I'm so sorry you have to go through that Barb. No fun and I do agree on the abysmalness of hospital food.
Dh is on a Daniel fast this month and we are loading up on vegetables every night but have not used any recipes.
Mostly stir fries but I find varying the cut, combination and type of vegetable can give lots of options and then varying the flavoring and there are tons of different dishes.

For instance, a dish we like is julianned carrots, zucchini and yellow squash cooked to al dente. With an orange juice, butter (or oil) reduction and some herbs it's very good.

I had three stents put in about 7 years ago. My doctor is pushing me to read The China Diet. She says it can completely reverse clogged arteries. I got the book for Christmas and haven't read it yet. Not sure I can become a Vegan but might compromise somewhat. My cardiologist thinks the South Beach Diet (written by a cardiologist) is very heart healthy and there are lots of recipes in there, too.

I agree, you'd think that hospitals would be the perfect place to learn about healthy eating, but that would require the food to actually be edible, which isn't usually the case.

I learned about heart healthy diets several years ago when I found out that I had extremely high cholesterol, a family genetic trait, apparently.

I'm assuming they want you to cut down the saturated fat and probably the salt in your diet? You did mention beef and chicken, have you considred something like venison? It's even lower in saturated fat than beef, as is bison/buffalo. Do you eat fish or seafood, those are good choices also.

One of my favorite recipes is from Cooking Light, an apple cider brined pork loin, but it works well on chicken and turkey also.It does have salt in the brine, but much of it is discarded after brining ao it may suit your purposes.

Cider Roasted Pork Loin

3 cups water
3 cups apple cider
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 tbls black peppercorns
1 tbls coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
1 pork loin roast or thick cut chops
2 additional cups apple cider
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh sage
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Combine the first 6 ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat and cool. Pour brine into a plastic bag or container, add pork, seal. Refrigerate 8 hours (overnight is too long), turning bag occasionally
Preheat oven to 350. Bring 2 cups of cider to a boil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Cook until cider has thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup (about 15 minutes). Set aside.
Remove pork from bag, discard brine. Place pork on rack of broiler pan, lightly coat pork with a little cooking spray (I skipped this and the herbs still stuck). Combine rosemary, sage and black paper, sprinkle evenly over pork. Bake at 350 1 hour for a 2 lb. boneless loin, longer for bigger cuts. Baste at least twice with the cider reduction during the last 20 minutes of cooking. Remove from oven, baste with remaining cider reduction. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
8 servings, 200 calories, 6.6 grams of fat (2 are saturated)

Good luck, it's easier once you get used to it.

Annie

For a change in veggie prep, try roasting in the oven. Cut to desired size, place on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil or better get one of those mister sprayers and give the veggies a slight spray, salt and pepper, roast at about 400 for 20 to 30 minutes, depends on the veggie. You want them to be slightly browned. Try cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, squash, winter and summer varieties, and my new all time favorite is cabbage. I also roast frozen veggies too. This method is very adaptable temperature, time, seasoning. For heart healthy you might want to leave off the salt.
Another great recipe is carrots and fennel sliced and roasted as above but after roasting, sprinkle with orange zest. Yummy!
Since I discovered roasted veggies, I don't prepare them any other way except in the summer, I grill them.
Wishing you well in your heart healthy eating conversion.
Murphy

Yes, so sorry you had to go through all that Momj!
Heart healthy is a lot easier if you like fish, vegetables and whole grains. I am lucky that way, not only do I like those foods, I LOVE them! So it's easy for me to choose them and find recipes I like. I'm also lucky because my SO also likes those foods so he helps me cook and shop for them. I even like beans, tofu, textured vegetable protein, and seitan, so it is no trouble for me to largely avoid meat.

Breakfast is a great time to incorporate whole grains. We eat a lot of oatmeal in the morning, but there are also excellent 7-grain or more cereal mixes you can get too, for even more nutrition. I also make whole grain muffins for a quick tasty snack or quickie grab and go breakfast. Another great breakfast meal on weekends is roasted potatoes with some other veggies mixed in. I happen to LOVE Morningstar Farms Breakfast Patties, which are fake sausages, but SO does not, so he gets either chicken or turkey ones, or these low sat. fat pork ones we like which have lean pork mixed with brown rice. They're very good but I can't remember the brand, SO took them out of their box in the freezer and put them in a ziplock so I can't check. Not sure why he did that, grrrr.

I make a big pot of healthy soup every week, that is a great tip.

You also might want to either buy a bread machine or dust off your old one and try making some good whole grain breads. I highly recommend the book, "The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger. There's 350 recipes in there, with every whole grain combo imaginable! I found whole wheat bread flour at the local health food store and sub that in recipes when it calls for white, for even more whole grain goodness.

As for fish, we buy a lot when it is on sale and then freeze it in individual meal sized portions. Same with turkey, we pre-make turkey burgers and then freeze them so we can pop them out for a quick meal. I mix low fat feta and spinach and some sauteed onion into my turkey burgers and add Penzeys Turkish seasoning (although Mrs. Dash's Garlic and Herb works too). They come out moist and flavorful with the spinach and it is a good way to painlessly incorporate greens into your diet. We eat a lot of "burgers" including tuna, salmon, vegetarian, bean and chicken.

momj - wishing you a quick recuperation and easy transition into heart healthy.

My dad was vegan for heart health for years, and that and exercise did build feeder veins around his clogged arteries and delayed the six-way bypass he eventually had by probably ten years. Now he eats anything (his doctor told him he needed to add red meat back into his diet) but in moderation, monitors his weight everyday and has an extensive exercise routine.

The simplest guideline I use when I think heart-healthy: think low fat.

There is a lot of good literature out there now (and good cookbooks) for heart-healthy / low cholesterol, etc. I recommend a browse at your favorite local bookstore...

Also, the suggestions of the others are great! Think vegetables, keep the dairy to a minimum, small portions of animal protein. Fish is good - although shrimp, while low in fat is high in cholesterol.

I'm surprised at what the hospital gave you as heart healthy...I'll bet those heart-healthy eggs were egg beaters - or egg whites with a little yolk per dozen for color. At home I would try to stick to fresh rather than processed, keep the sauces to a minimum (that's the white sauces, meat gravies, butter sauces. I think tomato sauces are ok).

Best of luck to you.

The China Study is an awesome book, Georgysmom. You probably won't find much support for it on this forum as I don't think there are many vegans but it's really eye-opening. I hope you get a chance to read it soon! It's made a big difference in my life.

I believe a vegan diet can be very beneficial for heart health. I have not explored it and don't know enough about balancing foods to get proper nutrition. But if I found I had heart health issues that might be helped I would certainly make the effort. I have an acquaintance who has been vegan for many years. He has a family history or heart disease and opted for a vegan diet long ago. He is in his late 50s and in great health. I have shared the table with him and his wife at a friend's home. His wife is an omnivore and he quietly brings his own food and some to share if someone would like to taste.

So many people are adopting specific or restrictive diets for health and/or allergy reasons that being a vegan is pretty mainstream these days. :)

Eating fresh, organic vegetables will give you the most nutrients. The next best way to eat them is roasted. (You lose a lot of nutrients through boiling, and if they've been frozen and then boiled, there's hardly any point in eating them because you've leached practically all of the nutrients out.) I like to roast vegetables and store them in the fridge so that they're always available, whether to eat alone or add to dishes. They taste fine reheated- not as good as when they first come out of the oven, but still very good. Make sure you start your day off right with lots of fiber and protein- this keeps you full and helps you to make good decisions for the rest of the day. Wishing you the best of health and happiness.

I went through a heart catherization in June 2010. My cholestrol was high but had no need for stents at that time. I changed our diet at home- always have eaten alot of fruit and veggies but had gotten into the use of boxed rices and too much processed foods. I dropped the white flour products - now eat whole wheat breads - mostly sandwich thins - as far as veggies, I either steam or roast using olive oil. We eat more salads - alot more spinach with fruit type salads with nuts. I dropped the sodas - but have recently gotten back into drinking some - always diet but I know I don't need them and shouldn't drink them. Oatmeal is a really good thing as are almonds and walnuts. Funny thing - found out I am allergic to all three!

I bought the cookbook Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast and have found lots of delicious meals - salads, soups, fish, veggies, meats, all easy to prepare and all give the breakdown of calories, carbs, cholestrol, sodium, etc.

One thing to watch - if the fats/caloroies are low, sometimes the sodium is higher - guess its the way to increase flavor. I take that into consideration if its down to two recipes.

BTW, our hospital is known for its GREAT food! When I was in the hospital, you phoned in your meals at whatever time you wanted them and they were there within 20 mins! But if you were on the cardic ward, they would limit you to a certain number of fats/sodium/carbs. They would know what you ordered from the previous meal so you wouldn't go over! No cheating while you were in the hospital!

There are a lot of great books out there. I am reading Meals that Heal. It has some great recipes in there. You can probably still have some meat but I would definitely go out of my way to make sure it is grass fed, lean, organic meat to have as a treat here and there. A good rule to follow is the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent being fruits and vegetables and twenty percent being meats and starches. Once you get into it, it's not that bad. Hope you feel to your full self soon. Don't forget your water and green tea!

My husband's family has a history of heart disease (thankfully, he has no problem), I have Type II diabetes, and my mother struggles with arthritis. In researching each disease, I've discovered that the most effective preventative diets are all the same: high (complex) carbs--up to 80 percent of calories, low fat and low protein (10-15 percent each). Out of curiosity, I checked diets to prevent cancer and found those to be almost exactly the same. When I tried the program in _Reversing Diabetes_ by Julian Whitaker, my blood sugar dropped from over 600 to normal, and I was able to stop taking meds entirely. The point, I guess, is that high carb/low fat/low protein can work well. It's not all that hard to do, either, once you start thinking about substitutions in your regular recipes.

I think people eat too much protein in general. We're very protein-centric as a society with the belief that high protein/low carb is the best way to keep a controlled weight. A lot of people swear it's the only thing that works for them, which is fine as everyone is different, but I think high carb (of the right carbs - no sugar/flour) can be extremely healthy. Especially the produce/legume carbs over grains.

It's my believe from my research that the top two things you can do to really clean up your diet is 1. take out all processed/refined food 2. Take out all dairy. Eliminating meat and focusing on at least half of your food intake coming from fruits and veggies, preferably more, is optimal but sometimes unrealistic.

Thanks for all the tips. Because I've been on this forum for some years, I now make my own bread, so I'll be adding for WWF and other grains to it. And I also already have a pretty good, if unimaginative diet.

I went to a new market today, MOM's organic market. Local produce as well as meats and dairy. I'll be going there more often now.

My cholesterol has never been above normal, till now, and even now, it's not terrible at 221. I don't have diabetes, or any other risk factors, so it looks like my HDL which is in the good range is not protective (whatever that means) and I can't change that.

So it's diet and exercise and medication. I start cardiac rehab in a week or so.

Momj, sorry you had to go through that, but it sounds like you are going to be just fine! I recently read the latest research shows that it's not so much the LDL number, but the particle size. Large LDL particles usually don't cause a problem, but small ones do because they can infiltrate blood vessel walls and cause plaque. So even if you have high HDL, it might be not be enough to protect against small particles. Maybe ask your doc for a particle size test.

Sorry you went through that also.
DH and I are on the South Beach Diet...we love it. Low carbs and lots of veggies and lean meats.
First two weeks no fruit or carbs and slowly you add the fruit and carbs back in.

We really love it.

Linda

They keep learning new things all the time, don't they.

I don't have much to add to what's already been said, but I do want to tell you I'm sorry that happened to you. I hope all goes well for you as you recover.

There have been several salad threads on this forum. I love salads, and can eat them every day. Same with soup. It's hard to get soup to taste right to me without adding too much salt, but I don't use a lot of salt in other foods. I have never salted my salads, but add salty stuff to them, such as olives or parmesan cheese.

Sally

Some other tips - I don't buy Egg Beaters. They are just egg whites with color added and some other chemicals. Sub two egg whites for one egg in recipes. Throw out the yolks. Yes, it seems wasteful but consider it like the fat you cut off of meat. Sub nonfat yogurt for sour cream in some recipes, sub tofu for cheeses or creams in others, depending on the recipe. This works for dressings and creamy type sauce. Use just enough cheese for flavor. Sub part applesauce for some of the oil. I don't go completely non fat, I just shave as much as I can without sacraficing taste.

I am a huge fan of Cooking Light Magazine, and the Eating Well Web site, (magazine too). I get TONS of recipes from there. Lots of inspiration and ideas. Not every recipe works for every diet, but there are so many to choose from, you're bound to find something yummy.

A great way to cut the fat in some types of baking is to use prune puree. I like the flavour it adds to some things, like healthy breakfast/snack cookies that are loaded up with nuts, raisins/cranberries, oatmeal, bran, whole wheat flour. It also substitutes particularly well in carrot or chocolate cake/loaf/muffin recipes, or brownies. Making prune puree is simply pureeing prunes with water, a cup of prunes with a little more than 1/4 cup water. (Be aware that it will make a sticky mess of your blender or food processor.) Once made it will store in your fridge for months. Baked goods using prune puree stay moist longer, too.

I would like to add a vote for the South Beach Diet. I've lost 14 lbs and hubby has lost much more. (of course)
This must be an unsettling time for you, I'm sorry your pain. Now you have this major adjustment, not fun at all.
The good news is, this board is visited by many helpful and friendly people. I don't post often, but I thought I could help.
This blog, www.kalynskitchen.com, is a great resource for low glycemic (won't mess with your blood sugar) recipes!
One of my favorites:
White Bean and Artichoke Dip with Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips
(Makes about 2 cups of dip, recipe from Cooking New American.)

6-8 whole wheat flour tortillas (can also use pita bread)
olive oil for brushing on tortillas (I used a mister)
salt for sprinkling on tortillas (I used Vege-Sal)

1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts (I used artichoke bottoms which have hearts only, no leaves)
1 small clove garlic, chopped (about one tsp. chopped garlic)
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling on top
3 T freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary (I used frozen rosemary, if you only have dried rosemary be sure it's completely crushed)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
sweet paprika, for garnish

Preheat broiler and get out a large cookie sheet for toasting tortilla chips. Brush or spray each flour tortilla with olive oil, then cut into triangles. Arrange in single layer on cookie sheet and toast under the broiler, about 3-4 minutes per side. Watch them carefully, because they get too dark rather quickly. Chips will seem soft when you take them out of the oven, but they harden and crisp as they cool.
Drain beans into colander and rinse well, until no foam remains. Let drain at least 5 minutes. Drain artichokes. In food processor, combine beans, artichokes, garlic, and lemon juice and blend until fairly smooth. Keep food processor motor running and add the olive oil in a stream. Add parmesan, and finely chopped fresh rosemary and pulse about 10 times to blend. Season dip to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper.
Place dip in a serving bowl, sprinkle with a small amount of paprika and drizzle over a small amount of olive. Arrange tortilla chips around bowl and serve.
This printable recipe from KalynsKitchen.com.

Another favorite website is skinnytaste.com.
Chicken Piccata
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
2 (16 oz total) chicken cutlet halves, all fat trimmed
freshly ground black pepper
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup seasoned whole wheat dry bread crumbs
olive oil spray (about 1 tbsp worth)
1 tbs light butter
juice of 1 lemon, lemon halves reserved
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
1 tbsp capers
Sliced lemon, for serving
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving

Cut chicken into 4 cutlets, then place cutlets between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
In a shallow plate, beat the egg whites and 1 teaspoon of water together. Place the bread crumbs in another plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the egg, then bread crumbs.
Heat a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Spray a generous amount of olive oil spray on one side of the chicken, and lay it in the pan, oil side down. Spray the top of the chicken generously to coat and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Set aside until you make the sauce.
For the sauce, clean the saute pan. Over medium heat, melt butter, add the lemon juice, wine, chicken broth and the reserved lemon halves, salt, and pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes. Discard the lemon halves, add the capers and serve one chicken cutlet on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

I truly hope you are able to turn this around and get your heart healthy.
Sissy

So, Momj, how are you feeling today? A bit better, I hope? The other thing you might consider is looking at diabetic friendly recipes, they tend to be low fat and low sodium and healthy, although low carb.

I also second Cooking Light and Eating Well, both of whom have great websites. As Sissy said, you've got to get your heart healthy.

Annie

momj47,
If you're interested in the South Beach plan, here is a great website with lots of South Beach friendly recipes. It's a very reasonable way to eat.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kalyn's Kitchen

momj47,

I hope you are encouraged by the responses you've received so far. I am a breast cancer survivor on her way to heart disease and diabetes if I don't do something drastic with my diet and very soon at that. I've been indulging myself and hiding from the truth which isn't a sane or safe way to deal with one problem just bringing on more.

I used my last stick of butter 2 nights ago and I swear never to buy another (don't get me started on margarine).

So tonight I cut up a small winter squash, and instead of putting a big old pat of butter inside of each half I cut it into about 8 pieces and sprayed them with olive oil from the Misto sprayer - put a bit of fresh ground pepper and I have to admit I used a bit of fresh ground seasalt. Some crushed tarragon and orange zest. Into the oven to roast.

I found a wonderful bag of mixed baby greens for cooking - it had red and green chard, tat soi and spinach. I used a non-stick skillet, put some olive oil in with a few smashed cloves of garlic and tossed the greens in with about 2 tablespoons of dried cranberries. A bit of fresh black pepper, a little bit of low sodium soy and some sherry vinegar to finish it off. The greens were delicious. We ate the whole bag and that was only 40 calories each.

My problem is getting away from a big hunk of meat. Sadly, I wasn't very successful. I cooked a hamsteak with some pineapple slices. Bad, very bad.

So you take baby steps. I'm so sick of chicken. Maybe I should just have cooked another vegetable and called it a day. I love veggies.

I love butter. I love cheese. I love animal fat. They're not my friends.

I'll be checking back with you. I hope you don't have too much pain. I have more surgery again in a week, but not life threatening.

Best of health,

seagrass

Thanks again. Keep the suggestions coming. It seems like a lot of us have special healthy diet needs, maybe we can keep a thread running of our successful recipes.

I'm feeling better than I have in a long time, though still coming to terms with what has happened.

I've been looking at some of the recommendations in the diets - especially low fat dairy products and find that a lot of the fat is replaced by carbs and sodium.

Since fat and salt are what make food appealing, I'm going to have to find a way to reduce (but not eliminate) both while keeping my meals palatable. I'm a decent cook, so I think I can work this out. The real test will be this summer when my DD, SIL and grandchildren move in with me for a while - I can't wait.

I've given up on lettuce - I've had two serious food poisonings (dysentery) in the past few years from lettuce, though I do like baby spinach. I rarely eat fish - too toxic, expensive and endangered.

I'm going to try to stay with local organic products as much as possible. A lot of the "healthy" foods have additives that come from a lab, not a garden. Should be interesting.

Thanks
Barb

Here's one from Kalyn's Kitchen we had tonight and it was very good. Definitely a keeper! I substituted frozen green beans.

Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Balsamic, and Parmesan
(Makes 4-6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced in 1/2 inch slices (I used brown crimini mushrooms, but any mushrooms will work)
1 lb. fresh green beans, preferably thin French style beans
1 1/2 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 T finely grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450F/230C. Wash mushrooms and let drain (or spin dry in salad spinner, which is what I did.) While mushrooms are drying, trim ends of beans and cut beans in half so you have bite-sized pieces. (An easy way to trim them is to gather a small handful of beans, stand them up on cutting board, holding loosely so they will fall down and have ends ends aligned, then trim. Repeat with other end.) Cut mushrooms into slices 1/2 inch thick.

Put cut beans and mushrooms into a Ziploc bag or plastic bowl. Whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar and pour over, then squeeze bag or stir so all the beans and mushrooms are lightly coated with the mixture. Arrange on large cookie sheet, spreading them out well so beans and mushrooms are not crowded. Roast 20-30 minutes, starting to check for doneness after 20 minutes. Cook until beans are tender-crisp, mushrooms are cooked, and all liquid on the pan from mushrooms has evaporated. Season beans to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper, then sprinkle with finely grated parmesan. Serve hot.

Barb, I'm sorry you've had to go through unexpected surgery. I wish you a rapid recovery.

There is so much information out there on different diets but in my opinion, I think you'd want to aim for a diet you can live with for the rest of your life.

I'd suggest reading Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven. You don't need to be a vegetarian to appreciate her approach for treating vegetables and grains and how it has changed since the Moosewood Cookbooks. There are many delicious recipes and ideas to use as a springboard for healthier eating.

If you have a microwave, it's easy to steam fresh vegetables in it. Salads don't need to have lettuce and here are recipes for a few of our favorites. Don't forget about soups as a great way to add additional vegetables.

CURRIED CABBAGE, LEMON, AND RICE SALAD - 4 to 6 servings

Salad:
3 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 1/2 cups cooked, cooled brown rice
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup minced sweet red peppers
1/4 cup cooked fresh or thawed frozen peas
2 Tbs. minced fresh parsley

Dressing:
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup corn oil

Mix all salad ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients except oil until thoroughly combined. Slowly whisk in the oil. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss well. Chill thoroughly.

Source: Rodale's Garden-Fresh Cooking

SPINACH-ALMOND SALAD (serves 4)

4 cups spinach leaves
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbs. toasted sliced almonds

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. tarragon vinegar
1/2 tsp. crushed dried tarragon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine spinach, mushrooms and almonds in serving bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in small saucepan and heat to boiling. Pour hot dressing over salad and toss. Serve immediately.

MARRAKESH CARROTS - 4 servings

1 pound whole carrots, peeled and trimmed
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. salt (or less to taste)
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbs. minced fresh parsley

Place the carrots in a pot of cold water over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook until soft but not mushy, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and cool under cold water.

Meanwhile, place the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Whisk in the oil and then the remaining ingredients except parsley.

Cut the carrots into bite-sized dice. Add to the dressing and toss. Stir in parsley. Season with additional salt or spices to taste.

Source: Mohamed Jennah

I hope you enjoy experimenting with different food combinations that will help to keep your heart pumping happily along.