On March 20 of this year (2014) I had a heart attack. One of the first things my cardiologist told me while I was still laying in the hospital bed was that I would need to quit smoking and I would have to change my diet. He said, “If they didn’t have it in 1890, don’t eat it.” He was talking about all the processed food we eat today, which is loaded with sugars and salts and many other chemicals that I can’t spell or pronounce. I, like most Oklahomans, ate way too much processed food, too much fried food and too much sugar and salt.
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The Heart Hospital put me on a list for cardio rehab and after about a two month wait, I was finally able to begin. I thought cardio rehab would just be some nurses hooking me up to monitors while I exercised. It was that, but it also included teaching me about my food intake, what I should eat and what I shouldn’t eat, how to read labels on food and healthier ways to prepare food.
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Americans eat way too much salt. Excessive salt intake is the chief cause of high-blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease, strokes and other life-threatening diseases. We all need salt (sodium) in our diet, it is an essential nutrient and natural mineral, but Americans eat way too much of it. According to the American Heart Association, most people consume about 3,400 milligrams of salt a day – more than twice the recommended amount of 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams per day. One teaspoon of salt equals 2,300 milligrams. Salt, or sodium, has many different names and can be confusing. When reading food labels all of the following equals salt: sodium bicarbonate, baking soda, sodium nitrate, sodium citrate, monosodium glutamate [MSG], and sodium benzoate.
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There are literally hundreds of different spices to choose from and I’ve learned by playing around with them, I don’t need salt to make my food taste good. I still use some salt in some recipes, but I don’t pour it from the shaker on my food anymore and I use less than most recipes call for when I’m cooking.
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Now that Peggy Pattillo has ended her column “Peg’s Pantry,” I plan to occasionally bring you some tips I learned about cooking and eating healthy. And I’ll include some recipes.
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One of the best things to remember is that Fresh is always better. It is recommended that we eat at least 5 servings of vegetables a day and at least 4 servings of fruit a day. Fresh veggies and fruit are always better than canned or frozen. When I was still going to cardio rehab, they recommended that I eat a fresh salad at lunch and at dinner. But, they also recommended that I not use most bottled salad dressings, which are loaded with sugars and salts and calories. I usually use low-fat, low-sodium cottage cheese rather than a salad dressing. But if you feel that you must use salad dressing, they recommended using a balsamic vinegar/olive oil type.
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Make your salads colorful! The more different colors the better it is for you. And the choices are many: Lettuce (we prefer Romaine), broccoli, red, yellow and green bell peppers, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, carrots, banana peppers, onions, cabbage, cauliflower, snow peas, green beans, jalapeno peppers and the list goes on.
