Heart Patients and Summer Foods

In the summer time at picnics and other gatherings, there is a variety of foods cooked by different people. Heart patients will not be able to enjoy the offerings as much as other people will. This is because the summer foods such as mayonnaise base salads, hot dogs and hamburgers, and potato chips are all laden with salts that and cholesterol which are not good for us.

To ensure that heart patients can eat and enjoy the day, they usually need to bring their own low salt alternatives. However, since every adult should be watching his or her sodium intake in my opinion, anyone can bring these items to any gathering. Perhaps if more people limited the salt there would not be as much of a meed for blood pressure pills.

There is low salt mayonnaise that can be used with low cholesterol macaroni that make a good salad. Most others who are not on this type of diet will eat it as well because it tastes good. Use low sodium mustard is desired but easy on the eggs, pickles, or olives, which are not on our diet. Opt for low sodium ranch dressing instead of plain mayo or salad dressing.

There are even low salt or no-salt potato chips that you can bring along to any outing. Picking up a bag of baked chips instead of chips, which are fried, is always a better idea. There are several brands of flavored crackers, which are low salt so they are a good idea as well.

Hot dogs, hamburgers, and even sausage usually have a very high fat content and are loaded with salt. Heart patients are supposed to avoid these. Instead, take some low fat Turkey slices, reduced salt mayonnaise, and a loaf of bread, which makes it healthier meal. You could even bring along some low sodium on sliced cheese. Do not forget the lettuce, tomatoes, and sliced onion, these toppings are sodium free.

If you are making a trail mix use, unsalted peanuts, bits of dark chocolate and marshmallows. If you want smores choose low salt graham crackers, dark chocolate and regular marshmallows. Add cool whip to cakes rather than frosting to make them available for heart patients.

Migraines, Blood Pressure and Salt Intake

If you are experiencing migraine headaches which are limiting your daily activities, and medications do not seem to help, I may have the solution for you. This is my personal observations over the years, as I have been suffering from migraines since I was five years old.

When I was growing up I had the usual childhood, ate the same things my siblings ate, yet the food did not affect us all the same. Three out of seven siblings got migraine headaches that bothered us to various degrees. I was the only one that was hospitalized for a migraine that lasted a week, but the three of us who suffered had numerous doctor visits.

I suffered three heart attacks within four days shortly after I turned forty-three and I began to watch what I ate. I was put on a low salt diet, as are most heart patients. It is commonly known that salt will increase blood pressure and if you have a high enough blood pressure, you have either a stroke or a heart attack.

I took my diet seriously and counted the milligrams of salt I consumed. I used a plain sheet of paper and wrote down the numbers I got from reading sodium levels on packages. I gave up foods, which seemed to have high amounts of sodium such as cheese and processed foods.

I also switched to sea salt that was recommended. What I learned is sea salt has just as much sodium as regular table salt has in it.. A quick read of labels on the grocery shelf will show that information. It is in your best interest to read every label that goes in your cart, no matter what product you are buying in the grocery store.

Before long the first anniversary of my heart attacks was coming around, and I realized that it had been over a year since I had a migraine. I realized that for myself there was a direct correlation between salt intake and migraines. As long as I keep my sodium intake below that limit of 2,000 milligrams, the headaches stay away. One those rare days when I have too much sodium I will get a migraine headache complete with the vomiting, sensitivity to light and of course the pounding headache.

 

Picnic Foods for Heart Patients and Diebetics

Heart patients and those with diabetes are often invited to picnics and cook outs during the summer. Those who cook the dishes, which are passed during these events, usually forget our special diets. Please do not forget us. Here are some ideas for your next event.

With so many people now on special diets, it might be hard to plan dishes for those among us who are on them. The heart diet is low salt, low fat and low cholesterol while the diabetic people limit sugar and those foods which break down to sugar.

When cooking the meats, please remember that many prepared sauces have high levels of sodium. Instead of slathering all of the chicken or beef with this sauce, sprinkle a few pieces of meat with Ms. Dash instead. The same with the burgers sprinkle them with a no salt seasoning, this way when we add mustard or ketchup we are not over loading on the salt content. Too much sodium is bad for everyone so it is best to try and limit is where ever you can.

The flavored chips are usually loaded with salt, so grab a few bags. It is best to purchase a flavored bag, a plain bag, and a plain bag with low salt. Mix the two bags of plain chips together and no one will be the wiser.

To make a heart healthy chip dip take a packet of Lipton French Onion soup mix and mix it with twice the amount of low fat sour cream. Trust me if no one sees you do this, no one will even taste the difference. We can use this dip on top of hamburgers rather than a slice of cheese, which has a quarter of the amount of salt adults, should eat a day.

When making potato or macaroni salads use low fat mayo instead of salad dressing. This is a great alternative. Items such as olives, pickles, mustard, and eggs, which really make salads of this type, taste delicious, are loaded with salt so please limit these things. Did you know that you can also lower the sodium content of pickles and olives by rinsing them off in cold water before you put them in the salad?

Cakes, other sweets, and pies are picnic staples but a better alternative is a nice fruit salad made with fresh fruit. If you use the canned variety, be sure to rinse of the items before you toss them in a bowl. Use low fat cool whip instead of regular cool whip. Another great alternative is to use jell-o. You can serve it plain or mix fruit in there.

Moderation is the key with Homemade Fries

I have to admit that for two years after my heart attacks I was scared to eat anything fried. I denied myself those homemade French Fries that I used to eat along with many other things.

One night while I was home alone recently and feeling like I had given up so much I put the olive oil on to heat.  As I cut up the potato, I had a brief moment of second thoughts. Then reality quickly took over and said I am not going to have another heart attack because I have a few French Fries here.

Those fries were so darn good, and I did not feel badly for giving into my craving. I know with the olive oil I fried them with the healthiest oil I knew of.

I did not salt them, homemade fries do not need anything.  I did mix my favorite dipping sauce, which is about a teaspoon of ketchup to 2 teaspoons of fat free mayo. I love this mix and its great on fries, or baked burgers. My granddaughters love this dip with their chicken nuggets.

I believe moderation is the key to everything we eat. Real French fries fried in olive oil once or twice a year is not going to kill me. 

Healthy Chicken Soup

Regular chicken noodle soup is off limits to people on a low salt diet because of the sodium levels. Even the healthier versions have too much sodium, cholesterol, or fat. That is not good for your heart or waistline either.

A healthy alternative to those prepared canned of soup is to make your own. It is far easier than one might think. I grew up eating homemade soups, I just got lazy when my children came along and used the canned crap they sell in the stores. After experiencing three heart attacks with four days, I went back to cooking homemade, as my parents had shown me.

To create a healthy alternative to the canned chicken noodle varieties you simply need is chicken, and noodles and a few shakes of Mrs. Dash. When I create mine I like to add frozen carrots, onions and once in a great while I will add some chopped celery.

I simply take a pan and add water. The amount f water really depends upon how much homemade chicken noodle soup you are going to make. I usually add four cups of water, two legs of skinless chicken, a quarter cup of chopped onion, 1 cup of frozen carrots and a few cups of dried low cholesterol noodles to the mixture when its time.

I allow the chicken and an onion to cook in the water until the chicken is done. Then I pull out the chicken, debone it, and add it back into the pan with the frozen carrots. Once the carrots are almost soft I will add in the noodles. Sprinkle in some of the Mrs. Dash to taste and you have a delicious pot of homemade chicken noodle soup.

The beauty of this simple recipe is the varieties are endless. Add turkey, beef, or even lean ground hamburger instead of the chicken. Have homemade chicken noodle soup with peas or green beans instead of carrots. You can also choose to use macaroni, wheels or another pasta product rather than the egg noodles.

If you want a cream based soup, boil a handful peeled potatoes. Use a masher to break them into smaller pieces right in the pan. Don't dump the water, instead add in a cup of 2% milk, and thicken it with mashed potatoes flakes. Add only enough flakes to get the right consistency, as you are not making mashed potatoes. Add in cooked turkey bacon or some cooked lean meat and vegetables if desired.

Skip the traditional soup seasonings and go with Mrs. Dash for a heart healthy homemade soup.