Post 'em here if you have 'em... Doc says she has to go on a low sodium, low fat diet. And because SHE has to do it, guess who else has to do it?

 

"Heart" friendly?

This is wifey making anticuchos. Beef heart cubed, skewered, and cooked over a high flame while brushed with oil, eaten with a dip in green aji' while sipping an ice cold Corona........Yuuuummmmmmmy

BTW....That's what's for dinner tomorrow.........

 

By bro makes a dish which he calls a blt - l - t Plate of bacon and a bowl of mayo Try to avoid meals like that

 

Chicken. Nothing fried. anything grilled. not pork. rice. green stuff. beer. deer. elk. makingmyselfhungrytimeforlunch

If you like to grill, buy a grilling cook book and you will never run out of stuff to make.

 

Can't get around this one. This was the wake up call and she needs to eat much healthier. Wouldn't hurt me to do so, either. Both of our family histories pretty much dictate it.

 

Grilled beef, grilled chicken, pork, fish and greens. Drink water or ice tea. No sodas.
No starches or sugars. Including potatos, corn, bread, etc.....
And that's including liquid bread there Ed.......

MikeyB

 

You should consider subscribing to Men's Heath magazine and or Women's Health magazine. I get the men's one and every month it has a ton of recipes in it for heart healthy diets. I usually take and cut out the recipes and save them for later. Most of the recipes are fairly simple ones too.

Some of the foods that they recommend often for heart health is fish high in omega three fatty acids. Best bet for these are tuna steaks, salmon, and shark. Try to get the wild caught salmon to avoid the higher levels of mercury in the farm raised stuff. Also, Tilipia fillets are usually reasonably priced and farm raised catfish is good also. My favorite ways to cook these fish is to brush them with olive oil and broil them in the oven on a stone type tray. You can sprinkle any mix of seasonings on them that sound good. Cajun broiled catfish are hard to beat. Another heart healthy item is nuts such as walnuts, peanuts, and almonds. A good way to make salmon is to grind up some walnuts in a fine powder. Then take your salmon fillets and coat them in olive oil and roll in the walnut mixture. Then broil until done. Try not to over cook it or it gets dry.

If you or the wife are not fish lovers, there is nothing wrong with beef and pork also. Just stick to the leaner cuts such as steaks and pork loin. Grilled pork loan is full of protein and surprising low in fat. Avoid eating such things as bacon, sausages, brats, etc as they are all high in fat. Grilled turkey and chicken are also good choices and you can add a variety of different spices for a different flavor. Avoid most ground turkey and chicken as they add a lot of fat to it. I think you can find lowfat ground turkey though that would make a good substitute for ground beef.

In general, avoid a lot of the prepackaged foods such as frozen pizza, burritos, etc as they are loaded in fat and sodium. I am not a big fan of all of the artificial fat free foods like fat free dressings and such. To me, they taste like chemicals. I would rather use less or just find a more healthy alternative.

Start making changes slowy. Start by changing one or two meals a week to a more healthy, heart friendly diet. Keep progressing to where most of your meals are in the healthy variety. Don't be afraid to cheat once in awhile and eat a big mac or something else you crave. Just don't make a regular habit of it.

 

Yeah.. We're easing into this slowly so she gets used to the idea. Already doing lots of lean pork, chicken and fish. No more biscuits and gravy every morning, tho.

 

Wow!

Fatboy hit the nail on the head. Once you start eating this way it will become natural. You will become weirdly selective of what you eat even when you go out.

You and your Mrs. will benefit greatly from these little changes, but don't forget.... a little BBQ or some cheese fries every once in a long while is alright!

 

My old man just had quintuple (5) bypass surgery 2 weeks ago. Was a wake-up call for him. He only eats what my mom puts in front of him now. Lots of chicken and vegetables. No more red meat (at least for now).
Given my family history, I should be doing the same thing, so I will watch this thread for answers. Check out the American Heart Association's website, if you haven't already.

Good luck,
~Rob

 

**chuckle** When the doc told her to change her ways, she was all depressed that she couldn't have a nice juicy steak. Told her she could, just not as often as she'd like.

 

Men's Health Nutrition

Here is a link to the Men's Health page. Tons of good stuff there. I get the hard copy as its easier to keep the recipes.

Smokingdog is correct. Once you break the habit of bad eating, it becomes much easier to make the healthy choices. It really helps that your wife is committed to it also. Hard to eat healthy if both husband and wife are not committed to it. I lost quite a bit of weight several years ago just cutting out the soda and snacking at work and after dinner. You may want to consider starting an exercise routine also. Just walking alone everyday will drastically improve your heart health and you and the wife can do it together.

 

Tom-Two years ago I weighed 245# and my wife about 190# and we got our wake up call also. We chose the "South Beach Diet" which is a low glycemic index diet and I lost 70# and my wife 65#. Our lipid numbers went back to normal and we feel much more energetic. We did do and still do alot of walking and on the diets in the South Beach books and various web sites we found we are eating much better, and actually have found a core of receipes we like alot. We've stayed at our weights now almost 20 months, and while it can be a struggle daily, it is worth it for us. Not everyone likes these receipes but the logic behind them has worked for us and because we both did it, and have no teenage kids to tempt us to cheat, we have done well with the mutual support. Most of our friends and people we work with thought we were sick if they hadn't seen us for some time, and we did have to do new clothes twice but still is worth it for us. Regards-and good luck- Bill

 

Mmmm, I can NEVER get enough of that stuff....




Corona that is.... Pass the pizza....

 

Sorry for keeping chiming in, but one thing to consider. I hear a lot of people tell me that they don't have the money to do any of the diets or eat better (grilled fishes and such can be more pricey than fish sticks and burgers). I also hear people tell me that they don't want to spend that much money or time on fitness.

I would tell you this. My father in law had a heart attack just before Christmas last year. Even after the medical insurance, he ended up with over $4,000 in medical bills. Not to mention being in the hospital over the holidays. How much time and money is worth your own health?

wilnis - congrats on getting the weight off and keeping it off. That is an accomplishment worthy of being proud of.

I don't want anyone to get me wrong. I am not a fitness nut or some type of nutrition nut. I only work out because I don't want to get fat again and I enjoy beer and fast food as much as the next guy. I just know how fast I will put on weight if I don't watch it. I woke up one day and I was 32 years old and 50lbs overweight and decided then that I needed to make a change. None of my hunting clothes fit and I couldn't walk to the treestand without getting winded. That is when you know its time to change!