Best foods to eat with palpitations

[Bruno89]

Hey guys. Need advice. What are the best things to eat ?? This morning I had porridge for breakfast, a jacket potato with tuna for lunch & now dinner I'm making chicken with wholewheat pasta & broccoli. I'm scared that's all as since these palpitations started I've been scared that eating what I like such as chicken curry (even though I make it from scratch) & add plenty of veggies into it & add brown rice & then ice cream can make it worse. I have got rid of all of the caffeine out of my house & I'm gutted finding out that chocolate contains caffeine so I'm scared even eating the smallest amount of it. Any advice greatly appreciated.

[RufusScamp]

Difficult to answer. We all react differently. This is probably not what you want to hear, but if you keep a diary of what you have eaten, and its effects, it might be valuable to others.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

First chocolate. The darker the chocolate the higher the caffeine content. In fact white chocolate contains zero caffeine as it contains only cocoa butter and no cocoa solids. So if you like the taste white chocolate is fine. The pity is that the other chemicals on dark chocolate seem too increase insulin sensitivity with both Type II diabetes and heart disease being lower in remote tribes with a high cocoa consumption!

Tghre friend now have arrhythmias (their occurrence like many things increases with age). They have found that totally omitting caffeine, chocolate. alcohol and spicy foods from their diet helps significantly. Only one sticks rigidly to this and he has come off the perscribed beta blocker alltogether (he did talk to his GP first).

You nay have additional sensitivities. For instance the level of MSG gives me palpitations, chest pains, nausea and sometimes vomiting. I was hospitalised a number of times in my teens/early twenties before I reused what the problem was. The last time was about 30 years ago when I was lied to! The other the main triggers are nicotine, recreational drugs and stress. Sadly stress in the modern world is hard to avoid so try and limit it. Good luck.

[Valentina98 in reply to MichaelJH]

What!! Caffeine in chocolate??? How did I not know this. I can just about cope with cutting down on coffee but chocolate....

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Valentina98]

You could become the forum's "Milky Bar Kid" as there has been talk, like with James Bond, casting a girl/woman in the role!

[Bruno89 in reply to MichaelJH]

So wholewheat pasta, chicken & broccoli is fine then

[JeremiahObadiah in reply to Bruno89]

Can you add other veg to that? Could you add a few nuts or some beans? Could you eat salad at lunch? Could you swap the rice and add wholewheat couscous or other grain? Can you eat fruit? It might all be trial and error but varied plant based whole foods should be good for you.

You might be able to get an appointment with a dietician at your Gp surgery which could help.

[Bruno89 in reply to JeremiahObadiah]

Baked beans ?? I'm fussy with salad only like lettuce & onions maybe a bit of cabbage too.

[JeremiahObadiah in reply to Bruno89]

oops I meant things like kidney/butter beans/chick peas/cannellini beans. Just a tablespoonful or so on a salad or in a dinner not to be over powering. Good plant protein.

I avoid saturated fats due to high cholesterol where possible so am largely plant based and love it. Courgettes, red pepper and onions along with red grapes and apples are always in my shopping basket …

[MummaSoap in reply to Bruno89]

My partner makes a lovely stir fry with egg noodles, bean sprouts, broccoli, baby corn, and cashew nuts (with or without chicken) and adds a blue dragon stir fry sachet - it’s delicious!

Also as a snack you can cut open wholewheat pitta bread, brush with olive oil and grill to toast - then add a smear of marmite or yeast extract and slice up. You can also go without the marmite and eat with hummus and carrot sticks to make a light lunch.

Homemade soups? I love dipping in cheese on toast into tomato soup (although that’s not a particularly healthy suggestion)! Another guilty pleasure is a large baked Camembert with a warm homemade bread loaf and dipping the bread in the cheese and then into a tomato or carrot and coriander soup! 😍

Gosh my mouth is really watering now so I need to stop talking about food!!

Good luck of your adventure for new meal ideas - Yummly is a good app for ideas and you can put in allergies or foods to avoid.

Best wishes

Soap 🧼

[Bruno89 in reply to MummaSoap]

Thanks will check it out

[Pollypuss]

How much tea and coffe do you consume in a day

[Bruno89 in reply to Pollypuss]

I don't drink any of it. My main issue at the minute is meal ideas as I don't want to be eating the same things all the time

[Pollypuss in reply to Bruno89]

I find consuming too much yeast products and I once took a vitamin B supplement years ago gave me a jumpy heart

[Sljp0000]

Have you had a diabetes check recently? Your meals (although healthy) are very high carb and that definitely brings on palpitations if your body can't cope with the high glucose levels resulting from high carbs. Just a thought. Susie x

[Bruno89 in reply to Sljp0000]

I haven't no. I don't know what else I can safely eat though as I'm scared & I don't want to make things worse. Any ideas ?? I'm desperate & emotional about it. Thanks

[Sljp0000 in reply to Bruno89]

I honestly think you don't need to panic. I think your palpitations are caused by anxiety and stress. Unfortunately, it's a viscous circle. The more you stress over your health the more you will get palpitations and the more you get them the more you will be anxious. You need to stop the cycle.Yes, cut out caffeine, chocolate and too many carbs. Cut down on refined foods. Keep going on your brown rice/pasta but maybe have slightly smaller portions. Eat more natural foods, veggies, salads, fruits, nuts, seed and legumes.

Exercise is a great stress reliever. Go for walks whenever you can. Try and get into nature. The countryside is proven to lower the heart rate and relax the body. Take in the birds singing and the rain/sun/wind on your skin.

Go to see your GP. Ask for a health check (maybe a diabetes test?). They will have details of your recent hospital visit. They may suggest Talking Therapy to help with your health anxieties.

Do the breathing exercises the hospital suggested. You can definitely control palpitations with calming and controlled breathing.

It's very unlikely palpitations on their own are anything to worry about.

Let us know how you get on

Susie x

[Bruno89 in reply to Sljp0000]

Hi.The GP did me a full blood count I think it was Wednesday & said to call back Monday or Tuesday see if the results have come back. He has also put me in touch with the local talking therapy team where I live who I have spoke to this morning and they've said they will help they just need to write a report on Tuesday in more detail to make sure I'm put on the right one for me for it to give me the best help possible

[Cee-Cee1]

Hi Bruno - my brother has suffered from A Fib for donkeys years and, as he's gotten older (he's 55 now), he's found that different food and drinks are affecting him, in terms of A fib episodes, a little more. He's not a big drinker at all but used to love a glass of red wine (usually on a Saturday when he relaxes by spending the day in the kitchen cooking!) but that's definitely a no-no over the past year - although he still enjoys a glass of shandy or a beer - he's always avoided really fizzy, sugary drinks too and these tend to set him off. Spicier foods, like hot chilli or curries, are also now off the list. Luckily he really enjoys chicken and fish based foods and lots of veggies and fruit and has never eaten a lot of red meat - so a mediterranean-type diet seems to suit him well. Carol

[Petercat1]

Good morning.All doctors seem to tell you to eat a 'Mediterranean' diet, whatever is going on with your body! However I suffered from palpitation attacks from my teens and they were getting more frequent as I got older. After I had an aortic dissection operation, I had an attack in hospital, the Consultant Cardiologist prescribed bisoprolol and I have not had an attack since. Are you willing to go down the medication route? It certainly stopped my palpitation attacks. Obviously a healthy diet is still a great option but the medication is another thing to think about.

Hope you get it sorted.

Denise

[Bruno89 in reply to Petercat1]

Hi I would be willing to go down the medication route if he thinks it is needed to be done to stop them. I've done a ECG this morning and that's fine so I'm not worrying as much. I'm seeing him Tuesday morning so will see what he thinks then & hopefully a lot of my worries are eased then

[Petercat1 in reply to Bruno89]

A few years back I went to A&E as I was have palpitations, they did ECG, heart monitor tests and everything as this attack went on for 2 hours! Nothing ever showed up on any tests.My Cardiac Consultant said he was surprised that my doctors had never put me on medication for the palpitations, he then prescribed the bisoprolol 10mg - 5mg in the morning and 5mg at night. I have now reduced the dosage slightly to 7.5mg, but it worked for me.

Palpitations are really frightening - I used to be able to stop an attack by deep inhaling and exhaling, but as it got worse and more frequent that didn't work anymore. I haven't had an attack since starting on the bisoprolol nearly 6 years ago.

Good luck

Denise

[Bruno89 in reply to Petercat1]

WOW hoping he prescribes me medication now as I feel I need it but no one thinks I do at the moment

[watermill]

I have AF and have found certain foods will have an impact as does the time I eat certain foods. Cheese eaten in the evening sets me off but eating a small amount at lunch time doesn't.Late eating is not good for me but with understanding friends I can manage meals out in the evening.

Alcohol has had to be cut back. Red wine, a disaster at any time and sparkling wine at night is. At the moment a small g&t is OK in the evening.

Someone suggested keeping a diary of what food you ate when it all kicks off. A great idea. I changed my diet significantly when diagnosed so I worked out what was good or bad. Curries, I can eat, but I limit the amount of fats used. Caffeine after 6pm is not good but there are good herbal "teas" around.

Eating a sensible healthy diet is essential. You feel better. Certainly my husband has admitted he has lost weight and feels well! And I have found that I can have an occasional naughty treat like a piece of dark chocolate.

Hope that helps. It is difficult coping with AF to begin with but it does get easier.

Sheila

[july2020]

Hi Bruno

I have been diagnosed with Oesophageal Spasms which give me symptoms of a heart attack, but at a lower level I get palpitations triggered by food/indigestion. Unfortunately finding what foods trigger the issues tends to be a personal journey but looking at information about indigestion can help guide you, the NHS suggest certain food and drink – such as coffee, tomatoes, alcohol, chocolate and fatty or spicy foods. I have some foods that quickly cause issues like peppers, cucumber, MSG and others like caffeine which I can take in moderation.

I am on a Protein Pump Inhibitor (PPI) because I take aspirin, but additionally, I was prescribed Gaviscon Advance to help alleviate symptoms and would suggest if you try Gaviscon go for the Advanced as it is much thicker than the usual one that is on sale.

There is an interesting YouTube video by Dr Gupta of York Hospital that talks about gastrocardiac syndrome, which gives information on the links between the stomach and the heart.

youtube.com/watch?v=zt4Cw-V...(Not working as expected?)

I hope you find your own way forward with this and can control the palpitations, but the advice I am always given is, if you think it is your heart call an ambulance/go to A&E.

Mark

[chickeninthewood]

Drizzle pure cold pressed organic olive oil on your vegetables or pasta. Just one spoon a day is said to help stop them.

[Bruno89 in reply to chickeninthewood]

WOW seriously

[chickeninthewood in reply to Bruno89]

I think so. If you look on YouTube for Sanja Gupta cardiologist he says this he also says VitaminC tablets may help. No harm in trying either. He also advocates magnesium as Fishguy has written on here I see.

[Bruno89 in reply to chickeninthewood]

Hi thanks for that. Just on my way to the walk in centre now as I've had a panic attack so going to get checked over while I'm there to make sure there's nothing wrong with me

[Bruno89 in reply to Bruno89]

They sent me to A&E. Had ECG done just waiting to see the doctor now

[Fishguy]

Consider taking a magnesium supplement magnesium taurate is good for the heart or I take Remag which is liquid , put in a bottle of water and drink throughout the day. Also Better You magnesium spray is good, spray before you go to sleep. I have to avoid alcohol caffeine artificial sweeteners and flavourings such as aspartame and monosodium glutamate.

[Smitty1956]

I agree with RufusScamp that a food diary might be very helpful to share with your GP and/or a dietician. For example, the jacketed potato with tuna sounded lovely for lunch, but if you have T2 diabetes, the potato is likely off limits. It has a high glycemic index and high glycemic load. On the other hand, porridge can be very heart healthy.

I struggle every day to learn more about proper foods that I can eat for health. Your dinner of chicken, brown rice and broccoli sounds delicious and healthy. But, again, if you have T2 diabetes, or are pre-diabetic, the rice converts quickly to sugar.

Your doctor could likely suggest a list of heart healthy foods, and I’m sure that the British Heart Association could also provide information. The main thing is to consider any and all of your specific health issues/concerns in your diet. We are all somewhat different in our specific health needs.

I have learned one general truth, and that is that you can hardly ever err in eating lots of green leafy vegetables and a handful of nuts daily. 😆

I wish you success in your continued efforts to eat healthy

[Bruno89 in reply to Smitty1956]

Being T2 diabetic is a possibility as my GP did a full blood count on Wednesday so just waiting for the results of them now

[Smitty1956]

Waiting for results is always awful, but I hope that you are not pre-diabetic or T2. One good thing though is that you will know a little more about your overall health with the blood results.

I will wish you the best for “good” test results. Keep us posted.

[Bruno89 in reply to Smitty1956]

Got the bloods back and they are all fine which is good

[Smitty1956 in reply to Bruno89]

That’s great news! I’m happy for that—one less worry.

You might want to consider what some others have said about the role of stress/anxiety too. I have anxiety disorder, and it can make everything worse. I have had a particularly bad week, and I have been having heart palpatations and racing bpm today.

Are you having any additional testing done? Please let us know how you get on—but, again, good on those blood tests!

[Bruno89 in reply to Smitty1956]

Got a 24 ECG booked for this Thursday & seeing a specialist Tuesday to rule out any worries

[KIMMY60]

Bananas and I've found an apple a day seems to really help

[KIMMY60]

I found that pork set my A fib off no idea why. So no sausages, Alcohol especially cider wine, have decafe coffee and tea is best, drink plenty of water