Chronicle of My Husband's Heart Attack

From the American Heart Association website:

Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fat exists in food as well as in the body. They’re also present in blood plasma and, in association with cholesterol, form the plasma lipids.

Triglycerides in plasma are derived from fats eaten in foods or made in the body from other energy sources like carbohydrates. Calories ingested in a meal and not used immediately by tissues are converted to triglycerides and transported to fat cells to be stored. Hormones regulate the release of triglycerides from fat tissue so they meet the body’s needs for energy between meals.

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In addition to eating olive oil each day, my husband’s cardiologist recommends eating almonds to reduce the risk of a heart attack. What is it about almonds that helps keep our hearts healthy?

Almonds contain significant stores of antioxidants (35% of the daily recommended value for vitamin E), as well as fiber, arginine—a protein that keeps arteries elastic—and phytochemicals known as plant sterols, which help lower harmful LDL cholesterol levels while maintaining beneficial HDL levels. A three-month study done at Loma Linda University and presented at the Experimental Biology 2000 conference found that when participants added just two ounces of almonds a day to their already low-saturated fat and cholesterol diet, their levels of harmful LDL cholesterol dropped even lower.

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Last week, my husband who is a cardiac patient, was told that he is pre-hyperglycemic (pre-diabetic). His glucose blood level is 109 and it should be below 99. So we must undergo another lifestyle/diet change. Jim has been following the cardiac diet. Now it looks like he’ll do better with the cardiac-diabetes diet. Here’s is the cardiac-diabetes diet that was given to us at the Boston Medical Center:

• What is a Cardiac-Diabetic Diet:
  -Low in total fat: limit oils, mayonnaise, salad dressing, margarine
  -Low in saturated fat: limit butter, lard, animal meat, coconut, cheese, ice cream
  -Low in trans fat: avoid packaged snack foods, chips, French fries, donuts
  -Low in sodium: avoid salt, pickles, ketchup, soy sauce, baking soda
  -Low in cholesterol: avoid whole milk, cream, egg yolk, organ meats
  -Low in concentrated sweets: avoid sugar, jelly, candy, syrup, marshmallow

You can still consume many of your favorite foods while following the cardiac-diabetic diet, but it is very important to pay attention to how much you are eating at each meal. Controlling portion sizes will help to limit your intake of fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar. Following the Diabetic Food Guide Pyramid is an easy way to ensure you are eating a wide variety of food and getting all of the nutrients you need. Below you will find the number of servings you should consume daily from each group with examples of what constitutes a serving size.

Healthy cooking methods: grill, boil, steam, braise, broil, roast, microwave, bake

• What Counts as a Serving?
  Breads, grains & other starches (6-11 servings): 1 slice of bread, 1 oz. unsweetened ready-to-eat cereal, 1/2 cup rice, pasta, cooked cereal 

  Vegetables (3-5 servings): 1 cup raw leafy vegetables, 1/2 cup other vegetables, cooked or raw, 3/4 cup low sodium vegetable juice

  Fruits (2-3 servings): 1 medium apple, orange, banana, pear, 1/2 cup chopped, cooked, canned fruit, 3/4 cup fruit juice

  Milk & Dairy (2-3 servings): 1 cup skim or 1% milk, 1 cup low-fat or fat-free, no sugar added yogurt, 1 1/2 oz. natural cheese, part skim milk, 2 oz. processed cheese, low sodium, part skim

  Meats & Meat Substitutes (2-3 servings): 2-3 oz. cooked lean meat, poultry or fish, 1/2 cup cooked dry beans, 1 egg counts as 1-oz. of lean mean, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter counts as 1-oz. lean meat, 1/3 cup of unsalted nuts counts as 1-oz. meat

  Fats, Oils, Sweets (Use Sparingly)

• Foods Allowed on the Cardiac-Diabetic Diet
  Meats: chicken (without skin, white meat), turkey (without skin, white meat), pork tenderloin or center chops (with visible fat trimmed off), ham (no cured or canned with salt added), duck & pheasant (without skin), venison, lamb (roast, chop, or let), beef (round, sirloin, flank steak, tenderloin, roast (rib, chuck, rump), steak (T-bone, porterhouse), ground round. Select choice grades only, with visible fat trimmed off. 

  Meat Substitutes: egg whites, egg substitute (Egg Beaters, Scramblers), tofu (no added salt), fresh fish (no smoked or salted), canned tuna (canned in water and rinsed after opening, no salt added), fresh shellfish (**high in cholesterol…limit to less than 6 oz. per day), dry beans, lentils, legumes, canned beans, lentils, legumes (no salt added)

  Dairy: skim or 1% milk, low fat or nonfat, no sugar added yogurt, fat free cream cheese, low fat or 2% cheese, fat free sour cream, low fat cottage cheese

  Condiments & Seasonings: sugar free jelly or jam, Mrs. Dash, fresh & dried herbs, spices (avoid garlic salt & onion salts), sugar substitutes (Equal, Sweet ‘n Low), pepper, hot sauce, Tabasco, lemon juice, light soy sauce

  Fruits: all fresh fruits, canned fruit in water or juice (no syrup), no sugar added dried fruits, 100% fruit juice (no sugar added)

  Vegetables: all fresh vegetables, canned vegetables with no added salt, all frozen vegetables (with no sauces or salt added), low sodium vegetable juice, low sodium salsa

  Grains, Cereals, Pastas: whole wheat breads, whole grains (wheat, bulgur, bran, corn, rye, etc.), basmati or long grain rice, whole grain crackers (unsalted tops), wheat pasta, whole grain oats, whole grain, high fiber cereals

  Fats: avocado, canola, olive, peanut oil, nuts (almonds, cashews, mixed, peanuts, pecans (unsalted, no salt added)), peanut butter, unsalted, light or fat free margarine

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