Don has a heart condition known as HOCM. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. If I spelled that wrong, too bad. No one really cares - just know that he has it and there is no "cure". He has yearly cardio work-ups and the most recent appointment included some tests that showed some "blockage" in his LAD. This is his Lateral Anterior Descending coronary artery. So, you may say - this is no biggie, happens all the time. Well, is his case, the "blockage" could be from being squeezed by his heart muscle or it could be from plaque - there is no way of knowing short of another heart cath. Either way, there is no way to solve the problem - it cannot be stented or bypassed because of the location. SO - Don did a LOT of research and found a doctor - Esselstyn - who has a history of reversing this blockage (if caused by plaque). 30 years of research and case histories. It involves what I will lovingly call - the Vegan Extreme diet/eating plan. We decided to try it until next Christmas (when Don will have his next cardiology appt). I would like to NOT have to take ZoCor for high cholesterol - so I am going to be the supportive spouse and enthusiastically join Don. HELLO - I have to do the cooking so it only makes sense.
On this plan, there are things not allowed. No meat. No dairy products. Not one drop of added oil. No nuts. No avocados or coconut. Read labels and if there is an oil even mentioned, put it back on the shelf. No refined flours and minimal sugar - some honey and such is fine.
Fortunately, we love vegetables and fruits. Actually, we will eat almost anything and everyone knows it!! I love whole wheat and Don is learning to appreciate it. It's that or starve.
So, I will display some of our dinner selections on occasion.
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| This was some curried vegetables (squash, baby potatoes, and tomatoes) on brown rice (no refined grains allowed). Some steamed broccoli and roti bread with homemade hummus. |
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| This is homemade hummus. Store bought hummus almost always has tahini in it which is ground sesame seeds - too much oil, gasp! We found out that homemade hummus is really, really good. I mean, we liked it before, but this is GOOD. |
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| This is a grilled portabella mushroom sandwich. There is spinach in it, too. We found some good pomegranate mayo, that is legal, and used the George Foreman (non stick, doncha know) . They were good - but we thought the mushrooms should be sauteed (in Worcestershire sauce) a bit longer. The sandwiches looked appetizing anyway!! |
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| Served those sandwiches with some vegetable soup. Red wine vinegar is your our friend when it comes to soups. We love the zest. |
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| This supper was pasta (whole wheat penne) with a delicious Italian sauce. The trick here is to make the sauce (tomato, garlic powder, mushrooms, all the Italian spice you can find in your kitchen) - and add the pasta dry. It soaks up the flavor while it cooks to al dente and then it's good. Don loved it. The roll is a homemade whole wheat roll - no added oil. I'm getting the hang of that and will keep trying for a good recipe. Add in a salad and supper was pretty successful. |
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| Of course, salad is a daily option. We have discovered lots of new kinds of vegetables. I should mention that we decided to try to go organic, as well, whenever possible. |
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| This is roti bread. An Indian friend taught me how to make it. It consists of whole wheat flour, water and that's it. Knead it, roll it out into bread slice sized pieces and cook it on the stove-top in a nonstick pan until it starts to raise like pita bread - bubbles on the inside. Voila - one can use it like a scoop when eating rice. | | | |
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That's it for now. Tomorrow, I'm thinking of making Mexican beans and rice!! I'll be back.
