My brother just came home from open heart surgery. For the past ten years, he's lived on fast food and canned stuff. He expects to continue. His son is with him for a while and will cook for him. He needs a cookbook of simple, heart healthy recipes. Does anyone have any recommendations?
He lives in Indiana. All I can do is yell at him, which doesn't impress him.
Most of us don't respond well to being chastised or yelled at.. :)
I think most hospitals these days have some sort of Healthy Heart programs that offer group exercise for heart patients as well as dietary recommendations and advice. Do you think he would be likely to take advantage of a program like that?
If someone isn't feeling the motivation to change their ways on their own, and the hospital programs aren't available, it can be tough without a regular support system in place. What about one of the 20/20 lifestyle programs. Anything like that in his area?
I don't chastise him, I just get a little, um, excited.
The hospital sent him home with lots of prescriptions, but absolutely no dietary information. What kind of medical care is that?
I had to look up the 20/20 lifestyle. I can confidently predict he's not going to go for something that costs him $750 as an initial down payment for something he doesn't want to do anyway.
Thank you for trying to help.
sam-c
Member Profile
sorry to hear about your brother.
we have this cookbook, and use it often. the recipes are pretty easy and also delicious. (they are pretty economical too, as the recipes don't have a huge list of hard to find ingredients, which is maybe why we always refer to it)
AHA Quick & Easy Cookbook More Than 200 Healthful Recipes You Can Make In Minutes
http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-2137-aha-quick-easy-cookbook.aspx
charlabob
Member Profile
We have cookbooks and, as group health members, access to a lot of their programs -- free to read about and print.
Let me know if you want me to look up and send you some info.
C
Charla at charla dot com
sam-c, this cookbook sounds like what I'm looking for. But not being able to look at recipes...how simple are they? I don't mean for someone used to cooking. This would be someone who doesn't know how to cook. Are the directions exact and detailed? Or does it say things like, "Saute," without explaining what that means and how to do it? Thank you.
It sounds like your brother is into "comfort food". One of my favorite cookbooks is Don Mauer's "Lean and Lovin' It". He has a web site: http://www.theleanwizard.com. I'm sure much of what makes these recipes good for weight loss applies to heart patients' needs as well. The recipes are mostly simple, not a lot of exotic ingredients or tedious techniques. I really like how he takes common, well-loved dishes (meatloaf, burgers, fries, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, etc.) and re-makes them so that they are low-fat and can be part of one's regular diet. If your brother wants to eat "regular" food and is not interested in vegetarian or other cuisines that may be naturally healthier than what he's used to, he may enjoy this book.
Thanks, KBear, that sounds like a good bet, too.
squareeyes
Member Profile
Sadly the will to eat healthfully has to come from within. We'd been nagging my brother for many years to stop eating out 7 days a week to no avail. He's also got a breathing disorder so does not exercise in any way, shape, or form.
At his last visit here a couple of years ago he fell in love with the food my sister made - mostly recipes from Giada DeLaurentis' Everyday Italian cookbook, so she gave him a copy and he surprisingly started to cook from it. Every now and then he would boast via email that he had a freezer full of meals. He'd also occasionally email asking how to do this or that (such as mince garlic) and we were all more than happy to share our various cooking techniques/routines/tools.
Unbeknown to his siblings (4 sisters) he had topped out at 266 1.5 years ago (he's not tall) and made a quiet decision to lose weight. 16 months later his doctor told him he had lost 60 lbs and so he shared the news with us last week. What a great Christmas gift. Not that Everyday Italian has the most heart healthy of recipes, but my brother is proof that just learning to cook at home can make a huge difference in the fat and calorie consumption.
I guess what I'm saying is don't give up hope on him, but no amount of nagging is going to get him to change his way. He has to find his motivation...and he might just like Everyday Italian too.
You're right, Squareeyes, he has to decide for himself. But damned if I'm not going to give him all the encouragement I can manage.
I suggest checking the used book store/book exchange store(s) up in the Junction....they have quite a variety of of books including cookbooks. You may find hardbound and paperbacks - such as the Swedish Hospital's heart diet, etc. Keep encouraging him to eat well and perhaps he and his son would be interested in some hands-on cooking instruction right there in your own kitchen! Bless you for loving him so much!
Oops...I re-read and now understand he is home from hospital but not with YOU. So sorry....but still sugggest checking the used book store(s) - Sr Center store and American Cancer Society stores in the Junction for cookbooks!
Good suggestion, LAP. Thanks.
I'd suggest http://www.myfitnesspal.com. It's free and a great way to start logging the food you eat. It might be best to just start from there and then once he sees what he's doing, he can add friends and have a support group.
Thanks, tanyar23.
Thanks to a love of knowledge and a great dietician, my Dad who had 2 heart attacks entered the world of cooking healthy. He went from 280 to 160 lbs. He started walking 5 miles a day every day and learned stress management. My Dad lived for 20 more years on a heart that was terribly damaged and this was many years ago.
You said your brother lived in Indiana. Not far away in Kentucky there are programs at Duke University that I think would be helpful to him.
http://www.dukeintegrativemedicine.org/
Here are some other sites that might be interesting.
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/GettingHealthy_UCM_001078_SubHomePage.jsp
http://summertomato.com/8-reasons-regular-guys-should-learn-to-cook/
sam-c
Member Profile
(hey sorry I had a headache when i got home from work and didn't get on the computer).
the recipes in the American Heart Association "Quick and Easy cookbook" are really straightforward and easy for a beginning cook to understand:
here is the TOC:
Introduction
basics of a healthful diet
eating plans and shopping\getting organized
cooking for a healthy heart
how to use these recipes
Recipes-
breakfast dishes
appetizers, spreads and snacks
soups and stews
salads and salad dressings
sandwiches
fish and shellfish
poultry
meats
one dish meals
vegetables
pasta, rice and grains
sauces
breads
desserts
appendix:
A-Dining Out
B- Menus
C- Table of Equivalents
D- For further information
most of the recipes are 2-3 paragraphs, and about half as long as recipes in, for example, America's test kitchen new best recipes.
they are pretty easy to make as the book claims (some cookbooks say their recipes are quick but they take twice as long as they should)
to show you how complicated the recipes are, here is a sample soup recipe (w/out ingredient list):
in a medium saucepan, combine pumpkin, broth, salt, onion powder, pepper and nutmeg. cook over medium high heat until bubbly, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. stir in evaporated skim milk. heat through, about 5 minutes, but do not boil.
spoon into 4 bowls and top each serving with low-fat dollop of sour cream. garnish with pumpkin seeds if desired.
here is a pork recipe (w/out ingredient list):
spray a 12 inch skillet with vegetable oil. place over med-high heat.
cut pork into 12 slices and flatten each with the palm of your hand to about 3/4 inch thickness. add 6 pork slices to hot skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until slightly pink. remove from skillet and keep warm. repeat with remaining pork slices. reduce heat to medium. add remaining ingredients (<< 1 tbls margarine, 8 oz sliced mushrooms, 2 scallions sliced, 1 ts chopped rosemary, 1 tblspoon dry sherry (optional) >> ) cook until mushrooms are tender If desired, stir in sherry. pour mushrooms over pork.
hope that helps
A great book that outlines the what it takes to really make a long-lasting change to any habit is Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success. http://www.amazon.com/Change-Anything-Science-Personal-Success/dp/0446573914
There is a lot more to personal change than sheer motivation or willpower and this book shows you how to be aware of those forces and use them in your favor. An easy and engaging read. (Full disclosure: I work with the authors.)
Jiggers
Member Profile
Ever since I had my stomach surgery last year, I changed my diet as much as I could. I had no choice but to do it or face more illness. I wasn't a bad eater to begin with, so it was easier for me to make some decisions about eating healthier. The problem is I just don't have my own fridge/space to prepare and store healthy leftovers. If the individual doesn't want to put forth the effort, don't waste your time.
a couple of thoughts ... he needs to get over the shock of what has happened and the reality that his life has changed needs to sink in. As someone noted above, he won't embrace the necessary change until he decides he wants to. Support works best when you describe the changes you are making (i.e. hey, I found this great recipe that reminded me of something mom used to make!) rather than telling him what he needs to do.
first, for someone whose tastebuds have been saturated by the sugar, salts and fat in fast and commercial food, you have to wean them down, otherwise they go thru withdrawal and go back to the old way of eating. I bought a bag of Frito's 50% less salt and threw them away because they tasted awful.
Reducing salt (or sugar or whatever) slowly so that the taste difference isn't obvious is the best way to get compliance. Or, adding salt after cooking so you get the taste not the 'hidden' salt. Adding a spice or two that he likes to replace the salt can help. And, it sounds obvious, but he needs to learn to read labels so he can see the hidden salt, esp. in the pre-processed or pre-prepared foods at the store. I checked the nutrition for a national brand of pot pie, and there is enough fat and salt for an entire day ... and then I realized it was considered two servings!
With all the awareness about salt, there are a lot of reduced salt commercial products, for example, 'no salt added' corn and green beans from Del Monte. Learning to cook kidney beans from scratch is easy and reduces salt a lot.
Second, the American Heart Association website is a great resource on this issue, as the Swedish Hospital Heart Institute. The local papers also often run good, healthy recipes. The approach of using more fresh foods and getting your food closer to the source (i.e. dry kidney beans instead of canned) is the best way to control diet in the long run. Hopefully, your brother will take on the challenge of learning to cook and re-training his taste buds and come to enjoy his new way of living.
Here's an excellent article from the New York Times (republished in the Seattle Times) on the effects of a high sodium diet:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2017104569_personalhealthsalt27.html
Jiggers
Member Profile
My dad died a year ago in January and was a very unhealthy eater all his life. He hated salad and anything color green. He had a chemical embalance in his brain. He loved lemonade because it was sweet but also had a very high sodium content. He gulped his beverage down because it was instant gratifacation. He never learned or changed his habits and died fifteen years too young. My mom yelled at him also which never worked. He ate what he wanted to, and no one was going to stop him. So sad...As to the salt content, I have severe cellulites/adema. In my case it's hereditary and not due to one owns self indulgence.Both my parents had gout. I hope I don't get that crap. I battle mild to chronic pain everday from swelling. Powerful meds helps me, but drags my arse a lot. I am always looking to eat healthier. I'm lucky that my heart is still very strong. You can use rock salt to season your cooking. Rock salt leaves your body unlike table salt.
Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll now see how many I can (tactfully, Franci) persuade him to accept.
Start with basics: control of saturated fat and overall calorie total.
From there it depends on his medical details. But just focus on a couple things to work on instead of a whole list. Fix one or two bad habits and you'll have made progress.
Franci is exactly right - nobody likes being yelled at. I had a doctor who did that. Be the person who offers sensible advice.
Food should taste good, right? Oils and greases will do that, but so will spices. Rosemary or curry or just plain Tabasco are all better for your heart than deep-fried oil is. Go with spices.
maplesyrup
Member Profile
As others have pointed out, there are tons of resources online. Even Epicurious has recipes that are sortable by the "healthy" classification.
The Mediterranean style of eating is not only flavorful, but very healthy too. Many only think of it as just Greek or a Southern Italian style of cooking, but it is so much more. I believe about 14-16 countries make up the region. This allows for very rich, diversified and healthy meal planning opportunity. To add to its appeal, many of dishes are easy, fast and fun to make.
From the Mayo Clinic:
Key components of the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes:
Getting plenty of exercise
Eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts.
Replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil.
Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods.
Limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month.
Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week.
Drinking red wine in moderation (optional).
The diet also recognizes the importance of enjoying meals with family and friends.
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