In all diseases, the heart must exert a certain amount of effort. Already with a flu or angina one can determine that. But lifestyle can also strain or relieve the heart, and diet is a major contributor to this. Overeating is an imposition on the heart; therefore, throughout life, one should be mindful of keeping a lean and athletic line.
Low salt for heart disease
Fruit should be fed daily to the heart patient, because it is a good source of vitamins and contains larger amounts of potassium. Those who alone do not understand how to find the right amount of calories for their organism are welcome to consult about this with their doctor, because there are great individual differences in this. Sometimes something must be done against excessive appetite with the help of certain medicines. However, it is also possible to learn to control appetite without drugs, because the stomach adjusts precisely to a certain amount over time. The heart, however, reacts sensitively to too much salt or liquid in the diet, especially if it is already in need of rest. The highest commandment must therefore be: little salt and moderate liquid. The diet of a healthy person will usually contain an amount of table salt of 10 grams, sometimes more. A heart patient must learn to limit this amount to 3 to 5 grams, in strict diets to even less. Here one can apply again the mnemonic: Salt must disappear from the kitchen table and also from the dining table. Our food contains so much salt that we cannot get into a deficiency, because sodium and chlorine, the components of common salt, belong to the vital building blocks of our body and of nature in general and therefore occur so frequently. Often, the call for common salt restriction must be extended to certain foods, such as smoked, cured, and marinated meats and fish, and even sausage and ham, many salads, and canned meats and fish. This also includes broth soups and bouillon cubes. Butter and most types of margarine, and unfortunately bread and cheese, are usually made with salt and are often unsuitable for the heart patient who must strictly adhere to his diet. In such cases, it is advisable to make an agreement with the baker to produce a few loaves of bread a week without added salt and to reserve them for the sick person to buy. The same applies to the butcher. However, in the latter case, it is often easier to find these products in a diet section of the health food store or supermarket.
Low fat for heart disease
Since, after all, the heart patient should not consume large amounts of fat (if only to avoid obesity), it is advisable to use a daily amount of butter of about 10 to 20 grams for spreading the bread and to enjoy another fat quantum of 40 to 50 grams either in the form of diet or half-fat margarine or in the form of olive oil (or even safflower oil). Just in recent years we have learned to recognize that the intake of vegetable oils instead of animal fats works against the occurrence of atherosclerosis. What about protein for the heart patient? He can consume the amount that is also beneficial for a healthy person. That is about 150 to 200 grams of fish or meat for lunch and meat in the form of tartar (scraped meat, ground beef) in the evening without salt, seasoned only with herbs. Meatloaf, sauerbraten or again fish dishes prepared with little salt can also be eaten. Of course, also game and chicken, veal and pork, but the latter without fat. Eggs, too, can be used in many ways, but without or with only a few crumbs of salt, as a topping for bread, as a main dish or for supper. Eggs can also be used to make mayonnaise and dressing without salt. A very important and very cheap source of protein is milk, but unfortunately it has a rather high salt content. However, this does not mean that it should be completely eliminated from the diet of heart patients. About 1/4 liter a day is allowed, with buttermilk, yogurt, kefir or sour milk being particularly beneficial for the patient. An important dairy product is curd cheese, as low in fat as possible. So it does not have to be the so popular butter cheese, because here the fat content plays a big role, which is not desirable for the heart patient. Quark can now be made in a variety of forms, sweet or flavored (but without table salt!).), as a topping for bread or even with linseed oil to potatoes in the kitchen list. Potatoes, bread, semolina and pasta are advisable only in small quantities, because larger quantities easily cause weight gain, which is harmful to the heart. In any case, we must not forget about vegetables, which should form the most important part of the diet. However, highly flatulent varieties such as white and savoy cabbage, red cabbage, and legumes are not recommended, as they can distend the intestines and thus depress the heart. Unfortunately, cucumber salad is not the right thing either. All other varieties, fresh, frozen or canned, but low in salt, are very beneficial. They can be enjoyed steamed or stewed, but even better as raw vegetables.
Plenty of fruits and vegetables for heart disease
This category also includes the fruit that must be fed daily to the heart patient, because it is a good source of vitamins and contains larger amounts of potassium. This ingredient helps to remove the harmful salt from the body and at the same time dehydrates it. If fresh fruit is not available, compotes of preserved fruit can also be used in small quantities or on so-called fruit or juice days. The question of the amount of liquid can be connected with that of the most favorable type of liquid. Favorable are black tea and herbal teas, small amounts of milk, also in the form of mixed drinks. The use of lemon as an additive or in drink form, occasionally orange juices are highly recommended because of the vitamin richness. However, today, practically due to the modern kitchen equipment, it is possible to obtain any kind of fruit and vegetable juices and use them as beverages. The daily amount itself must be determined by the doctor. In case of mild diseases, 1 to 2 liters will still be allowed. The healthy person usually drinks about 1 bsi 3 liters a day. The doctor must also determine whether coffee and possibly small amounts of alcoholic beverages may be consumed by the patient. The most difficult part of the diet for the sick heart is to prepare tasty food without salt. It is essential to include all herbs in the preparation of the dishes, that is, especially parsley, which contains a lot of vitamin C, and chives, but also savory and marjoram, fresh and dried. Carrots, celery and leeks are also very suitable for seasoning. Whether onions are tolerated, everyone must learn to decide for themselves. They can cause flatulence and thus discomfort. There is nothing wrong with cloves, bay leaf, caraway, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon and spice seeds. Bell pepper and paprika should be taken only in very small quantities, so as not to cause unnecessary thirst. At the same time, it should be noted that over-sweetening of food can also cause thirst. Preparing tasty food is also a question of kitchen technique. Cooking in large quantities of liquid is not recommended, as the dishes are watered down and the flavors are removed from the food. Vegetables are best steamed, meat and fish can certainly be fried and also roasted, the latter being best done on a grill. This produces very tasty and digestible dishes that can be made with extremely little fat, preferably even oil. So there is definitely the possibility, with some thought and skill, to make tasty and varied dishes that do not impose an additional burden on the attacked heart and help to fight both one of the most common diseases, arteriosclerosis, and one of the most serious, myocardial infarction. Therefore, it is worth reiterating the need for restriction in the diet – especially the amount of fat. The phrase that has almost become a common saying: “The eye eats with you” also applies to heart patients. However, the difference is that for them it is not important to eat as much as possible, but to enjoy their meals with pleasure, rest and relaxation.
