Heart Healthy Eating

[txdon]

This thread is a spinoff of the thread "Wish me luck or a fast ambulance". That thread was started in regards to my first attempt to finish a 5K after completing Cardiac Rehab after my heart attack. I finished the race and continue to do everything to reverse my heart disease. That thread evoked interesting recipes and cooking dishes. We decided the food, which is plant-based with no added oils, deserves it's own thread.

This means no meat/fish/chicken/etc....no dairy, no eggs, no added oils.
Some other foods high in fat are also eliminated like nuts, some seeds, olives, coconut, and avocados.

We are basically eliminating cholesterol and severely limiting fat to only what occurs naturally in whole grains, legumes and vegetables.

If you have a heart healthy recipe that meets this criteria, please post. Pictures always help.

 

[TBDonnelly]

txdon posted a link to this cinammon roll recipe on the original thread.

We have a winning recipe for a desert/snack.

Cinnamon buns - plant-based-fat free.

Whole Wheat, Fat Free Vegan Cinnamon Buns Recipe | HappyHerbivore.com

The changes I made were:

I made smaller buns, mini-buns, I rolled out 2 small rolls instead of one large one and cut them 3/4" thick.
I doubled the filling. Don't put the raisins in the filling, It's very hard to spread, so after you spread the filling on the dough sprinkle the raisin before you roll them.
I eliminated the greasing of the pan and instead sprinkled wheat germ on the bottom of the pan so they would not stick.
I let the rolls rise for 30 minutes before cooking them.

(The 6g of fat in the entire batch is from the whole wheat pastry flour.)

Make sure you make enough because even the ones not on the diet will gobble them up.
They also freeze well.:thumbsup:

Thru some experimentation made a few amendments that added some needed moisture to the recipe.

Added extra apple. I used fresh apples and used a blender to make apple sauce. I also left the apple sauce a little 'chunky'.

Used 'baking raisins', more moist for baking. Also 'golden' raisins add to the moisture. (The moister raisins made a BIG improvement in the dryness factor.) I used some of each in the most recent batch.

Let the dough 'rest' in a ball for 4 hours. Half way through, beat it down and formed the ball again. After 4 hours flattened and spread the filling/raisins, rolled up and cut in 3/4" slices, then let the 'ready to bake' rolls sit for another 2 hours. The dough plumped up more and the finished rolls increased in size by a third to a half. There is some flexability in the time allowed for the yeast to do it's 'thing'. 30 minutes to 6 hours rest time has been used. The recipe calls for whole wheat 'pastry' flour. Had to shop a few stores to find the 'pastry' version of whole wheat flour. Found it at 'Whole Foods'.

My 'panel of tasters' liked 'em. The last batch with the baking and golden raisins, the tasters loved 'em :thumbsup:. Much more moist. :licking:

The picture is part of our first batch.

Don

 

[Combustix]

TXdon before you throw out the meat, take a look at goat as compared to beef chicken fish and pork. I do not have any of my recipe or nutrition books with me but it's all over the internet. Just a thought. and you'll be surprized by how good it tastes.

 

[ronjhall]

Link back to original thread.
Wish me luck or a fast ambulance.

 

[txdon]

TXdon before you throw out the meat, take a look at goat as compared to beef chicken fish and pork. I do not have any of my recipe or nutrition books with me but it's all over the internet. Just a thought. and you'll be surprized by how good it tastes.

Combustix, I really, really wish there was a meat (any meat because with smoke and spices any meat can taste excellent) that would help in the reversal of heart disease. The internet is full of contradictory information. The information I am giving here is based on studies that have been done and being done by heart doctors, not food producers. I have personally gone to the labs, talked to the cardiologist personally and have talked to several nutritionist on reversing heart disease. It can be done, it has been done, but only on a very strict diet.
All meat and all animal products contain cholesterol.

After a heart attack or heart procedure you try to find the cause and food (fat and cholesterol intake) is usually the main culprit. You now look at food for nutritional value and detrimental value first and enjoyment second.

Nutrition facts, calories in food, labels, nutritional information and analysis – NutritionData.com is a web site that is easy to use and you can put the same number of grams of food together for a good comparison. Below I have the comparison with 100 grams of goat meat to 100 grams of each of the other meats.

Goat meat - fat 3g, sat fat 1g, Cholesterol 75mg
Brisket - fat 21, sat fat 8g, Cholesterol 71mg
Lean HB meat- fat 6g, sat fat 3g, Cholesterol 76mg
Chicken breast-fat 3g, sat fat 1g, Cholesterol 77mg
Lean pork - fat 6g, sat fat 2g, Cholesterol 53mg
Salmon - fat 12, sat fat 3g, Cholesterol 63mg

If Portion size varries of just a couple of grams (one small bite) any could surpass the other.

As you can see for those serious in reversing heart disease all are off the menu.

{Please check with you cardiologist or doctor when making any diet changes}

Some of my heart meds have been eliminated, some reduced.

Ron, thanks for the link to the original thread.
Don, can't wait to try the recipe with the modifications.

 

[SandburRanch]

We are basically eliminating cholesterol and severely limiting fat to only what occurs naturally in whole grains, legumes and vegetables.

******************************************************
I wish you well with your endeavors but at the same time don't overlook what fats the brain needs to stay healthy.

Copied and Pasted:

Avocados
Natural nut butters like peanut, almond, cashew
Flaxseeds
Flaxseed oil
Seaweed sources: algae, spirulina, blue-green algae, and chlorella
Chia seeds
Olive oil


A heart-healthy diet doesn't necessarily need to be a low-fat diet. A diet rich in monounsaturated fats can help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and other risk factors. Monounsaturated fats are olive oil, avocadoes, and nuts such as almonds. Use these as your primary sources of fat.

 

[forgeblast]

We really like eating
quinoa, just get the prewashed variety. It can be bland but you can add what ever you want to it. Its also gluten free.
Quinoa with Chickpeas and Tomatoes Recipe - Allrecipes.com
is a recipe i will be trying soon.

 

[brin]

Edamame Appetizer Recipe >. I forgot all about this..maybe ya'll already know about how good this is ..but I buy these Edamame at Sam's club in the Frozen Veggie section...about $5.00 for a 5 lb. bag...These are great...delicious in fact and you can even use the microwave but the link below gives a recipe..they are soy beans in the pod and you eat them as a snack ....don't laugh..these are really good and addictive...Try it and let me know how you like it...Thank me later...:licking:

http://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t--2164/edamame-appetizer.asp

 

[Egon]

Maybe it's time for a visit to a qualified Dietician.:thumbsup:

 

[txdon]

******************************************************
I wish you well with your endeavors but at the same time don't overlook what fats the brain needs to stay healthy.

Copied and Pasted:

Avocados
Natural nut butters like peanut, almond, cashew
Flaxseeds
Flaxseed oil
Seaweed sources: algae, spirulina, blue-green algae, and chlorella
Chia seeds
Olive oil


A heart-healthy diet doesn't necessarily need to be a low-fat diet. A diet rich in monounsaturated fats can help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and other risk factors. Monounsaturated fats are olive oil, avocadoes, and nuts such as almonds. Use these as your primary sources of fat.

A heart healthy REVERSING diet DOES need to be a low fat diet. A diet rich in mono saturated fats can help lower cholesterol, blood pressure and other risk factors ONLY WHEN COMPARED TO SATURATED FATS. I am not talking about controlling risk factors in these foods I am talking about reversing Confirmed heart disease.


Dr. Esselstyn states:
NO REFINED OILS.
Chapter 10 is titled "Why Can't I Have "Heart Healthy" oils.

Olive oil is 14-17% saturated, artery clogging fat.

Studies are cited where heart disease progressed just as much as those consuming monounsaturated fats as it had in those eating saturated fats.

Monounsaturated fats do increase HDL and lower LDL but coronary disease still develops.

It has to do with the fats temporarily injuring the endothelial cells in the lining of the artery compromising their ability to produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is what keeps arteries slick and keeps plaque from developing.

For pages and pages of details (to the cellular level) and for the studies:
"Prevent and Reversing Heart Disease" by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. M. D.

All food has fat, even lettuce. To reverse, you have to get down to 10-15% fat intake. I do take ground flaxseed meal with my oatmeal in the morning for the omega3 and I do take a vitamin B12, since my vegetables are not fertilized with manure.

Every one has a different tolerance to fat and cholesterol before it becomes deadly, mine happens to be low, my brother's is high. However I can and must adjust my intake. For me moderation kills, for my brother moderation is OK.

 

[Combustix]

Txdon gotcha no cholesterol, that is a tough one. Good luck

 

[stevess]

looks like you've done your research. i wish you luck in your recovery. can't really offer anything as i havn't crossed that rode yet. my father had a heart attack in his mid forties which is where i'm at now. i did order some teff which is a high protein grain from etheopia. i had seen it on a tv show recently and thought i'd give it a try. kinda like oatmeal but alittle gritty. eating right is sooooo boring.
steve

 

[txdon]

Maybe it's time for a visit to a qualified Dietician.:thumbsup:

Been there done that.

Some dietitians only try to limit the risk factors and use the American Heart Association guidelines. These have failed for me and others. Other dietitians are not afraid to tell you what you must do to reverse heart disease. You can pick your dietitian to match what you want to do, not what you need to do. Sometimes you just want to take control of your life and know the facts whether they are pretty or not.

 

[txdon]

looks like you've done your research. ..... eating right is sooooo boring.
steve

Had a laugh on the boring part, you are sooooo right. However A few of us here will try to spice it up a bit, and make the best of it. Thanks for being part of this thread. My Grandfather died at 63 after a long battle with heart disease, I had my heart attack at 56. He ate hog lard, I grew up with trans fat.....

 

[stevess]

i think julia child would only use lard. that's all the flavor!

 

[txdon]

Brin, I'll have to try that for an evening snack, I'll see if our Sam's has the edamame beans. It seems almost too simple but then it is a good substitution for eating something like peanuts. I wonder how Bird would like them.

ForgeBlast, I'll try that recipe, I like quinoa. The only modification is leaving out the oil and that should not affect the taste.

 

[magicheater]

We really like eating
quinoa, just get the prewashed variety. It can be bland but you can add what ever you want to it. Its also gluten free.
Quinoa with Chickpeas and Tomatoes Recipe - Allrecipes.com
is a recipe i will be trying soon.

YES!! Every morning w/o fail!!

 

[txdon]

TBDonnelly you were asking about substitutions on the other thread I'll answer you here.

A butter/oil substitute I just got from a fellow runner, but have not yet tried, is "Sunsweet lighter bake". It's in the cooking section near oils in our grocery store (HEB). Some pictures below.

Also you can use equal portions of applesauce for oil substitutions.

For egg substitution I use 2 TBsp corn starch OR 1 TBsp ground flaxseed meal with 3 TBsp water.

I have been looking and have not found a good substitution for cream cheese that is both dairy and oil free.

I searched today but our store does not carry the baking raisins. I'll have to wait till we go to the big town for that.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Your brain needs cholesterol to function. You should look into arginine. Opens the blood vessels.

 

[Chef Pa]

We have been using 1T flaxseed meal + 3T water for an egg substitute and it works well. Flaxseed and a little water, mixed into a paste, works good for 'greasing' pans for baking.

Regarding boring... I was a big time meat eater for 47 years. Still crave meat and most likely always will. Don and others have said it several different ways, but this lifestyle change (it really isn't a diet) is pretty painless compared to being sawed in half and having arteries torn out of my leg for bypass. This is the only known method found to be successful in reversing arterial blockage, and I'm believer enough after about a month to say I plan on sticking with it. Yes, sometimes I think it's pretty boring, but not compared to the other options.

If you had asked me four years ago if I would ever do anything like this I would have said - It would be a cold day, might as well build the box. Guess things have changed a bit since then.

Also, thanks again to Don for posting the info on this subject. Not out of the woods yet, but I feel much better than the past couple of years.

Greg