hello, just wanted to share my experience having had HF over a year ago i was told i had high blood pressure and high cholesterol which i never ever used to get checked.
i had to change my whole lifestyle specifically my diet. i would say your diet is one of the key factors in preventing heart disease and we need to educate the younger generation. swapping fatty foods for highly nutritious food has re-vitalized me and i feel fitter then ever!. upon my research i found this article very helpful
I, and a few others on here, are following a wholefood, plant-based diet to help us with our life-style changes. There is a film called "Forks Over Knives" which goes into the medical evidence for such a diet. We saw it on Netflix but I think it is on YouTube too.
Thanks Chris- Yes, I did quite a bit of research after my MI as I wanted to take back some control and therefore looked at research by Dr.’s Ornish, Esseltyn and Fuhrmann, the China Study etc- all independent research with the same conclusion ; whole food, plant based diet is highly beneficial. I combine this advice with BHF advice- so I do have a bit of oily fish (3 times a week) and still have skimmed milk too ( so not avoiding all dairy). It has taken some adjusting, but I am now getting used to the different food shopping basket and we now know a few standard veggie recipes we like (Forks Over Knives app is good for this too) so I don’t miss meat at all.
I am not sure a veggie diet agrees with everyone though, so if you do think about going down this route - a gradual transition might be advisable to allow your body to adjust, give you time to work out what works for you, what to buy to ensure you still get all of your nutrients/vitamins, what to cook and find out what you enjoy most importantly of all!. e.g. I just figured out how to make some great baked fries without oil last night - my first few attempts were bland, but these were great!.
I agree. Like Jimmyq and David75 I follow Esselstyn diet. Very strict vegan. Since my heart attack last June I have lost 31kgs and 13 inches from my waist. In addition I monitor my intake of calories as well as my expenditure of energy and always have a higher output. I also have to take Vit B12 supplements as I don’t get enough from my diet. My whole blood picture has been changed dramatically by following this regime and I don’t crave anything. I also eat raw oats at least once every day. However this has not been a substitute for medication. I take that alongside my diet. I know Esselstyn suggests it can be diet alone but I am not prepared to take that risk. Glad you’re feeling fitter. Great to hear. Best wishes zena
I also follow a Esselstyn style diet- the McDougall diet. Which is basically whole food, plant based, starch based diet.
Although my heart damage is from Rheumatic Fever, I want to give my hear the best chance. (Although I've been following the McDougall/ vegan diet for 5 years before I knew I had heart issues, I was just feeling so awful that I did a huge diet overhaul hoping that would help). I lost weight and just felt better for it. Also added a lot of turmeric to my diet.
Out of interest, wha have NHS (I'm assuming you're in the UK) doctors said about your dramatic blood test changes? Did you tell them about your diet?
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