Moving Closer to Heart Smart

Rob began cardiac rehab this week and had his first nutrition class.  He learned that trans fat and saturated fat are to be avoided.  Sugar matters less than calories. Keeping an eye on sodium is important.  Toward our quest to being heart smart, we've added a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. We have a lot of farmers in our area so local, fresh produce is fairly easy to get and reasonably priced. 

There were lots of things that we did before we discovered Rob's heart issues.  We always eat whole wheat bread and skim milk.  I make lots of things from scratch and try to avoid processed foods.  We grow our own meat, beef and chicken, and eggs. 

The main things we are doing differently are increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables, reducing the amount of meat, and exchanging oil for our beloved butter whenever possible.  Rob has traded carbonated beverages for Crystal Light and green tea.  He's also dropped processed meat.  Seeing him eat veggies sandwiches is something surprising and new.  He even enjoys them. 

In addition to increasing our fruit/veggie intake, we are adding more fish to our diet.  The recommendation is to have fatty fish at least once a week.  We had sushi for lunch this week and stocked up on salmon at the grocery store.  We all love fish so this is one diet recommendation that will be a pleasure to follow.