Daily Choice for a Post-Heart Attack Breakfast
A heart attack almost two years ago has transformed breakfast. The once daily stops at McDonalds for a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit with a hash brown chaser has been replaced with something more predictably healthy. Less fat. Fewer calories.
Just about everyday now starts in the same breakfast arena; shredded wheat sweetened with raisin bran floating in skim milk, blueberries when I remember them, some sort of toast with barely a teaspoon of Promise margarine, fruit, at least one glass of water and a small handful of pills.
Luckily my culinary palate is simple and requires little variety. It gets me going and fuels what comes next.
Starting the Day
At the end of February in central Pennsylvania and I’m riding to work in the morning in 50F air. The sun was beaming through the clouds to offer a fine greeting for another day. Riding in these circumstances is just plain, unfettered joy. In less than 130 days I won’t feel the pressure of the clock as I ride into retirement.
I’m thinking a disciplined approach to a post-heart attack breakfast will help keep the days going smoothly.
Road to Work
Riding across a familiar gravel road on the way to the office I just had to stop to admire the views. Beaver Stadium, home to Penn State’s Nittany Lion football team looms on the horizon. I’ve stood in this spot many times. It hasn’t grown old yet.
Perhaps it never will.
Do you think that you’ll still be riding everyday once 120 days pass?
I don’t know about everyday but I sure do think I’ll be riding more.
3 Years and 2 months, but who’s counting. Your breakfast looks much like mine but way too much fiber.
I’ve not had any issues with the fiber. So far it’s all good.
Congratulations on 3 years and 2 months!
You should throw grape juice in the morning mix.
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/76/6/1367.full
It couldn’t hurt.
I’ll definitely try it. I haven’t had concord grape juice since I was a kid. It was too sweet for me then. Perhaps it will seem different now. Or I can cut it a bit with water.
Like you…I don’t require variety either. I pretty much eat the same thing every morning.
We’re gifted that way.
I survived for most of my adult life by not eating breakfast, or if I did, it was just a diet coke and a fast food biscuit. After retiring two years ago, I’ve eaten breakfast almost every day! I don’t use the mono-menu approach; I mix up the fare. Some mornings it’s instant oatmeal with some raisins added; some mornings it’s raisin toast and scrambled eggs; some mornings it’s a cup of instant grits and toast; and some mornings I splurge and go to Waffle House or Cracker Barrel for the full on experience.
Breakfast has always been my favorite meal. Especially those times I could have a hearty breakfast at a diner or restaurant. No more full on experiences for me but will still have scrambled eggs, toast and a few potatoes. Ahhh, maybe tomorrow…
Steve as a snack at work I have a bag of half walnuts I munch on as the days go by. They are known as the miracle nut…read…http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2322049/Could-eating-WALNUTS-key-cutting-cholesterol.html There are tons of articles on its benefits.
Also you can’t overdose on fruit …the sugar in fruit arguments is B.S.
and I snack on fruit all day also.
Brent
I’ve read about walnuts. Peanuts too. But the fat content scares the heck out of me. I can’t tell whether they are good for you before a heart attack or also afterwards. Haven’t gotten a clear indication of that. In cardiac rehab the commandment was — cut way back on fat. Period. End of story. Hmm, that sounds familiar…
No scrapple , You are on my short list to help finish up that was made in Dec., A friends Family butchering 10 hogs , crakelins are all gone. How about popcorn, little Truffle oil & fresh rosemary, no salt, we can sit and watch shoot’n stars or if its an afternoon date we can make out what clouds we see, HOLD ON there, did i just say make out & date in one sentience, sorry Steve, I even had scrapple and butchering mention. well you can’t hide it any more, You know your Dad love the scrapple i gave him for helping rubbing concrete in my garage. You Is a Country Boy and your post heart attack breakfast looks just fine.
Enjoy.
Scrapple. Ugh. You and my dad.
I have a couple bags of popcorn. Never think to make it but probably should. Used to have an air popper but it’s gone.
I’ll ignore your make out comments. It’s probably the Atrizine at work on your mind.
We need to get together before the snow flies again.
First up, did you show the breakfast image to your cardiologist? Get his/her opinion.
Myself, skip the margarine, and from many years experience a glass of warm water to take those pills.
You’re taking similar pills to what i take although many less.
You don’t have diabetes or compromised kidney disease or a bi-polar disorder.
Different tablets too, to ward off illness so 10,000 IU of Vitamin C and
the same in Vitamin D.
If you are able to go home for lunch and have something
light and then exercise the dogs,
I see the Nittany Lions stadium and still can’t erase from my mind the
problems the team caused through the manager and related problems.
Has Penn State really recovered emotionally???
so much the better.
My cardiologist is gone. Off to bigger and better things at another hospital. So I’ll have to find another. I’m almost skipping the margarine as is. The bread passes near somewhere margarine once was. The water is tap water so it’s not cold but not warm either. Why warm?
The pills are pretty straightforward — baby aspirin, a blood thinner, a statin, a multivitamin and folic acid to blunt the side effects of arthritis medicine I take once a week. Still good on the diabetes, kidney and liver front. I used to take a lot of vitamin C in the past but sort of fell out of the habit. And my Vitamin D levels always test solidly so I’ve stayed away from that. Must be my time in the sun.
A lot of people still have Jerry Sandusky in their minds when they think of Penn State football. It’s tough to erase what that guy did. And his son was recently arrested for similar problems though with the opposite sex.
Penn State has recovered from it as much as they can. The entire community paid a price for the actions of a few. And for those that distrust big time college athletics in the first place it just fueled things on and on.
We have to eat what we know we should, but also what we like. And splurge every once in a while. Love to photo of the Vespa with the stadium in the distance.
We have a nephew who played baseball at Penn State. He named his older daughter Nittany. I kid you not.