Best diet for heart problems?

[Quiksilver]

Hey guys

my old man is having some pretty heavy heart problems, he's 63. Just wondering if anybody has experience with the best type of diet for people with heart problems.

Just spent 3 hours driving him to the hospital with some heart troubles, ran a red light at one point with a cop right on the other side. Had an open beer can in the car too.. lol was filled with water though. Ended up with them ahead of us clearing a trail through traffic all the way to the emergency room.

I've taken it upon myself to get him as healthy as he can be, and I wouldn't mind a few pointers on how to do so. The doctors in the hospital don't really deal with the recovery and becoming-healthy part of health, they just keep you out of the morgue.

Any thoughts?

 

[Falcon]

off the top of my head... red wine in moderation may help

this website seems to have a bit of information:
http://americanheart.org/

 

[KontrollerX]

Low cholestorol, low sodium, low sugar, avoid red meats and fried foods and fast food especially.

Your dad needs to eat clean and also cut out smoking and drinking if he does this as well.

Baked chicken and turkey, steamed vegetables, water, green tea, artificial splenda or aspartame flavored drinks, low fat milk all of this should be in his future so that he can have a future.

Also eliminating as much stress as he can in his life will help greatly.

If the doctor ok's cardio exercise for him like walking, treadmill walking, biking or stationary biking he should start doing this.

Low impact cardio at first to build up then he can move to higher intensity cardio if he wishes and his doctor approves it.

Oh yeah and if he needs good snack food I'd recommend the Blue Diamond company's dried unsalted almonds. They are great for the body all around and yeah I know fresh almonds have the most health benefits but they go rotten too quickly whereas dried packaged almonds can be good for either 6 months to three years.

 

[wolf116]

The only guy on this forum I'd trust with this is Throttle (the most educated on diet).

Kontroller made some very good points, but avoid red meat? Low fat milk?

Low fat milk has lactose = simple carb = insulin spike = fat stored.

With heart conditions the general thing to do is lower body fat with healthy natural food, and slowly increase activity.



And I don't think we need to revisit the red meat debate. It's just as healthy as any other natural meat.


also, pleeeeeease lets not go into the cholesterol debate again.

What type of shape is your dad in?

 

[KontrollerX]

Well its important to note that unless Throttle stated otherwise no one thats ever been in the health section of Sosuave has ever been a certified personal trainer.

The information I gave is directly from one such certified PT at another board I go to online that is all about health.

Milk is alright so long as its low fat and you do need some fat even when you are having a bad thing going down like a heart condition. A reduction of fat is all that is required. Red meat is generally a no no as well for heart problem people but thats generally. If a person's personal physician ok's it then its alright but even then I think the doc would stress a reduction of it.

 

[wolf116]

Well its important to note that unless Throttle stated otherwise no one thats ever been in the health section of Sosuave has ever been a certified personal trainer.

The information I gave is directly from one such certified PT at another board I go to online that is all about health.

Milk is alright so long as its low fat and you do need some fat even when you are having a bad thing going down like a heart condition. A reduction of fat is all that is required. Red meat is generally a no no as well for heart problem people but thats generally. If a person's personal physician ok's it then its alright but even then I think the doc would stress a reduction of it.

We do have PT's on this board, tho all the PT's I've ever known give the worst advice ever.

Also full fat milk and yogurt is much healthier then the low fat variety, because of the processing it undergoes.

He probably doesn't need to reduce his intake of fat at all, he probably needs to reduce his body fat and simple carbs are the usually the first thing to eliminate, not fat.

Please, never ever listen to PT's, they are usually very uneducated on the subject as they only undergo a very short course of wrong information. Only the very top guys are who have been in the field of training top athletes for years are useful.

 

[Throttle]

anything that helps him lose body fat around the middle is a good thing, whether that's a high or low fat diet. getting some form of exercise is more important than what he eats, but at his age he has to ramp up into anything slowly.

 

[Alle_Gory]

Needs to unclog those arteries and lose the weight.

Avoiding processed foods will help. If it comes in a box, ready made its bad.

The fresher, and rawer the food is, the better.



Don't go crazy. Do it slowly otherwise his body won't accept the drastic change.
Look at vegan diets. Do something in between that extreme, and what he is doing now.

 

[DevanE]

...

This is to Quiksilver and no one else. Keep in mind I don't mean any disrespect, offense and don't mean to bring in any negativity but just providing you with a realistic perspective.

You gotta realize and wonder how exactly or WHAT exactly has lead to your dad having heart problems...? (Stress, hypertension, high-blood pressure, sugar, diabetes, cholesterol, drinking, smoking, lack of exercise/sweat, diet...just to name a few for you to keep in mind). You also have to keep in mind his age and whether or not he is WILLING to accept your help...? I know you've taken it in your hands to help him but is HE wiling to accept your help most of all does he have the discipline, will-power and the mind-set necessary to break his HABITS...? Habits he has developed over the 40+years that have become part of his daily rituals which have provided him a safe comfort zone. It's something to think about because you can get ANY information you want, tips, guides, help from anywhere but the REAL issue has to be addressed before-hand.

This is a big step for him but you also have to realize that WHO are you to tell him anything...? Things he probably doesn't want to hear (even though you have the knowledge and experience) most of all be criticized from someone who HE has raised especially someone younger than him. I understand your situation because I have gone through it myself and the end result (for ME) was that my father eventually went back to his comfort zone and his habits. He takes his medication for the multitude of problems he has but he still eats like he is my age which is everything and anything so their isn't any point nor does he exercise. I offered to help him just as you have, even bought some Saw-Palmetto for him to take but in the end he had no interest and it ended up being very disappointing and frustrating.

I realized that after a certain age people who had NO interest in health eventually tend to GIVE UP on their health because it's just too much "effort" to put in. It's sad because you as a son fear losing your father especially seeing him in pain but at the end of the day you can't do much but let the train wreck. If your situation turns out this way (God forbid it doesn't) just accept it as it is and do the best you can with it. I wish you the best of luck and I hope this provides you with a better perspective on how to asses and handle things properly.

 

[Quagmire911]

I would say this: Get him to cut out all the ****. Eat nothing out of a box. No processed ****. Plenty of meat/fish/fruits/veggies. Clean sources of food.

I would also be inclined to suggest a diet such as the anabolic diet. If you remember Warboss got Karma onto it and his blood results improved drastically over the course of a few months.

Also 10-15g of fish oil to balance the ratio of omega 3/6 in the diet, combatting inflammation.

Good luck with it.

Ps-Exercise is a given. Strength training and cardiovascular.

 

[kickureface]

I would say this: Get him to cut out all the ****. Eat nothing out of a box. No processed ****. Plenty of meat/fish/fruits/veggies. Clean sources of food.

I would also be inclined to suggest a diet such as the anabolic diet. If you remember Warboss got Karma onto it and his blood results improved drastically over the course of a few months.

Also 10-15g of fish oil to balance the ratio of omega 3/6 in the diet, combatting inflammation.

Good luck with it.

Ps-Exercise is a given. Strength training and cardiovascular.

this is a good idea. i don't think losing weight should be a priority over eating clean/exercise. don't overdo the red meat **** as he already has heart problems.

 

[Quiksilver]

Thanks for the responses guys. Just an update, he's alright, and he's got some procedure coming up in a week or so, after that it's recovery time.

He just isn't educated on the merits of eating dietary fats. He chooses skim milk, 0% fat cottage cheese, margarine, etc. All the while consuming fruits and carbs like there's no tomorrow. His 'protein' source is milk of all things, and doesn't mind eating the odd piece of chicken but won't touch a steak. Meanwhile when he goes to the movies with his gf, he consumes popcorn/hotdogs/diet coke like there's no tomorrow. His treadmill at home is covered with books, clothes, and a layer of dust. He used to be a world class athlete though, so he understands what it takes.

I've offered him advice and even wrote him up a template diet/exercise program that fits his lifestyle, but haven't seen anything come to fruition.

To me eating 12 eggs a day, he predicts I'll die before I turn 21 because of it.

I'll just have to try harder to get him to be healthy. It's harder because I don't live with him, and he's like 2 hours away. Might spend a weekend or two up at his place tracking what he eats, and then make him a shopping list to follow for awhile.

What sort of a diet should an older guy be on, if he's doing consistent light exercise(heavy compounds and intense sessions are out of the question for at least 2 months after this procedure)?

I'm guessing 0.5-1.5g protein per lb bodyweight.. Match that in balanced fats, and carbs where/when needed? He's pretty good with vegetables, eats plenty of them.

I realized that after a certain age people who had NO interest in health eventually tend to GIVE UP on their health because it's just too much "effort" to put in. It's sad because you as a son fear losing your father especially seeing him in pain but at the end of the day you can't do much but let the train wreck.

Since he had to go through the troubles of raising someone like me, I think I owe it to him to give it my best shot.

 

[KontrollerX]

There any emotions that you can play on of his that might motivate him to hit the treadmill and other exercise equipment and take this health stuff serious Quicksilver?

Stuff like...

1. Don't you want to be around to see your son get married?
2. Do you want to give up your hot girlfriend to someother guy which you will do if you suddenly drop dead?
3. Are you aware that there are some things that could happen to you that are potentially worse than death as in you could suffer a stroke and be bed ridden for the rest of your life?

Stuff like this and more stuff like it Quick might make him wake up and take some perspective and accountability. None of us is invincible and if we tempt fate too long it can bite us in the ass.

Anyway I don't know if you are actually ever planning on getting married one day that was just an example of a strong emotional reason your dad may want to make sure he sticks around to see it.

Also one of my long time heroes the retired pro wrestler Bret Hart suffered a stroke that paralyzed half his body a few years back.

He learned a lot about strokes during that time as you might imagine and explained to all of his fans in his recent book that not everyone recovers from a stroke and that the first six months after having one are critical to see how far your recovery will go if anywhere productive at all.

Bret eventually regained the feeling in his left side and was able to no longer be bedridden but his face still needed work as because of the stroke it was partially frozen in place from his brain forgetting how to make himself smile or wink and he had to go through brutal and exhausting physical therapy to regain that and everything that he lost as the result of his stroke with motor movements of legs and arms and such and he was one of the lucky ones who got to recover close to how he was before the stroke but yeah plenty of people don't get out of bed ever again unless helped by nursing staff.

Anyway I wouldn't want you to frighten your dad too badly considering he has a heart condition but if you have anything you think might be worthwhile to emotionally motivate him to change his life consider using it.

 

[Throttle]

i have a father with the same heart problems and the same mistaken attitude towards fat/carbs/red meat/margarine. you'll have to work with whatever he lets you, and trying to go at him head on will be at least as counterproductive as you've found so far.

rather than try to take his mistaken beliefs head on (it's almost certainly a lost cause), continue to model a sensible combo of diet & exercise w/ a minimum of arrogance, and try to find ways to get him to exercise more. you're not going to convince him overnight that skim milk & margarine are the problem, not the solution, but you might be able to convince him to go for long walks with you whenever you're visiting.

make it a game for him, a challenge, a dare, and he might be willing to take some radically different steps that he wouldn't otherwise touch. think sentences constructed like "hey i bet you could ____ if only you'd try _____". anyway you can make him feel like it's his decision(s) would be a major plus.