Heart Healthy Food Basics 1 #122

Part 1
I receive many questions from people who are recent recovering heart attack survivors.  Most of the questions, (probably 95%) are about  "is it okay to eat.....?"  Some of the foods I have been ask if it is okay to eat?  Twinkies, Cheetos, cheeseburgers, barbecued pork ribs, candy bars, donuts, pronto-pups (corn dogs) and so forth.  And of course the answer is and remains yes.  Eat whatever you would like, it is just a matter of how healthy you want to be and how soon you would enjoy having another heart attack.   It has been two years and nine months since I began my three month odyssey of having a heart attack, heart surgery, lung problems, x-rays, medical test, and hospitals stays.  Much like many of you, I have forgotten how little I knew about what to do for  myself in the way of food, exercise, and medication.  I was fortunate to have a wife who dedicated herself to getting me back to good health, and a daughter who gave a lot of guidance in healthy foods and exercise.   I did not know diddly-squat about healthy foods for heart patients.  So with that in mind, this is in the interest of many new readers whom we are going to help -  most new readers being recent heart patients, who do not know the food and exercise basics we have learned.  We need to back up and review some of the heart healthy food basics. 

I was fortunate that around a month before I had a heart attack, I had begun changing my eating habits to a healthy food diet.  I had read many books and visited many more informed websites to get ideas on the foods I should and should not eat. I also had an interest in knowing why I should or should not eat certain foods.  I was seriously overweight and knew I was headed for health problems and a shortened life span if I did not change and begin to live a healthy lifestyle.  I don't know maybe through coincidence, a divine plan, destiny, or just right place right time, I successfully changed my eating habits and lost somewhere between 20-25 pounds. I was about 4 weeks into this change when I had a heart attack.  Believe me, I have wondered about my "what ifs."  If  I had been 30 pounds heavier, if I had just finished a huge prime rib dinner, if I had not committed to change?   What would the out come have been?  Would I have survived?  For whatever the reason, I am still here and can say without any doubts, that I can tell you what foods I do and do not eat and feel certain the same will apply to most heart attack survivors.   Ready?

Lets get the big nasty out of the way.  I stopped eating red meat.  I have absolutely no doubt the results of a lifetime of eating far too much red meat, lead to my heart attack and if continued, would eventually have resulted in fatal heart disease.  You too can stop eating red meat.  It is your decision.  Many of you just stopped reading this and are not going any further with this article. You are not hearing what you want me to say.  I too would have just clicked the close window key and ignored this three years and one month ago.  Three years, one month ago I would have bet my life I would never ever give up eating pork ribs, prime rib, cheese burgers, chili dogs and on and on.

Okay, I will leave you alone and not bug you about that anymore, and go into good food for heart patients.  The basics begin with you.  You are smart enough to figure it out on your own. What you like to eat, what foods are available in your area. You really don't need me to tell you what food is bad for your cholesterol and cardiovascular health.  You know the difference between, fats, fried, grease, animal skin, lards, and healthy fruits and vegetables.  I am telling you to get some books on healthy foods,  (No diet books please). Get books on salads, and soup recipes. Check out health food websites and for sure go to whfoods.com (worlds healthiest foods.)  I normally will do some research through some health food books and then try 3 or more websites in addition to whfoods.com and the Mayo Clinic website.   Be patient, we will get to some basic heart healthy foods shortly.  Your first step should be cholesterol.   We are running out of time and space and will continue in the next episode...