Diet....

[RATP]

Hi. I know this will sound odd, but here goes. I’ve just had a couple of stents fitted and been diagnosed with unstable Angina. I have no problem changing my diet to low salt, low sugar, wholemeal/wholegrain, no red meat or processed food and getting plenty of exercise. What I stupidly don’t know is this. Are any lapses in this diet dangerous in themselves? So, if I cave in one evening and have a pizza or Chinese takeaway is that going to pose an immediate danger, or is it similar to a weight loss diet in that it can be ‘made up for’? Does this make sense?....

[QuadroVEINia]

Hi, it’s not odd at all and we’ve all been there. I’ve had 8 stents in 8 years prior to my recent bypass and during that period followed some punitive diets (not what you describe above, more stricter) all in the hope of getting on top of my CVD condition but none helped. As a result, my mild mannered cardiologist told me off and asked me to go back to eating a normal and sensible diet. HE told me he applauded by motivation but this is not about punishing yourself and losing all quality of life, but being sensible, like following the diet you describe above AND still allowing yourself to enjoy the odd naughty treat, I have a pizza maybe once a month if that, and even then it’s a moderate portion of 2-3 slices. Frankly, I don’t miss it anymore but it takes that ‘edge’ off when the yearning is there! So in summary, as my cardiologist says, enjoy your life but be sensible and always in moderation! Hope that helps.

[RATP in reply to QuadroVEINia]

Thank you. That’s as I hoped. I don’t crave any if those things but just wanted to make sure things wouldn’t go very badly wrong if. I sniffed a slice of pizza 😉

[Sizzlerman in reply to RATP]

I know the feeling and my Rehabilitation Nurse told me you can still have treats, don't starve yourself, a chocolate bar for example, a pint of beer or a curry but don't do it every day. If you do have a chocolate bar walk to the nearest shop, so exercising as well. Biscuits, don't have a handful have one and so on. I found the most important thing is exercise. A 2 mile walk every day eases the soul. The most problem you may have is medication, knowing when to go for a walk for example without any side effects interfering. Hope this help I know it feels like your throat has been cut but there is some nice food out there that is low in fat and sugar. Good luck for the future like you I had 2 stents fitted in November and have only just returned to work due to problems with medication but you will get there eventually, chin up.

[RATP in reply to Sizzlerman]

Thanks so much for your reassuring response. Exercise is no problem as I walk 10km a day. The only side effect I seem to have is that across my front, just under the rib cage feels very ‘achy’ but not tender. It’s particularly bad in the mornings for some reason. A couple of paracetamol seem to shift it. Thanks again.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to QuadroVEINia]

I have a Cardiologist like yours.

Moderation in all things and the importance of the quality of your life.

Physical and mental well being of equal importance.

[Chappychap]

It's a good question.

I don't think there's much harm in an "occasional treat", but there's a few things to watch out for.

First is trans fats. These are possibly the worst thing of all when it comes to heart problems. The UK operates a voluntary system on trans fats, supermarkets have effectively ensured that almost none of the food you buy in store contains trans fats, but in take aways you still find trans fats, and often in frighteningly large quantities. I understand that curries and fish and chips are particular offenders. Personally I've adopted a zero tolerance approach to trans fats, so (regretfully!) for me at least Friday night curries are no more!

Second, what's "occasional"? Let's be honest, as human beings we're awfully prone to the slippery slope syndrome. Where a monthly celebration becomes a weekly treat, that morphs into an afternoon biscuit, which then becomes a regular post dinner desert course! It's worth bearing in mind that sweet pastries did feature on the original Mediterranean Diet that proved so heart healthy, but they were exceptionally rare, only being eaten on a handful of religious festivals each year. The only "treat" that was consumed with any regularity was a piece of fruit after a meal.

Thirdly, many people (possibly most people) with heart disease also have problems with insulin resistance. This is a complex area but in the UK you can get quite far along the pre-diabetic road before it will be flagged as a medical concern. That was my personal experience, medical check ups over many years showed a slow but steady increase in insulin resistance, but it was only after a heart bypass operation that this was seen for what it was...a serious problem that needed addressing via diet and exercise. Happily I've completely reversed my insulin resistance. But that's required a tough line on diet. It's also where the weight loss analogy breaks down, insulin spikes are damaging in a way that a few extra calories are not.

[Hidden in reply to Chappychap]

I work 12 hour continental shifts,so every weekend I have a take away and a damn good drink.I also eat chocolate every day.Each to their own.We are not here long so let's enjoy it.x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi. I don't drink but do eat Chocolate everyday lol. Damn right too, we are not here long and no-one knows what's around the Corner! At the moment, just feel SO grateful to the fantastic NHS Staff who gave me my Life back after OHS!!

[Bigheart58]

I was told it’s OK to have red meat once a week. I also agree with “moderation in all things”.

[PecanSandie]

If you have an occasional pizza or Chinese takeout, that is fine. You dont even have to "make up for it". But consider on the night that you want pizza or Chinese food, alternative preparations like pizza with cauliflower crust (delicious!) or vegetarian Chinese dishes.

[Brad08]

Hi, I would suggest looking in to a Keto diet and intermittent fasting, but cut out the high fat versions, loads on youtube, there is a lot of data and info on how to reduce the bad cholesterol in our diets, I seemed to have spent a long time enjoying the wrong foods so I was advised to give myself a break and not try to reverse years of the wrong kinds of food damage in a few weeks. Please take the time to look at what will work for you as we all are very different and I found quite a few things that work great for other people but not for me, I can not live on lettuce but I have found healthy versions of the foods I like. I still enjoy beer, curry and I have lost 25 LBs so far, small changes and a long term flexible plan seems to be working for me.

All the best.

[MDR1]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with occasional treats! But why not make your own pizza or curry rather than take out? Homemade wholemeal pizza is delicious and you can add healthy veg toppings such as courgettes and broccoli, and use less cheese. Likewise make your own curry and only use healthy ingredients.

[pasigal]

For me it's about really cutting back on the "bad" stuff, rather than eliminating it entirely or "cheating" with a full cheeseburger now and then. For example, I eat a lot of oatmeal, but I need just 1 teaspoon of maple syrup to make a bowl go down. Same with beans/rice. I love it, but I have to sprinkle a tiny bit of cheddar on top. I will take a bite or two of cheese or red meat just to satisfy a craving. I think that's a fair compromise.

But whatever works for you -- I doubt there's any real benefit to a deprivation diet if it's just adding stress.

From what I understand, if you are on heavy duty statins, they will do a much better job on cholesterol than diet, so there may not be a huge amount of benefit to going cold turkey on salt/trans fats etc. Of course that will help, but we might be talking single digit percentage benefits at best.

[elizabethbrownall]

Modern world lifestyle is entirely different from 100 years back. Today people are very busy with their works, so they don't have time to cook proper food to full their stomach bowl. Fast food items and processed food items will surely hits the healthy lifestyle into very poor. So people should wisely choose their daily food diet list. My small suggestion is better to eat homemade food is hygienic and safety to our body health. Regularly consuming natural food items will encourage body health and protect the body from various diseases.