What to do about conflicting reports on foods?

20 years ago

Had a heart attack in Jan. Clogged artery and I have a stent.The chart they sent me home with to tell what to eat and what not to eat says that non-dairy creamer is a "NO NO" but on the low sodium cooking site they say that non dairy creamers are ok to use in a recipe calling for milk. Gives it a sweeter flavor. Also the egg substitute recipe that I have calls for egg whites and powdered milk which the low sodium site says the whites of a regular egg has more sodium than the yolks. Now I'm really confused. what to do?

Comments (5)

barbaok
20 years ago
You may want to do some research on Cayenne pepper and heart. It would be a great benifit to add to your diet.
Barb
lazy_gardens
20 years ago
Heidiho -
Stick to the list they gave you and ask your doctor's staff about the contradictions. It's better to use lo-fat milk than non-dairy creamer because they are high sodium, and if you want a "sweeter" flavor in baked goods, just add a bit of sugar.

As for the egg problem: if you want low-fat, use the whites. Don't worry about the sodium in non-processed foods (anything you buy RAW, except sausage) ... just cook as much fresh stuff as possible and you'll avoid most of the hidden sodium.
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jenn
20 years ago
I believe non-dairy creamers have coconut fat in them... definitely NO-NO if you are on a cardiac diet. I think it is best to stick to fresh, unprocessed foods as the previous poster suggested, and I'd just forget the creamer altogether (just more chemicals, fat, etc.). Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat/chicken/fish, whole grains, non-fat or low-fat milk/yogurt/cottage cheese. If you must put a creamer sort of thing in your coffee, use low-fat milk. Also, try to get used to foods without additional salt, sauces, and lots of butter added. The natural taste of foods is best.

Jen
polarprincess
20 years ago
They are conflicting because one is just giving you low sodium and one is just giving you low fat info- some people just need to be on a low salt like people with high blood pressure and some just need to be on low fat like for gallbladder probs. If you want to use creamer they do have fat free half and half and all my patients think it tastes pretty good- just like with milk though watch the sodium a bit- also for the egg whites- yes they have about 100 mg of sodium but they are still recommended for coronary's because the cholesterol issue is usually more important than the sodium issue depending on whether he has CHF or high blood pressure- only a select percentage get results with a low sodium diet helping BP but they still recommend it for everyone in case you are one of those few. They have done enough studies now that show the cholesterol in the yolks doesn't affect the cholesterol in the body so i imagine in a few years they are going to tell you yolks are ok again.
JXBrown (Sunset 24, N San Diego County)
20 years ago
Jenn and polarprincess are correct. The fat in the non-dairy creamer is the kind that your body uses to make cholesterol. The cholesterol that you eat isn't as much of a problem as the cholesterol that you make. The fats that you eat affect cholesterol much more, so eggs are okay, but "No Cholesterol!!" foods that are made from hydrogenated oils are a bad choice, because your liver will use those fats to generate its own cholesterol. Basically you want to avoid fats from land animals (eggs are relatively low in fat) and hydrogenated oils (fast foods and packaged foods; read the labels).

You have discovered the usual trouble with diet advice. Different diets have different goals. In your case you are interested in lowering cholesterol, so low sodium diets may not do the trick.

What to do about conflicting reports on foods?

Comments (5)

barbaok

lazy_gardens

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jenn

polarprincess

JXBrown (Sunset 24, N San Diego County)

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