Since my HA 7 months ago I have improved my diet. I’m not following any particular plan but it’s broadly meat free and I didn’t drink alcohol prior to the HA anyway. My guiding principles are simple….. to aim for low saturated fat, low refined sugar, more vegetables and fruit.
The other day I had 2 options…if we assume that they had broadly the same nutritional value except for example one had fat of 50g and saturated fat of 2g and the other had 20g fat and 5g of saturated fat.
my questions are which is”better” and also what guidelines do others users on this site use to make good decisions. Thank you.
Written by
lexycon
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The one with less saturated fat. To be honest, I’d only use an app until you learn a little and then use your own judgement. I’m probably in a rare category but I don’t weigh myself and I don’t worry about the exact measurement of food. I don’t analyse salt, sugar or fat.
I eat a low fat, low sugar diet with loads of fresh fruit and veges. Over the years I’ve learned to recognise healthy vs not healthy and I have a strong understanding of balance. If it’s fresh it mostly doesn’t have loads of harmful types of fats or sugars or even salt!
It’s all about balance. Today I might eat some biscuits but I don’t eat them all the time so I don’t worry about it. Next week I might have fish and chips but it’s a treat that I only would have a couple of times a year so I don’t think about it.
The only time I look at amounts of fats/sugar/salt etc is when buying a packaged product - which as I said isn’t often as I prefer fresh. You can’t go wrong with an apple but you could with tinned apple. Choose fresh. No decision to be made.
Balance is key. Learn and then live your life. Eats fresh all the time. Eat processed and packaged only sometimes.
In simple terms, the saturated fats (and trans fats) increase the ‘bad’ non-HDL cholesterol, while the mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats help keep cholesterol down to a healthy level.
Have you had a fasting cholesterol test recently? If not have one and it will give you a good idea how much you need to improve the fats in your diet. I lost 7st over 5 years as I realised it's a marathon not a sprint. So changed my way of eating . This was before I found out about my heart problem. I eat chicken breast and Quorn mince, chicken pieces and sausages all made into a stew . Not together 🤦. I am disabled and can't cook from scratch everyday. This is my way of eating all year round as it helped me lose the weight and am fitter at 66 than I was at 50. Do exercises everyday day and sit fit class once a week . I don't drive so use buses and trains .
I have porridge for breakfast every morning usually made with oat milk that way don't need any honey or sugar. Used to use coconut milk but my GP said not to as it sweetened. If I use skimmed milk I have 15g honey.
My lunch is homemade veg and red lentil soup. Use my biggest saucepan lots of veg either fresh or frozen . I freeze a lot of fresh veg myself but also use ready frozen always 150g red lentils and 5 veg Oxo.
Dinner is usually a stew made with one large chicken breast or 2 smaller ones no skin. Or Quorn 300g mince or chicken pieces or 8 sausages I also colour them in a little olive or rape seed oil and blot any oil off. I cut each sausage into pieces. I love pearl barely so use 150g and lots of veg and 5 chicken oxos for my stews as I like the taste . Plus good shake off Worcester sauce.
For soup or stew only use teaspoon salt but plenty of black pepper and herbs. If I make a lasagne or pasta back use Quorn mince no pearl barley and next size down sauce pan. Only use 4 sheets of lasagne. My cheese sauce I only put on the top made from 250ml cold milk ,30 p flour and 50g mature cheddar. Don't need and spread or butter as there is enough fat in the cheese to make the sauce. Put on the heat and keep whisking until thick add extra milk if to thick. No one has ever noticed a different in my sauce from the usual one.
My soup ,stew or lasagne last 6 lunches and 6 dinners I store in the fridge . Soup in large plastic box and dinners in oven proof dishes just to reheat.
With fats I use olive spread for baking as I like the taste and gives lighter texture. I don't fry or grill anything . Due to my disability I never know how I am going to be each day so found this way I get health meals everyday.
I have foods I can't control so don't buy them chocolate,ice cream,bread and bread products , biscuits,sweets . Cheese only buy mature cheddar 400g block which I cut into 50g portions and freeze.
I make my own yoghurt using Easiyo maker low fat greek style. Make my own jams, marmalades and chutneys but my way and don't use as much as sugar as recipes but boil longer.
I know this doesn't answer your question. But until you know your cholesterol levels of good and bad cholesterol it's difficult to know what to buy .
I always having fasting cholesterol test as it gives the best results last year my cholesterol was 5 this 4. 4 most good cholesterol.
Personally, I base my diet around meat, fish, and dairy. If it was good enough for my ancestors it's certainly good enough for me. They had larger brains and a much stronger frame than we have too. Sugar, carbohydrates and overly processed foods are your enemies. As are faddy "diets". Just my opinions. No more, no less.
I had my heart attack and five stents fitted in May. I feel I've done really well with my diet and my total cholesterol reading has gone down from 5.3 to 2.6. I've changed to wholemeal bread and have been eating lots of baked potatoes. However, I'm now hearing that carbs are not too good for you either. Are there any carbs that are okay? If I cut out bread, pasta and potatoes I'm going to feel really hungry!
Had HA in Jan and now eat red meat as occasional treat and I used to love eating lamb. I basically east chicken or fish but lots carbs in form of bread, potatoes and fruit.
I also love chocolate and if anyone has any suggestions for a heart healthy desert or snack would love to hear
I believe that whole grain bread and pasta are better as they are less refined. The carbs take longer to break down (same with porridge and brown rice). As long as potatoes have the skin on, they are fine too. Basically avoid anything white.
Carb are perfectly fine - in moderation! The common diet is filled with pre-packaged foods and highly processed foods which are filled with salt, sugar, fat and chemicals. On top of that our modern day eating patterns see us overdoing on carbohydrates as they’re good ‘filler’ foods. As an example - we eat bread at almost every meal with toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and then bread with dinner. This is the same with most carbs because it fills us up.
We also overdose on sugar because this is added to almost every single packaged food. Worse than that, it’s often corn syrup which packs a huge punch. The same with salt and fats. It’s added to prepackaged food and processed food to make it palatable.
None of these things - Sugar, salt, fats or carbs are bad in themselves. It’s the form and quantity of each that we now consume in this modern world, which is bad.
Avoid prepackaged and processed food. Make your own sauces. Make your own sweets. Make your own meals. Add a touch of sugar. Add a touch of salt. Cook in a little oil. And by doing it this way - you are controlling the amounts. Eat mostly fresh fruit and vege, fish and some chicken and a little meat. Don’t over eat any one specific thing. Balance and moderation is a key.
I find use of the YUKA app incredibly useful when making shopping choices. Merely scan the bar code and you get an instant assist. It also gives full information on what lurks behind the labelling. It's a quick solution if you're not sure whether something is healthy or not.
Changed my diet after HA. I Lost 2 stone. I simply cut out anything ready made like sauces ( we never ate ready meals or take always) but husband would live on pies and fries and suet dumplings so they went. I cut right down on red meat but not completely. 5% mince or quorn mince if we do have it. I eat much more fish and chicken although I hate both. Cake , crisps and biscuits reduced a lot but not totally gone Occasional treats allowed. It's a matter of changing things but not obsessively. One serving of full fat cheese a month isn't going to do much harm as long as that's all it is and rarely. I don't cook with salt but use herbs and spices. The biscuits are creeping back in so I need to make a conscious effort about that as I've gained a couple of pounds in weight. I'd love to change to wholemeal bred but can't tolerate high fibre.
I suggest home cooked food where possible so that you know what has gone into it, perhaps using the BHF guidelines as a basis. Avoid fast food places, but once in a while if you do that sort of thing is fine. And don't get paranoid about what you eat, and if there are naughty foods that you enjoy, like butter for example, then just eat it in moderation. But above all try to have a varied nutritious diet that sits well with body weight management to keep your heart health risk in check
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