Post-heart attack food prepping

[rbe78]

Hi all,

My FIL had a heart attack followed by emergency surgery last night.

I'd like to prep a bunch of meals over the weekend for my PIL to put in their freezer - they're finding life rather a struggle at the moment anyway, and cooking has been stressing them out for some time.

Have you got any suggestions for freezer-suitable meals they can just pop in the microwave and eat, but are also healthy enough for someone who has just had a heart attack?

They are fairly plain eaters (meat/fish and two veg, fish and chips, shepherds pie kind of thing), which automatically knocks out quite a lot of my standard repertoire - though they might push the boat out a little if the food wasn't too spicy.

TIA :-)

Variations on a shepherd’s pie? Chilli? Bolognaise? All very easy to do. BBC good food guide is great for inspiration 😊

What a lovely thought. Very kind and practical help at a difficult time.

I think I would focus on things that include a lot of vegetables, or can be served with two or three different portions of veg, or a salad. Do they like soup? You can cram a lot of veg (and pulses) into a soup, and they're usually naturally low in saturated fat. This might be helpful: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/support/healthy-living/healthy-eating/recipe-finder

My husband had a heart attack years ago (made a full recovery, fortunately) and afterwards he was strongly advised to go to an NHS cardiac rehab course for a few weeks, which included advice on food and nutrition. Leaflets were handed out and I think there were group discussions with other cardio patients, led by an HCP.

There was provision for partners to attend certain sessions - the one on first aid, I think. It may vary across the country, and possibly doesn't happen in that form now things are so tight in the NHS.

However, going back to the leaflets and advice from HCPs, if your PIL are anything like my parents, they may pay more attention to dietary advice if it comes from authority in the form of medical staff than they would to anything family say! And as far as I can see, the one constant bit of advice on nutrition is to eat plenty of vegetables. The advice about fat and carbs comes and goes, but I've never yet seen advice to cut back on veg. Fruit in moderation too. Some nuts and seeds are good. Wholegrains. Lean protein.

Good luck to all of you. Must have been a big shock.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g Soups are a great idea, thanks.

This isn't his first heart attack, he had a fairly major one about 25 years ago, so he and my MIL took a lot on board at that point about heart-healthy eating.

Have a look at the British Heart Foundation recipes. These are all low/ fat, healthy heart friendly. www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/support/healthy-living/healthy-eating/recipe-finder

These are some of the recipes we really like but they are a bit light on the spices so we tend to add extra to taste.

www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/support/healthy-living/healthy-eating/recipe-finder/copy-of-chilli-con-carne

www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/support/healthy-living/healthy-eating/recipe-finder/italian-style-chicken-casserole

www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/support/healthy-living/healthy-eating/recipe-finder/baked-biryani-chicken-and-rice

@KnottyKnitting Ah, great idea, thanks.