I’m getting even more confused..I go round shops looking at contents and ..salt, fats, sugars, and get dispirited even bottled water has salt in😨..I then go on BHF site for recipes and think that looks tasty ..check out their ingredients and salt, fats , sugars etc seem more or less the same as supermarket stuff. I tried to avoid all these things and as consequence lost lots of weight..in fact GP so concerned sent me for CT scan .possible cancer..(still waiting result so anxiety levels piled up even more) ..my wife says says eat what we always had ..because we don’t eat anything to excess..and have balanced diet.Only thing big cut down on was booze…bottle of wine a night maybe too much.
So what’s a boy supposed to do..
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Alicant
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I don’t understand what you mean that water has salt in???? Get it from the tap! There are ten units of alcohol in a bottle, we are supposed to limit to 14 a week.
We need a little salt in order to function.
Cook your food from fresh, especially vegetables, then you know exactly what you are putting into your body.
Bottled water is bound to have traces of salt in it, as salt is a mineral and you are buying mineral water.
To be honest it sounds if you have gone to far with your choices, you need some salt (6g a day) to function and if you have low salt varieties and fresh veg and fruit you will be more than able to keep within the guidelines.
I used the BHF recipes and they worked for me. BHF will/do not publish recipes that are likely to give you a problem.
I also have been through the potential cancer scenario and do understand how stressful it can be, I ended up having a minor op and fortunately for me there was no problem.
The bottle of wine a day is a problem though, I was told despite going fully teatotal not to exceed the 14 units per week.
I made some little changes after my Nstemi heart attack & quadruple bypass surgery last July . Started making my own bread , way less salt and no sugar (no preservatives ) cut out ultra processed foods except a statin spread and every soften I eat out and try to make best choices and still enjoy socials. Booze , I stay well within the recommended limits and drive/ride my Harley to socials and have no booze or zero% (not great fan). I love cooking and make all our meals from fresh ingredients. A roast chicken most weekends , the leftovers make another roast for Monday . Turkey burgers , actifry chips , smokey turkey & black bean chilli batch cooked provides 3 meals for my wife and I. Adding fresh coriander /line /chili /ginger etc to meals makes them taste so fresh . Low fat Greek yoghurt with fresh mint (or from a jar , only a tea spoon) . I use my bread machine to make dough but bake in the oven , homemade pitas are superb stuffed with grilled chicken. I turned into food police but have found a balance now. Fresh ingredients , enjoy a beer/now and then , love eating out with family /friends on special occasions. 80/20 rule works well to still enjoy my rebirth . Small changes consistently applied is a good way to go , sounds like you doing the right things but try not to fret about small quantities of salt/fats/sugars. They are needed on occasions for our soul/mental health/enjoyment/physiology.
You could try a Mediterranean diet cook book. I think the general idea is to try to cook from fresh most of the time and avoid processed foods. A word of warning...don't cut salt out of your diet completely as it can make you very poorly. There is a recommended daily intake that you need as there is with most minerals, vitamins etc. xx
I was about to say the same thing. A mediterranean diet cook book is the way to go. My Mum in the past cut salt out of her diet and she had all sorts of issues - started with a lot of cramping in her legs. As soon as she added salt back in, her health improved.
Hi Alicant, I’m not going to offer any dietary advice only share my very similar experiences of loosing a stone and a half mainly by just minimising saturate intake my weight has stabilised and BMI of 21. All my blood results have been very good, hence have eased up on my hard nosed easting regime. Now 10 months in feel good. My wife still as yours worries about my weight, which has stabilised.
l think the motto is “everything in moderation”. You can get obsessed with all of this to the extent it can take over your life. Relax and just eat good quality fresh food and cut out what you can. Life is for living. Best wishes for good results of your ct scan.
No, with both. Condition and diet. . Anxiety is the biggest hurdle and having to make sacrifices to stay well, is difficult. There are worse things than AF though, so ……..
take the advice of your wife. Life is too short but cut down on the alcohol. I’m taking it alcohol is important to you. I hope you find what you’re looking for.
Love the fox on your profile. I have one come every evening, in the garden,for his dinner. There is a lair two doors up and the pups came as well at one point. They have grown up now. It makes me sad how they are persecuted.
I’ve stopped the booze ..with no issues…I did drink a bottle of wine a night…and in my opinion that’s why I’ve lost so much weight…Physicians Assistant flagged it up as “Red Flag”
When I first started with heart troubles the cardiac ward of my local hospital where I was gave out a booklet to patients on their discharge about eating healthier. The simplest way to do this is watching the labels on all food items. If they are red, particularly salt, avoid. Stay with stuff that only has the green and amber it can be fairly easy after a while to spot. Cook fresh from scratch if you can. But that bottle of wine a night I will definately cut back on that as drinking is the worst thing
You're probably doing the right thing by checking ingredients and sticking with what you know. For what it's worth, I don't touch any "low fat" products, never have, your body needs fat in order to function and fat in food doesn't equate to fat on your body. I've never read the BHF diet stuff... Other than that, I don't drink any alcohol and I stick to decaf coffee from either Booth's or M&S. Maybe most importantly I really watch my sugar intake and keep processed food to a minimum. Common sense really. 👌
I was put on a 2000mg sodium diet when diagnosed with DCM so I did away with processed food and try to buy low sodium when possible. I also try to watch my carbs, saturated fat and cholesteral. Nothing has to be exact as long as we try to stay around the amount allowed, but there are days when i go over a bit and thats ok. Eating out is the hardest because most food at restaurants are very high in sodium and calories, so thats a once in a blue moon thing in our family. We cook from recipies that will list the nutitional values and try to stick with ones that are healthier and easy to make. The longer you start cooking healthier, the easier it gets to where you dont have to think about what you are eating.
After my heart attack I Overhauled my diet. I lost 2.5stone and like yorus, my g P went into panic mode and sent me for cancer tests. They have to check on any unexplained weight loss. I hadn't even noticed until I got my summer skirts out and they all fell off. GP hadn't seen me for a while so he weight loss was obvious to him. Don'[t worry. I'm sure it will be fine. If there is anything you will hear very quickly.
Reading this I was just reminded of listening to a BBC radio 5 discussion a few months ago on heart attacks etc which included a chat with Sat Bains a Michelin star chef who had had a heart attack. He has published a recipe book called "Eat to Your Heart's Content: Recipes to improve your health from an award-winning chef and heart attack survivor". At the time when I looked on Amazon it wasn't available, but looking again it is available now.
I would be more concerned about the other nasty additives in food in the supermarket. The only way to avoid them, is to cook everything from fresh ; buy organic where you can. Grow your own vegetables and fruit if possible. As the late Dr Mosely said "lf it isn't in your kitchen, don't eat it " lf you look at the ingredients in every packet , tin and even frozen food , you will be amazed at the amount of additives there is. Some are necessary for the shelf life but some are just added to make the product more tasty or look better. We don't know what these added chemicals are doing to our bodies. I am afraid it is too late for me now. Any damage is done. I used to cook everything from scratch in the 50s and 60s. and luckily have always loved fruit and vegetables. Unfortunately l was taken in by the supermarkets in the 70s and thought l was buying proper food. I would think at least 98% of the products in supermarkets have additives that are bad for us.
Well I became T2 Dire betic suddenly, no indications till one more I felt ‘vacant’! 999 hospital 😵💫 I went low carb high protein. I had a training course with a diabetes trainer, sadly I think there maybe no course now, but he trained us to look at total carbohydrates values, not sugars as carbs turn into sugar! This was in 6/21 and still carry on. I’d lost loads of weight without trying.
I believe that you have hit on a topic that is pertinent to most of us. Most of us likely need to reduce/limit our intake of salt, sugar and fats. I recall reading several years ago that it is usually possible to limit one or two of these, but never all three at the same time. This relates to areas such as flavor, texture and appearance of our foods.
You likely see that truth as you check food labels or look at ingredient lists in your favorite restaurants. If you drastically reduce fats, you may see a higher level of sugars and salt.
Anyway, I made some major diet changes following my HA in 2022. I am still trying to navigate these changes and to do better; however, I have come to believe that it is possible to sometimes have a treat or a “favorite” food that is mainly now off limits. Life is probably about balance.
Also, with recipes, I have learned that you can often use less of an item, or substitute a healthier item for an unhealthy one. For example, in a brownie recipe, you might be able to substitute black beans for some white flour and/or sugar. Some people may substitute applesauce for sugar in a cake recipe. I usually always cut the sugar in a recipe by half, and I never use salt in any recipe. Instead, I substitute fresh, or dried, herbs for salt.
You are right to read your food labels and to make informed food choices. You can also use less of unhealthy items in your recipes and substitute more healthy choices. Remember, life is about balance, and you likely need to allow yourself an occasional treat.
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Hot weather, footy, barbecues and beer
Holiday destinations with HF
Introducing me and my situation! Apologies for such a long post! 
Competing Diets
Cardiology apt. With HF doctor
