Healthy Food Healthy Heart

When I decided that being a Vegan offered me the best chance of stopping and overcoming heart disease, I had no idea of the personal and practical challenges I would have encountered.

I decided to go cold turkey. No gradual phasing out of the old, but went straight into the new. I considered my situation desperate.

During the first three weeks I felt as if I was a man eating grass. I hated the taste of vegetables. I longed for meat, dairy and all the unhealthy food I loved so dearly.  In following the diet prescribed by Dr. C. Esselstyn, in his book entitled “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”, I first understood that I had to stop eating food cooked in oil. I needed to stop eating meat, including chicken and fish, which I ate mostly. Cashew nuts which I loved so much, was a no no, and so were all other nuts, because I was diagnosed with Heart disease.

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The food industry in Jamaica, is not really geared to assist FAT free vegetarians. Packaged and processed food became a challenge. Only food having little or no fat content was recommended, leaving me very little choice. I felt like an Alien. When I told people about my new diet, they looked at me in a strange way. I remember sitting at lunch with some friends in a hotel. The table was well decorated with food including some attractive looking pastries. As I shared about my diet and the positive effects it was having on me, a colleague interrupted my sharing and asked someone to pass him a slice of cake, before I converted him.

At family Christmas dinners, I often felt out of place, because vegetarian meals were prepared specially for me as the odd one out. Whenever I stayed at hotels, I had to meet with the Chefs and ask for specially prepared meals which met my specifications. What is even worse is that sometimes I was told that all food items met my requirements, only to discover otherwise. Recently I spent three nights in a hotel, during which I was reassured that the stipulated Fat free vegetarian requirements were all met. About three days later I did a blood test, the results of which showed that my LDL cholesterol level had gone up.

Often when leaving home, I have to carry snacks and other food preparations to ensure that I have healthy food available for the day.

Despite the challenges I am committed to stay the course. As far as I am concerned I have no alternative. For my life to be sustained in a healthy way, I must continue to eat healthy. My wife has discovered many tasty vegetarian recipes and has created some herself. While admitting it is always good to enjoy what you eat, the bottom line is that I am eating for health, and I am not going to allow tasty unhealthy food to cause my health to deteriorate any further.  Phillipians 4:13 declares, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength. With God’s help I will succeed.

IAN