Heart Healthy Cookbook Recs Needed

sivyaleah

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So.

My husband had a heart attack Wednesday. He's ok. I was home when it happened recovering from a pulled tooth (thankfully) and recognized what was happening and got him over to the hospital pronto. He had an angioplasty and stent placed. Came home Friday.

We eat pretty darn healthy at home as it is because I myself started doing that last year (I've lost 42 pounds over the year) but he'd been slacking off on his diabetes mediation (he has Type II - which I suspected he wasn't taking) and sneaking foods he should not have been eating when I wasn't home (which I also suspected). This event certainly has put fear into him to say the least.

Anyway, the one thing which I could use help with recommendations for heart healthy cookbooks because while I already know how to cut back on bad fats and know about portion control etc what I'm not good at is sodium control for instance because this wasn't an issue for me specifically and prior to this, wasn't aware it was for him either. I'd also like help help with swapping out fats and using other items (like applesauce or yogurt in lieu of oils in baking etc.).

This is going to be really necessary going forward. I have no idea what cookbooks and/or websites to use to find good, interesting heart healthy recipes as opposed to just "healthy" recipes. Let alone ones I personally will find edible also OMG

Kindle versions a plus!

Thanks!
 

artiemom

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OMG 😮. ((((Hugs)))):grouphug:

I do not think I can be of much help. When I was cooking for my dad, I focused on no/low salt, salt free cooking; making things from scratch. I would skim soups, buy extra lean things. It was really tuff.

I heard the American Heart Association has a pretty good cookbook. Wonder how an old Weight Watchers cookbook would be? If you can find one.
 

betsygee

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I don't have any specific recipe ideas, just wanted to say I'm glad your husband is okay! :hugs: I'm happy you were home and got him to the hospital quickly.
 
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sivyaleah

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OMG 😮. ((((Hugs)))):grouphug:

I do not think I can be of much help. When I was cooking for my dad, I focused on no/low salt, salt free cooking; making things from scratch. I would skim soups, buy extra lean things. It was really tuff.

I heard the American Heart Association has a pretty good cookbook. Wonder how an old Weight Watchers cookbook would be? If you can find one.
Thanks.
Yea, it's going to be difficult on the sodium part I think. From scratch especially because I work full time and am out of the house at 5am and not home until after 6pm. Weekends are for errands etc. I don't have the wherewithall to be prepping meals for the week let alone I never know what we'll be in the mood for on any particular day. I might make something and then really not want it.

However, having said that, I DO make our dinner from scratch in the sense that everything is fresh - the protein is usually a piece of fish, fresh veggies and a side grain of typically something like brown rice, quinoa, farro etc. I have been resorting to prepared packaged items of those but that's going to have to stop because of the salt content. But, that I can handle I guess.

We also like vegetarian meals so that happens also.

WW recipes leave me cold. I used to be on WW for years and never liked any of them. Or very little of them. I will look into the AHA one though. Thanks for that suggestion. It would be good if I can find some crock pot type recipes that I can portion out so even if we don't eat them right away I can freeze them and have them ready for when we are in the mood.
 
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sivyaleah

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I don't have any specific recipe ideas, just wanted to say I'm glad your husband is okay! :hugs: I'm happy you were home and got him to the hospital quickly.
Thanks Betsy. I have to say, knowing that heart attacks do NOT always look like they do on TV or in the movies was important. It was a lot less dramatic. Plus, those with diabetes tend to have different symptoms than those high profile type too. Like, he wasn't having that left arm pain they always say happens at all. Just suddenly horribly exhausted, cold, clammy, violently nauseous and said his lungs hurt. And he looked really kind of "gray". I let that go on for only about 10 minutes and finally said I was really concerned, that he's nearly 61 and everything he was telling me could be indicative of a heart attack and, better safe than sorry. As soon as he said he was concerned - which he NEVER EVER says - I was like OK let's go now. Hospital is literally only a few blocks from home so I drove him there because I figured by the time I called for an ambulance and it got there, we'd already be at the ER.
 

lizzie

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I earned a lot from my three favorite heart healthy cookbooks...Heart Smart/Sugar Wise by Mary Stangl,and Healthy Homestyle Cooking and More Healthy Homestyle Cooking by Evelyn Triboli.Used copies are available on amazon for really cheap right now.Her recipes are very home friendly,easy to read,uncomplicated,and the substitutions she teaches will stick with you forever.I basically have stopped cooking with salt except where it's a must,and then I cut way back.I have switched to using sea salt in a grinder set on fine because the sea salt has a more intense flavor (to me) and we use so much less than we used to.I keep things on hand all the time like fat free 1/2 and 1/2,ff sour cream,ff cream cheese,low sodium chicken broth and vegetable broth,apples and carrots especially as I can add them to baked goods (my hubby is also diabetic) for moisture and flavor.I hope this helps you!There are so many options out there I never even gave any thought to before I read her books.
 

artiemom

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I bought:
Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook for Two
By. Pamela Ellgen.

I got in on Amazon. The shipping time was fast but is not expensive. I noticed there are diabetic information with each recipe.

May be worth a look at.

Sorry, could not insert a link , with my phone. Computer Illiterate :dunno:
 

LTS3

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The American Heart Association has quite a few cookbooks:


Your local library may have the cookbooks available so you can browse first before deciding to buy a copy of the book.

The web site also has a section on healthy eating and recipes:

 
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sivyaleah

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Thanks everyone!

I like the idea of heading to the library first. I was reading reviews of several books on Amazon and was somewhat disappointed that many that got 4 and 5 star reviews actually had quite a few comments from people mentioning recipes not being written well or other issues such as increased sugar content due to lowering of fat content (frequently sugar is increased to make the food taste better) or the use of sodium substitutes in the recipe which is not allowed for those with heart disease or diabetes.

Being as I've become an expert label reader in the past year, these kinds of things pop out at me when I make purchases already so I'd rather borrow the book I guess first. I'll try to hit up the library next weekend and pull out a bunch and see what I can find and if any are decent, but them afterwards.
 

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Oh wow, sivyaleah sivyaleah I'm glad your husband is OK. That had to be scary for both of you.

I use a lot of recipe from Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking books. All of the nutritional information is listed at the end of every recipe, so you can figure out if you want to try it or not. I've also used Cooking Light magazine.

As LTS3 LTS3 mentioned, the AHA has a ton of really good books for heart-healthy eating. Definitely try them. And the American Diabetes Association, too; I would think they have some good books for you to try.

One thing about Amazon: Sometimes I think their reviews aren't all they're cracked up to be. I tend to take them all with a grain of salt. .
 
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sivyaleah

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Oh wow, sivyaleah sivyaleah I'm glad your husband is OK. That had to be scary for both of you.

I use a lot of recipe from Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking books. All of the nutritional information is listed at the end of every recipe, so you can figure out if you want to try it or not. I've also used Cooking Light magazine.

As LTS3 LTS3 mentioned, the AHA has a ton of really good books for heart-healthy eating. Definitely try them. And the American Diabetes Association, too; I would think they have some good books for you to try.

One thing about Amazon: Sometimes I think their reviews aren't all they're cracked up to be. I tend to take them all with a grain of salt. .
Thanks Pam. I used to subscribe to Cooking Light years ago. Had a box load of old issues and finally tossed them, along with all my Martha Stewart mags which I could kick myself for now! But you know, one can only keep so much stuff in a small house.

I'll look up Taste of Home. I'm not familiar with that one at all.
 

AbbysMom

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Laurie, I'm so sorry to hear about your husband. :grouphug2: You've gotten some great ideas. I'm trying to come up with a few more and I'm wondering if there are some good ideas on Pinterest or is there are some good FB groups (don't cringe :lol:).
 

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I'm glad your husband is back home.
I've always liked Mediterranean cookbooks, Mediterranean diet is a healthy thing. And you can alter recipes to your taste if there are ingredients that you're not too fond of. I don't have a specific one to recommend though. But the library idea is really good! Browse, take home, try, return, then buy if you want.
And American Heart Association is a great place to start too.
 

denice

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I am glad your husband is okay. I don't have any specific recommendations. I think the Mediterranean diet is a good place to start. There is also something called a DASH diet, I think it originally was from the Mayo clinic. It is for lowering blood pressure with diet so is low sodium, I would think that would also be good for heart health. I don't know how restrictive you are willing to go but Dr. Ornish has a diet that is supposed to be very good for heart health. It is however heavily if not completely plant based. Bill Clinton became vegan after his issues with cardiovascular disease.
 
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