Cardiac Diet

18 years ago

Hello! It's been a little while since I've been here. My Mom wound up in the hospital a few weeks ago due to difficulty breathing. As it turns out, she has a mitral valve that is not working properly, atrial fibrillation and has had a silent heart attack quite some time ago (months before she wound up in the hospital)! Mom spent about a week and a half in the hospital. She is doing amazingly well on just medication for the time being. The cardiologist wants to monitor her over the next few months to she how she does on just medication. The surgeon in the hospital was saying that she needed surgery. We like the idea of monitoring and medication better than surgery!

Anyway, her first weekend home I was cooking meals for her and she complained that everything was hopelessly bland. My sister went home this weekend and cooked for Mom. Mom still complained that everything was hopelessly bland.

I was hoping you could come up with recipes that aren't hopelessly bland for cardiac patients. Here's the criteria: no salt, low fat, low sugar, no brassica veggies, no dark green leaf veggies (both interfere with her Coumandin). I know it's a challenge! Thanks for your help.

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Comments (7)

triciae
18 years ago
Good to hear from you again! I'm sorry your Mom is having heart problems but pleased to read she's home & able to avoid surgery.

I think Mrs. Dash may become your new best friend. On their link below are lots of recipes using their various herb/spice blends all of which, I think, are salt & MSG free.

Things like lemon chicken over brown rice pilaff (made with just a touch of olive oil, if permitted?), some diced onions & carrots with a small fruit salad makes a good dinner.

If Mom is used to highly salted foods it will take 3-4 weeks for her taste buds to adjust...most Americans eat diets very high in sodium & we're so accustomed to salt that we don't even realize how much we're consuming.

By limiting the cheese content, Mexican food can be low-fat & still very flavorful due to the spices & chilis. How about chicken enchilladas verde with just a couple tablespoons sprinkling of low-fat mozzarella on top served with a side of refritos...oviously, don't fry them in lard. :) Lots of flavor, low-fat, low-sodium, & high fiber. Use dried bean & cook them yourself...the canned beans are loaded with sodium!

I'm assuming she may have limited Omega-3 fish? If so, salmon doesn't require salt & is terrific served on top of a big salad (minus any brassica components) with a few almonds, red grapes, sliced mango, etc. Very good & flavorful meal.

For a dessert...try 1/2 banana with Yoplait 'Chocolate-Raspberry' Mousse-Style yogurt over the top! Mom will never know it's not a 'real' dessert.

/tricia
Lars
18 years ago
Grilling will intensify the flavors of a lot of vegetables. I actually prefer them without salt, although I sometimes add a bit of pepper and/or olive oil. My favorites are zucchini, mushrooms, and onions.

I think you can also try some vinegars for extra flavor. Try to find some black Chinese vinegar - it is a good substitute for soy sauce, and the Japanese drink it for health. Of course there are lots of other vinegars you can use as well, in case you get tired of lemon juice. I like malt vinegar on fish.

Get some good curry powder, and you will be able to add that to a lot of dishes. The last time I was at Penzey's (with my friend Maartje, who lives just a few blocks from there), I bought some Majarajah Curry Powder, which I really like. I think you could add garlic to a lot of dishes (along with lemon juice and perhaps some dill) for more flavor. If you get fresh herbs, you will achieve a better flavor in most cases.

Lars
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triciae
18 years ago
Oops, forgot the link..

Here is a link that might be useful: Mrs. Dash Recipes
shambo
18 years ago
Booberry, I understand the challenge very well. My husband is a congestive heart failure patient and also must follow a low sodium diet. I second the suggestions about purchasing some interesting spice blends and exploring ethnic food flavors. As Lars mentioned, flavored vinegars are great. I've been collecting recipes, hints, product sources, etc. for two years now. Slowly but surely, I'm putting all my "wisdom" on a blog. Check it out. Also, I've created a table of useful low sodium products & where I can purchase them. If you'd like me to email it to you, just let me know. There are lots of ways to perk up low sodium meals, but it is a challenge and requires some careful thought.

Here is a link that might be useful: Please DON'T Pass the Salt!
donnar57
18 years ago
I sooooo understand what you're going through. My husband is a cardiac patient as well (and being VERY uncooperative about what I put in front of him to eat - I told him he is slowly killing himself).

Anyway, here's a thread I started here right after my husband's heart attack - and all the responses.

DonnaR/CA

Here is a link that might be useful: Cardiac cookbook and cooking thread
booberry85
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks everyone! I left my Mom some spices from Penzey's. She has Adobo seasoning, Tuscan Sunset and Sunny Paris. That way she has a few distinct flavors to pick.

Tricia & Lars, I think Mom will be getting an array of different Mrs. Dash and flavored vinegar products for Mothers day.

Donna, I'm glad you posted a link to that thread. I looked through my collection of cookbooks and think I have a few that will be helpful.

Thanks so much!
Karigraphy
18 years ago
I hope your mother is feeling better now that she's home and on meds. My mother has had congestive heart failure beginning Christmas Eve 2006. She's been a bit of a health food nut for a long time since my father had a stent put in several years ago.

Does your mother like hot spices? That would give her a lot more options like salsa, chili pepper/powder, and spicy curry powder that may be used.

The links look good . . . I'm going to forward them to MY mother.

Kari

Cardiac Diet

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triciae

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Cardiac Diet

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