Dear June, I've been there too...

Dear June,

I've been there too. In fall 2001, my husband also went through a health crisis, resulting in bypass surgery (which was needed to go around a stent that had been implanted improperly so it blocked another artery!!!). The stress made my blood pressure go haywire, so now we're BOTH on restricted diets!

I wish your husband a smooth recuperation, and you some peace of mind! Be aware (as you probably are) that when recuperating from bypass surgery, many patients have very little appetite. I was dismayed in the first few weeks because my husband would hardly eat anything, saying he felt full after just a spoonful or two. That passes.

As for dietary changes, as several other posters have indicated, there are some very good substitutes out there for high-fat, high-cholesterol, high-sodium products.

I love Boca meat substitutes -- they make BocaBurgers, or course, but also a variety of sausages (check for sodium content--some are saltier than others) and a great crumbled ground beef substitute that you can use anywhere you'd use browned ground beef -- add it to casseroles, spaghetti sauce, etc. (it's so delicious that sometimes we've snacked on it right out of the box, still frozen!).

Veggie Slices brand soy cheese is the best of the cholesterol-free brands. We especially like the American singles. They also make several flavors of Veggie Shreds (Parmesan and a Monterey Jack-type flavor) that can be used for sprinkling over pasta and Mexican dishes.

Egg Beaters, of course. Fat-free yogurt and sour cream. Light margarines. Look for brands that don't contain gelatin (which separates in cooking). My preference is for Brown Cow Farm yogurt, which is smoother and less acidy than other brands. I use Meadow Gold sour cream and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter light margarine and margarine spray.

Krusteaz fat-free muffin mixes and low-fat oat bran pancake mix are excellent.

Health Valley makes a no-salt-added chicken broth that's fairly flavorful. However, we've discovered that restricting my husband's sodium intake too much makes his blood pressure drop too low! So I've returned to using Swanson's Natural Choice broths (chicken and beef). Same with pasta sauces: Millena's Finest makes a tasty no-salt-added pasta sauce, but the sodium content in regular brands is okay for us.

I use nonstick pans and brown onions in water (a technique I learned from Sunset magazine): place sliced or chopped onions in a nonstick pan with about 1/4 cup water. Saute, stirring, until the water evaporates. Add another 1/4 cup water and repeat. Add a third 1/4 cup water and repeat; by this time, the onions should have browned sufficiently -- if not, you can repeat this again. Meats get browned with just a spray of nonstick pan spray.

If I can think of other cooking tips, I'll post them. Many recipes are adaptable to restricted diets. The ones that are not, I save for special occasions only.

Best wishes,
Susan, Hawaii