Blood Pressure Making Convenience Work

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Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII
Barbara M. Carlson, MA, RD, CDE, the director of Helwig Diabetes Center, likes to teach people how to make “convenience foods” work for them instead of against them.
• Example number one:One cup of Campbell’s® Healthy Request® Vegetable Soup has about 700 mg of sodium in a serving. The sodium can be “diluted” by adding 1 cup of unsalted vegetables and 1 cup of unsalted broth (or 1/2 cup no-added-salt tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water). Now 1 cup will have about 250 mg of sodium. Adding a sandwich like unsalted grilled chicken with lettuce and tomato, a glass of milk and a piece of fresh fruit would provide an entire meal with about 700 mg of sodium• Example number two:One cup of Rice-A-Roni® has about 1,200 mg of sodium – a half-day’s supply for most people. There is an easy way to lower the sodium and increase the amount of rice you make, which also lowers the cost for each person. Simply add 6 cups of cooked brown or white rice to the 3 cups made from the box mix; heat and add a few cups of frozen mixed vegetables for color and flavor. The amount of sodium in a serving drops down to about 300 mg a serving. The taste is improved!! Not so overly salty and the vegetables add a color and texture. There are a lot of leftovers for meals later in the week.
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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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