Do, Or Die! How I Learned to Eat Healthy

I used to be one of those people who could take on a buffet with four plates and an appetite of twenty.

That was not all. I'd drink can after can of soda pop, eat ice cream by the gallon, eat chocolate like it was no one's business.... and tuna casserole, pizza, fish, burgers.... all of the processed food you could handle. And do NOT get me started on the Chocolate Cake!!! Call it an addiction, if you will. It was what I did. If I wasn't eating - I wasn't happy.

A few years ago, when told that I would have only two years to live when I was hospitalized with a severe heart and respiratory condition - I had to make the decision to either change how I eat - or bite the dust. There was not an either or option. It was literally do, or die.

Doing so was the hard. Not the hardest thing I've ever done - but hard, nonetheless. I honestly thought that I was relegated to an absolutely boring eating life. Visions of rice cakes (uck!)  and blandness and never eating out again lurched me into a food-enhanced depressive state that you'd never believe. I honestly did not think there was any life after changing to a lifestyle of healthy eating.

This is the farthest thing from the truth. 

With the help of three dieticians, and a great cardiologist, I've learned a lot. I'll share a bit here. 

The biggest thing that I had to learn was moderation. Be moderate. Watch the carbs, yes. Watch the sodium, yes. I did not have to completely eradicate such things from my life.  But to lose weight, and to add years, I had to learn the art of caring for my body.

Salt - that's the worst thing for the heart for so many reasons, and I dreaded getting rid of salt. Salt retains water - and makes the heart work harder. With the help of my nutritionist, though, I learned the art of getting around the salt habit. First, I make the food myself and stay away from the processed foods. Then, I use seasonings to spice it up and make it tasty. I keep the sodium levels low - below 2,000 mg of sodium. Pepper, garlic powder, and other seasonings add a lot of zest. Fish is a staple - very healthy and good for you. Boneless and skinless chicken breast is also great to make - and once a month I'll make a whole turkey and divide that out into portions. I voluntarily cut the red meat, because for whatever reason I discovered that that made me tired. So with a quarter of a plate - about 4 to 5 oz. of protein of fish, chicken and turkey - I am doing just fine on the meat. I can make it tasty, it fills me up, and does not taste bland.

Carbs - for the weight, I've got to watch that too. So, I cut out the pasta. Yes, that was the hardest thing to do. There's many opinions on pasta with the carbs, but for me, it really packs it on. Instead of pasta, what I will do is make one baked potato, or one sweet potato. I add a pat of Promise low-cholesterol butter, and pepper. I have to be careful with this, but there is a potassium-based salt substitute I use to add that salt-taste - but because of the kidneys I have to be very sparse. Instead of a potato, I could add some wild rice as well. The general rule is a serving of carbs - enough to fill just a quarter of my plate.

The other half of the plate? Fresh, non-seasoned vegetables are the recommendation. Broccoli, Beets - yes, love the beets - non-salted beets, that is. They're good for the heart, too. Peas and carrots (non-salted) are also a great vegetable. The rule is, half the plate for vegetables is what I go for.

A quarter plate of protein, A quarter plate of carbs, and half a plate of vegetables. But what about dessert?

What I do is I eat a banana, or have some grapes. They give me the fruit portion I need - and not too much of it. I have a tendency to really overeat on the grapes, so I always have to watch those grapes.

For my drink, I've found sparkling waters to really do the trick. They give me that bubbly feel that sodap pop gives. If I DO want soda pop, I buy Zevia Soda. Zevia uses an all natural Stevia-based product, and is just as delicious as any other pop. It was a shock to see clear root beer - but that's because they aren't coloring it. It's totally naturally flavored, with no sugar, or artificial sweeteners and is  calorie free. The only drawback is the price. Nearly six bucks for six cans.

Snacks have also been a problem for me. Though technically I'm allowed sherbert, or chocolate - once in a while, I have a problem where if I begin to eat sweets - I can't stop. So what I have done is eliminated sweets completely. If I want to snack, I can make a small bowl of cheerios (watching the sodium count.) I can also eat vegetables as much as I want to. Salads make an excellent snacky addition - just watch the dressing, and season it up.

What I've found is that this way of eating works. When I first started this diet, I lost 95 lbs in just four months. Yes, some of this was fluid loss because of the heart - but a lot of it was just pounds. My jean size is now 36-38, and I can wear a large shirt comfortably. (No X or XL anymore!)

This is just what worked for me. Always consult your own doctor and dietician for what would work for you - don't take my advice before talking to them - it's always at your own risk and I cannot be responsible for what it does for you.

Next time I talk about health, I'll get into the need to exercise (I don't practice what I preach here as much as I should), and also about what I have learned about eating out.

If anyone's interested, I can also tell you what recipes and seasonings I've developed, and how many low-salt products are really out there (it's shockingly amazing what you can find!!) Necessity is the mother if invention, right?

And one more thing. It is absolutely true that when you cut the salt you develop an affinity for spicy foods!

Till next healthy eating post, bon appetite! 

I've got to say it again! Always consult your doctor before you make any changes to your diet, and to create a customized plan just for you. Everybody's different, and what I write is not advice that may work for you. What's written here - your use is at your own risk.