgiving, and it was difficult to say no to them. Could a bite or two of each really hurt me? My potassium level was out of range again at the time, so the answer is a bite or two could have become a problem, so I did not eat any. But I got through it by being grateful about what I could eat. I was able to eat green bean casserole, dressing, turkey, and cranberry sauce, and they were all delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, plus two days of leftovers. I didn't spend time lamenting what I couldn't have.

The good news is that my most recent blood work was very good. My potassium level is down to 4.2 - well within normal range. I have been increasing my fluid intake, thinking that chronic dehydration may be at least part of the equation. I have at least one more test to do. Then we'll see what the doctor decides. I hope I can eventually add some of those foods back into my diet. But most of all I'm hopeful that I don't have an autoimmune disease or something even more serious than that.

Being on a special diet isn't fun, but it is necessary sometimes.  The key is how you approach it emotionally and mentally. Being grateful for what you can eat, and knowing you are doing what you have to do to be safe, makes being on a diet much easier to deal with.

librarianintx