Diet advice

[CherishChace]

Hello. I am new to this site. My partner had a heart attack in July and has now been diagnosed with heart disease. We’ve always had a healthy diet. I cook fresh every night and we don’t eat ready meals or junk food. I use olive oil and rapeseed oil. Looking for advice around red meat. We don’t have it often but he would like roast beef once in a while. Any other tips and advice would be gladly welcomed.

[10gingercats]

Fresh veg. and fruit every day and no day without green leaves ....especially raw green leaves. Some fish and a little meat.I also eat pulses and especially cooked lentils.

[080311]

Hello CherishChance

Welcome to the forum, lots of us here on the forum follow the Mediterranean diet recommended by BHF. It’s not a diet as such just a healthy way of eating. If you go on the BHF website you will find lots of recipes and meal options.

We eat mostly fish but will have meat maybe once a week say chicken. Try to avoid red meat, but if you fancy Roast beef and Yorkshire puddings once in a while why not!

Not something you should eat daily!

I have a thing about bacon really crispy! ( and I have a replacement pigs Aortic valve) maybe have it a couple of times a month.

Wishing your husband a great recovery, remember you are now part of the Hearties family.

Best wishes Pauline

[Rogo23 in reply to 080311]

Your comment about bacon (mmm) we buy the pre cooked type and crisp it in the oven.Small but really flavourful rashers, three or four are about the same as one single rasher of raw, so I feel that is a bit of a win.

Bacon and pork pies, I occasionally dream about them.

[080311 in reply to Rogo23]

Never tried it will keep an eye open for it. Last Saturday husband had a ploughman’s with Pork pie!

[Hidden]

Dear CherishChace

Like others have said……a big warm welcome to you and your partner.

Looking at your profile you say that your partners illness is hereditary, so I’m sure { like mine } they will tell you that it’s not brought on with your life style .

But having said that it’s not an open door to stuff yourself with all the wrong things, but now and then? How can that be harmful?

Life has to be a balance and your partners { may we have a name please } illness will push you both into that, but please don’t let it overtake your life.

Stay safe and well, and that is aimed at you , for it’s so easy to forget our husbands/wife’s/partners and all that they go through in helping our recovery .

Many questions will appear on this journey that you are taking together.

If we can help in anyway with answers or just some advice then please use this place, as many of us do, in discovery.

You are both in my thoughts

[CherishChace in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much. It’s great to know we are not alone and there is wealth of support and experience on here. My partner is called Chris. He is doing really well but I just want to make sure I keep it that way. All your advice os greatly received. We are enjoying lots of new foods and he has bought an exercise bike too which we. An enjoy together. We don’t want to obsess to the point where it’s al we talk about and I think once we have found our feet with it all it will become second nature.

Thank you for your kind words.

[Hidden in reply to CherishChace]

A big hello to Chris

[Hidden]

As has been said a lot of people follow the Mediterranean diet. If your partner is around the same age as you then hopefully you have a lot of years ahead of you so you really need to get into eating as healthily as possible, your diet at the moment sounds great so just build on it. Sure it is not recommended to obsess but you have to remember all those "little treats" could end up tipping the scales one day. They are not a "treat" if they are contributing to causing problems in later life, I would also steer clear of red meat as much as possible, and cut right down on dairy. We all need to be eating less meat anyway, which sounds like what you are aiming for so that is good. Also, do not underestimate the value of regular exercise, which is also vital to strengthening and maintaining your partners heart in as good a condition as possible. apart from the obvious immediate benefits it may also make any further problems less severe. Remember the heart disease has not been cured and never will be, so it needs a big effort on his part now they have hopefully fixed him up. Good luck!

[CherishChace in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your reply. Every bit of advice is worth it’s weight in gold so I appreciate you taking the time to help me.

[Hidden in reply to CherishChace]

Hey don't mention it. The way I look at it (slightly morbidly I suppose) is that if anything does happen in later life I can at least say to myself and loved ones that I did all I could to try and stop it. A lot of people have big problems dealing with heart disease mentally so if you can have a focus (diet, exercise) it helps a lot, makes you feel like your doing your bit? You probably need that as you are so young, must be tough but it's just something you have to work at.

[Chappychap]

There are no guarantees.

A few obese couch potatoes smoke like chimneys yet still make it to their 80's without ever experiencing heart disease. Conversely, a few marathon running vegetarians suffer multiple heart attacks in their 40's.

But these are very much the exceptions that prove the rule. And the rule is that life style changes are really, really important.

There was an important British research study that reported on life style impact on heart attacks and strokes. Unlike many studies this was a whopper, with nearly 8000 respondents, conducted over many years. It demonstrates that the difference that life style choices make to our mortality is absolutely massive.

Take, for example, two groups of fifty year old men.

One group are non smokers, have trim BMI's, and exercise regularly.

The other group are smokers, are obese, and are sedentary.

89% of the first group will make it through the next fifteen years to retirement at 65 without having a heart attack or a stroke. Where as only 42% of the second group will be so fortunate.

Like I say, there are no guarantees, but I know which group I choose to be in.

So whenever I feel my resolve slipping I remind myself of these rock solid statistics. By and large they're enough to stiffen my willpower and encourage me to put down that bacon sarnie.

Good luck!

[Hidden in reply to Chappychap]

Well said as ever Chappy. I think the nations gradual slide into a US style obesity Epedemic is only going to make the situation worse, we are turning into a nation of couch potatoes unfortunately. I personally think that very many of the middle age people who have fallen prey to Covid were in a pretty bad physical state, so our destiny is in our own hands to a large degree. I am sure at the age of 63 I should not be almost always in the top 1/3 of parkrun finishers, which might tell us something about the nations fitness. I never liked bacon sarnies anyway.........

[gian79]

i have found the Mediterranean diet to be what i was on before the heart attack. So to make the change I went plant based and whilst i am having some side effects from medication i think for your heart it is believed to be the best diet. I was even told by a cardiologist that the majority of cardiologists follow this vegan diet

[Ukeleleplayer in reply to gian79]

Dr Dean Ornish wrote a book about reversing heart disease with the vegetarian diet. Plant based is the best diet for not just heart health, but health in general. I haven't eaten meat for about the last 8 yrs, but I still eat seafood and dairy. Joined the forum to help and support my husband with HF, by learning all I can. He eats meat but enjoys some vegetarian options, and is cutting back his meat consumption. The Mediterranean Diet has been mentioned by some cardiologists too, because it includes cutting back on red meat, lots of veges and fruits, nuts, olive oil, fish , etc. Unfortunately, my husband's cardiologist gave no encouragement when I said that I believed that losing weight and changing the diet would help the heart. He said only medication like Entresto and another drug that starts with D would possibly help.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Ukeleleplayer]

The BHF have this article which maybe of interest. It discusses whether heart disease can be reversed by a plant based diet.

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo....

[Bonham123]

I've gone full on plant based apart from chicken, fish and turkey. I don't drink or smoke and exercise every day. Never felt healthier. I wish I could have a little treat now and then but I know that if I have a bar of chocolate or a biscuit etc, I won't stop, so I don't touch them at all. It doesn't bother me. My strength comes from knowing that just 1 will start me on that slippery slope and I never want to go back there .

[Ukeleleplayer in reply to Bonham123]

Wow good for you, that you resist the sweet treats. A weakness for my husband and I but we are trying to be better. We are like you, we can not stop at just a little bit.

[wischo]

I am 71 years old, have heart disease and an elected stent never a heart attack. I can not and never could eat fish so gave up trying. I have always had a fairly healthy diet which does include red meat occasionaly but lots of veg, grains etc. I reckon it took 69 yrs for this build up of fatty deposits to narrow one of my arteries so I am not obsessed with what I eat really. I completely avoid salt, dont smoke, have a BMI of 26 (not ideal but not exactly dangerous) and walk 6 or more klms briskly most days of the year. I do eat some red meat and the occasional few biscuits and a couple of drinks at the weekend. My mindset is to live life to enjoy it while at the same time taking stock of overdoing the bad foods. My views are different to the rest of the posts here but its my decision and I really believe this will not shorten my lifespan in any way.

[JuneD53]

The BHF has good articles and advice on this subject. "Does eating meat increase your risk of heart disease? | BHF" bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo... husband also had a heart attack a year ago. I'm vegetarian so he got meat by exception twice a week. His diet couldn't have been better. I think sugar was the issue. Hope your husband keeps well. Take care 💕

[Ukeleleplayer in reply to JuneD53]

Yes I have been reading stuff about sugar and carbs being a big problem, leading to obesity, diabets, inflammation, heart issues etc.

[CherishChace]

Thanks JuneD53