How I enjoyed eating after a heart attack: it's not all fresh cheese

BarcelonaI'd say I was still in the semi-critical ward, waiting for a stent to be inserted, when a nurse from the cardiac rehabilitation service at Hospital del Mar came in. Very kindly, she informed me of the new life that awaited me if I wanted to buy as few copies as possible to repeat the less-than-recommendable experience of a heart attack. One of the sheets she handed me was a proposal for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner for fourteen days. I read it, and that feast of Burgos cheese, boiled chard, and natural yogurts knocked my socks off. I don't know if following that menu to the letter would increase my life expectancy—I suppose it would—but as the joke goes, all the added time would seem very long.

I resolved to try to do it my way. I would respect the principles that flowed from that planning, but without giving up on enjoying the meals. And it seems to have worked: the 110 kilos I weighed before the heart attack are now only 84, and that's despite the fact that I've gained muscle, thanks also to the training provided by the hospital for seven weeks and which I have since maintained on my own, at the gym. What follows are some of my dietary habit changes, in case they give you ideas. They've worked for me, according to the tests and the scale, but anyone who finds themselves in a situation like mine should seek personalized medical advice, analysis in hand.

AI Help

My first strategy has been to count calories, salt, fat, and saturated fat. Is it a hindrance? Yes, but I've turned it into a positive one: it gives me confidence, because then I know if a seemingly unhealthy dish—cochinita pibil tacos, for example, falls within the parameters I'm allowed—yes, because the pork I use is lean—and in any case, I can decide on dinner based on what I've accumulated. AI is very useful for performing these calculations or for asking it for three suggestions that balance the rest of the day's meals. I'm not a vegetable person at all, for example, but I've consumed industrious quantities of vegetables and fruit to compensate (while watching my sugar) for meals that are more root-food and have healthy fats.

Salads, in this sense, are very grateful: if you dedicate ten minutes more than strictly necessary to making the base, they can end up being very complete and varied: piparras, vine leaves with rice, canned mackerel fillets, anchovies with Espinaler sauce, dried apricot or peach, onions in Modena vinegar, cheese made (light) or sautéed portobello mushrooms are just some of the ingredients that allow for a thousand different combinations, and that multiply the options if you also change the vinaigrette.

One of my favorites is to put a tablespoon of tomato paste, a tablespoon of gochujang (chili paste; if you don't have it, more double-strength tomato paste will do the trick), chili flakes, oil, pomegranate molasses (or some balsamic vinegar) in a bowl, and then sprinkle with bell pepper. I stir with my hands until everything is combined and then add the sliced baked potatoes that have been cooking while I was preparing the rest: it's a delicious one-dish meal, which I use as an example because many restaurants still serve incomprehensibly boring grass salads. Instagram is a great source of imaginative dish ideas for people without special culinary skills.

Letting Go

The main enemy of my arteries is saturated fats – although there are healthy ones, such as olive oil, nuts, cocoa or avocado – so it would be naive not to admit that I have left things behind: lamb meat, a sausage, but from time to time I can indulge, but from time to time I can indulge in the smallest possible expression, and in the most natural version light. I used to fry everything in pools of oil, but now I cook most of my food on the grill or in the air fryer, a great ally that allows me to continue eating chips (occasionally) without any noticeable cholesterol levels.

I'm also out with the industrial pasta and half-liter tubs of creamy ice cream (but not the sorbets). And I've found an interesting recipe to make at home if I want ice cream that isn't fruit-based: in the blender, I add a small glass of 0% fat cottage cheese, a Medjool date (a large one), a dash of honey, vanilla extract, skimmed milk powder, and water. Blend everything at low speed, so that the date pieces remain whole, and then place it in the freezer, stirring a couple of times to break up the crystals and achieve a creamy texture.

The underlying idea is that each renunciation can be seen as a challenge to find an imaginative substitute. Some are successful, others go straight to the dustbin of history (or the trash), but the process is entertaining and the journey is proving enriching. Before, a tomato was a tomato—to put it simply—but now I like to choose between Barbastro, Monterrosa, variegated, purple, oxheart, pepper, or Sicilian, to name a few. Minimizing processed foods means investing more time in the kitchen, but it's something that's immediately noticeable inside and out.

I'll finish at the end: breakfasts. I usually buy a whole turkey breast, which I marinate in oil, lemon, spices, and various herbs: I vary between cumin, turmeric, paprika, oregano... After a few hours in the fridge, I put it in the oven for 50 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius, and when it's back to room temperature, I return to the challenge. It's a good source of protein in the morning. A little leaf or sprouts and a light layer of mustard make for a splendid and healthy sandwich. If any of these recipes motivate you, I'm glad they were helpful, but above all, the goal is to encourage those who have ever had their hands on the sample hospital menus for two weeks and found them unacceptable. And, above all, those who sense they might end up receiving it if they don't change their habits. With medical supervision, there are alternatives to continue enjoying food.