The other night I grabbed a pre-made rice salad from Trader Joe's for an already done dinner. It was pesto brown rice salad with tomato and tofu bits, and it was delicious. The container had three servings, and the ingredient list was short and simple (brown rice, pesto, tomato, tofu) but the flavor combined was bursting-in-my-mouth-good. It is a perfect 1-dish meal, with whole grains, protein, and a veg. While I enjoyed a night of having dinner already made, I realized I could have made this salad so simply at home, and at a much lower price.
So off I went, back to Trader Joe's, but this time to pick up the individual ingredients. Trader Joe's has a jarred pesto I purchased and the nutrition label was a bit shocking: 3 servings per container; 250 calories per serving; 26g of fat (granted only 4g of those were saturated). I decided I'd make this meal light on the pesto, and would add more tomatoes to boost the flavor.
I cooked a very large batch (about 6 cups) of brown rice last night so it was cold today. I mixed in 2/3 of the pesto, which means that for each cup of brown rice, there was only about 85 calories of pesto - much better than the original serving's 250 calories! I diced about 12 baby roma vine ripe tomatoes and a block of firm tofu and added that to the rice mix and presto pesto! I now have that same pesto salad I enjoyed from Trader Joe's. There are also enough leftovers to last the next few days, so it'll feel like I bought the pre-made salad all over again!
After all the Memorial Day BBQs and get togethers you may have attended this past weekend, did you see your share of pasta salads on the table? I typically pass on pasta salad unless it is one I make (or my mom makes!). I’m just not a fan of cold pasta that is usually coated with some creamy dressing, or laced with feta cheese or cured meat bits. But this past weekend, I knew I needed to get my fill of carbs at a friends’ BBQ since I was running a half marathon the next day. So, I took matters into my own hands and kitchen and made my own pasta salad!
I used a box of spiral whole wheat pasta and cooked it according to the package directions. Once it was cooked and rinsed with cold water, I added to the pasta: 2 diced peppers – one red, one orange 1 can of corn A container of pre-cooked, shelled edamame. If you can’t get edamame, peas will work great.
The colors from the veggies made for a really beautiful pasta salad!
I had been hanging onto this Sweet Miso Salad Dressing recipe from Vegan Yum Yum for some time now. I have a huge container of Miso in my fridge that only gets used when I make miso soup in the winter. I decided to try the dressing on this pasta salad, since the miso and edamame would give the traditional American pasta salad an Asian twist.
This dressing made the salad. It is incredible! Head out to a specialty store or Asian grocery and get yourself some miso (in the refrigerator section) just to make this dressing, for salad, tofu or fish marinades, pasta salad, or just to dip some carrot sticks. It’s that good. I doubled the recipe below and shook it up in a jar (no whisk in my kitchen!). Then I poured about 80% of the dressing into the salad and mixed it well, and added the remaining dressing before serving the next day.
We devoured the pasta salad before we even fired up the grill for the rest of the BBQ foods. Everyone loved it and I’m happy to say I have a new favorite pasta salad. Funk said it was the best pasta salad he had ever tasted. Good thing, since I have enough miso to make this recipe over and over and over. Sweet Miso Salad Dressing Dresses one head of lettuce. Doubled the recipe for pasta salad.
1 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar 1 Tbs Sweet White Miso (heaping) 1 Tbs Dijon Mustard (heaping) 1 Tbs Granulated Sugar 2 Pinches Salt Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, to taste 3-4 Tbs (approx) Peanut or Veg Oil – I used canola 1 Tbs Hot Water
Add balsamic vinegar, miso, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper into a bowl. Use a whisk to mix ingredients thoroughly. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking constantly, creating an emulsion. Dressing should turn shiny and thick. Taste and re-season if necessary. Whisk in hot water to thin. Let stand for a few minutes and whisk again before serving
After a ridiculously long day, followed by an appointment and then a dinner-time conference call, I was ravenous for food and was starting to get whiny I was so hungry (sorry, Funk). The easy thing to do may have been to run up the street and grab a few slices of pizza for us to wolf down. Quick and easy, right? But what was even easier was making our own pizza in about 16 minutes total. Broken down, that's 2 minutes prep time, and 14 minute cook time. You read that right: 2 minutes to make dinner. Maybe even less if I stopped crabbing about how hungry I was!
All it took was a pre-made whole wheat pizza crust, a jar of pizza sauce, some Veggie Shreds soy cheese, sliced mushrooms and bagged spinach.
I tossed the spinach and mushrooms in a pan so they could cook a little bit...1 minute to be exact. Then I spread sauce and cheese on the pizza, topped it with my spinach and mushrooms, and popped it into the 450 degree oven. Voila! Pizza party for two.
This is my first attempt at adding a video to my blog. Hooray! It worked! Please let me know what you think. My camera only takes about 10 second videos so next on my wish list is a little video camera, you know, for work purposes. Unless, of course, I master the art of cooking a meal in under 10 seconds. Stay tuned!
Despite knowing all about the health benefits of drinking green tea, I’ve never been developed an affinity for it. Green tea has always tasted like grass to me, that no amount of milk, sugar or honey could help. I was hoping my new sample of Mango Green Tea from Mighty Leaf Tea would help change my mind, so I could start drinking up the benefits of green tea.
According to healthcastle.com, all teas contain polyphenols which give tea its antioxidant properties. (This does not include most herbal teas, which are typically not even made with tea leaves.) Antioxidant may help protect our body from free radical damage. Tea ranks as high as or higher than many fruits and vegetables in the ORAC score, a score which measures antioxidant potential of plant-based foods. Numerous studies have demonstrated the anti-cancer properties of polyphenols. Some studies indeed suggested that tea's polyphenols may reduce risk of gastric, esophageal and skin cancers if one consumes 4 to 6 cups daily. Other laboratory studies have found that polyphenols help prevent blood clotting and lower cholesterol levels. Benefits of green tea may include lowering cholesterol, strengthening the immune system, promoting healthy blood vessel functionality and even protecting teeth and bones. The more processing tea leaves undergo, the darker they will turn. Green tea is the least processed tea. They are simply steamed quickly.
As soon as I opened the package of loose leaf Mango Green Tea, it smelled like I had just cut into a fresh mango. Probably because there is actual dried mango in the mix! There was no scent of freshly cut grass that I’m used to when I smell bagged green tea. I tasted the tea with an open mind and didn’t taste grass either! Just a mild flavor of mango with fresh tea leaves.
Funk, a big fan of green tea, enjoyed this brew, too. One night when I asked him to grab me a snack of cut up mangos from the kitchen, he actually came back with a mug of hot mango green tea. The tea tastes so much like fresh mango, he must have been confused! Mighty Leaf Tea already sent me next month’s samples, which happen to be green tea varieties. I’m looking forward to actually enjoying green tea and its benefits. Thanks for changing my mind, Mighty Leaf!
I know this isn't a food related post, but it's my blog, so I'm going to use it for a shameless plug!
My mom and I entered a look alike contest with Finale Restaurant. (ok, I guess it is a food related post since Finale desserts are fab!) Between now and May 29th, please click on this link from the Finale restaurant and VOTE for me and my mom in the "Mother Daughter Look Alike Contest!" www.finalephotovote.com
If we win (based on highest number of online votes), we'll get a swanky weekend away. Now wouldn't you just love to help my momma and I win that getaway? We even have matching outfits on and big curly hair!
So please vote with every email address you have and tell everyone you know to vote for us. Who cares if we don't look like twins!? We're photo #46. Just click on #46 until a green check mark appears, then enter your name and email info at the bottom of the screen and click "vote now."
A few weeks ago my mom graciously took me grocery shopping. Normally I shop at Trader Joe’s since it is a stone’s throw away from my home. I’m also never far from a farmers’ market, and subscribing to Boston Organics meant I had fresh produce dropped off at my door. So it has been a while since I have spent any time in a Shaw’s or other major supermarket chain doing major grocery shopping. It’s always good for me to shop in a Shaw’s so I can see new products on the market, how grocers are setting up stores, and what new marketing schemes are leading consumers to buy into bogus health claims on junk foods…but that’s a topic for another post.
Since recently putting a hold on our Boston Organics delivery, our produce drawer has been lacking in dark leafy greens. Trader Joe’s also really lacks in this area and I was missing those bitter, antioxidant packed greens. My mom told me she had spotted kale and collard greens in Shaw’s – pre washed, cut and bagged! While I don’t necessarily like the higher price for someone else to cut your veggies, and the wasteful packaging, I was impressed to see these “non traditional” greens alongside the other salad mixes. I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t think a store like Shaw’s would even carry these greens, but am excited to see they’re making it easy for consumers to add variety to their veggies. Now, next time I post a fab recipe using dark leafy greens, you don’t have to question, “Where on earth would I find those!?” You can just head to your nearest supermarket and get the greens.
The bag I bought of collard greens was humongous, and since the greens are pre cut with tough stems removed, everything in that bag was edible and ready to cook! Collard greens are bitter, so I like to pair them with something sweet.
I mixed up a honey mustard dressing using a few tablespoons of Dijon mustard, some agave nectar (or you can use honey), cider vinegar to thin it out, and some brown sugar. I added the brown sugar because my Dijon mustard had this spice that hit me right in the nostrils and I had to tone it down with something sweet in addition to the agave! You can easily just buy a honey mustard sauce, but this homemade one had a lot more flavor than some bottled brands.
I cooked my greens in a little olive oil in a pan and poured on the honey Dijon dressing to coat the leaves. I let them wilt for a few minutes and then enjoyed this leafy green side dish with a greater appreciation of the produce at Shaw’s. Next time you’re perusing the veggie section of your favorite grocery store, look for the ready-to-cook and eat greens and toss them in your cart for a new dinner side dish.
Now that you're firing up the grill more as summer nears, are you grilling hot dogs and sausage? If so, you're likely consuming nitrites, which are used as preservatives. They are also the source of many health concerns, as nitrite consumption has been linked to migraines, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), and certain cancers. I recently chatted with the folks at Foodessentials to help them with their informative nitrite blog post that can be found here. Here's a little bit about what I have to say about nitrite consumption:
"However, in light of safety concerns, many nutritionists recommend you avoid added nitrites if there are safer alternatives. In a recent discussion with dietitian Janel Ovrut (MS RD LDN), she commented that she encourages her clients to consume limited amounts of processed meats, or choose natural, organic, nitrite-free meets if possible (see links below for information). She points out that not only do processed meats contain nitrites, but they also tend to be high in sodium and saturated fat. Whether the links between processed meats and health problems are due to nitrites, or saturated fat content, cholesterol, and any other factors, Janel advises that it is wise to limit processed meats as much as possible in the diet."
Read the package of your processed meats and put it down if it contains nitrites! Or, leave the guess work out of it by leaving processed meats out of your diet.
I was craving a big bowl of quinoa the other day. I think my body was craving ANY combo of carbs and protein since I had just completed a long run the day before. Fortunately quinoa fits the bill since it is a protein packed grain, that isn’t even technically a grain. At that point I didn’t care what it was, since I was ravenous.
I quickly cooked up a hearty portion of quinoa. Once it was done and fluffed up, I put it over a bed of arugula lettuce, mixed in some salt, pepper, a pinch of soy cheese and some halved grape tomatoes. It was a mix of hot quinoa with a cool lettuce and tomato salad. The quinoa wilted the arugula a smidge and melted the cheese. I finished off every bite and was satisfyingly full, and full of great nutrients. Cold or hot, this meal is a steal.
This Mother's Day I baked a sweet treat for my mom. I very infrequently bake, or even want to bake, so this was a rarity for me. What was even more unusual is that I didn't try to change the recipes, "healthify" them, or swap out any ingredients like ground flax for eggs. Nope - for once I followed the directions in baking...no wonder they came out perfectly! So they're not vegan, however I can't wait to experiment making the cookies vegan the next time around. But they're chocolately and sweet and I left the nutrition information out, and hopefully my mom will love them. I turned to two of my friends who are consistently talented bakers for some recipe suggestions. Thanks Lara and Kath - I think they'll be a big hit!
Happy Mother's Day, Mom! You're the best. I love you!
Here is the recipe for "a really good chocolate cake"
1 3/4 C flour 2 C sugar 3/4 C cocoa 1 1/2 t baking powder 1 1/2 t baking soda 1 t salt 2 eggs 1 C milk 1/2 C oil 2 t vanilla extract 1 C boiling water
Combine all dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients except for the water. Beat with electric mixer at med speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. Pour into greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degree for 30-35 minutes until done.
Icing: 1/2 C margarine, 2 C powdered sugar, 4 T cocoa, 3-4 T milk
1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar 1 large egg 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large) 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (I did use quick cooking oats here and they were just as good) 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch chunks 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (about 2 ounces), toasted
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnuts.
Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers up to 2 days.
I am reading foodie Mark Bittman’s book, Food Mattersright now. It is a simple, straight-forward guide to conscious eating that is good for your health and the health of the planet. It reminds me a lot of Michael Pollan’s book, In Defense of Food – another favorite of mine, but it’s a topic that is worth rereading. Bittman isn’t a dietitian, he’s a food lover, but he manages to love the most nutritious and flavorful foods to make up a sound and healthful diet that tastes great. Here is a customer’s review of the book from amazon.com:
Mark Bittman's Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating is a guidebook for the typical American eating the typical American diet--heavy laden with meat, animal products, and processed foods. This typical American diet, Bittman points out, is calorie-dense, harmful to the atmosphere, taxing on global resources, and unhealthy. Bittman easily mixes scientific research with his own personal account of needing to lose weight due to high cholesterol and sleep apnea and shows that shifting his diet by emphasizing vegetables, legumes, and beans over meats and processed food helped him reach his weight and health goals without resorting to rigid dieting and calorie-counting. Let me make it clear here that Bittman is not advocating vegetarianism. He allows himself a little meat during his dinner meal and incorporates some meat in the recipe section of his book.
A food journalist and cook book writer divides his book into two sections. The first section, Food Matters, lays down the reasons we need to shift from meat and processed foods to vegetables, fresh produce, legumes and beans. If you've already read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma or In Defense of Food, this information won't be new to you. But it is a good recap of the incremental way the typical American diet has become unhealthy, burdensome to the environment, and "insane."
Bittman’s recipes read like a good book. They’re easy to follow with lots of swaps and substitutions noted. I’ve been reading this book before bed each night, which is making me incredibly hungry and dream of his recipes! I made his Tofu and Greens when I realized I had tofu and bok choy in the fridge just waiting to be used. It was simple and flavorful.
I’d recommend getting your hands on this book. You’ll have a new outlook on eating and will be armed with great recipes to try. Just don’t read it before bed like I do unless you’re prepared to have sweet…and savory…and salty…and hunger induced dreams.
I went to my first BBQ of the season over the weekend and wanted to bring a simple salad dish to share. Beans go so well with a BBQ theme, and I love a simple three-bean salad. Eating Well had a great recipe that has less sugar than typical versions. The only cooking required was blanching the green beans, since I used canned black beans and chickpeas, and my edamame was already pre-cooked and shelled. It couldn’t have been easier and it was a hit at the BBQ. I enjoyed the leftovers for lunch and the fiber and protein make it a filling dish.
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons cider vinegar 3 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard – I used dijon 1 tablespoon canola oil 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper to taste 1/3 cup diced red onion – I don’t like raw onion so I replaced this with about ½ cup black beans 1 15-ounce can black-eyed peas or chickpeas, rinsed – I used chickpeas 1 10-ounce package frozen baby lima beans or shelled edamame – I used edamame 1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1. Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Fill a large bowl half full with ice water and place next to the stove. 2. Meanwhile, whisk cider vinegar, rice vinegar, sugar, mustard, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl until blended. Add onion and black-eyed peas (or chickpeas); toss to coat. 3. Cook lima beans (or edamame) in the boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes (unless they’re pre-cooked and not frozen). Remove with a slotted spoon and refresh in the ice water. Pat dry and add to the bowl. 4. Cook green beans in the boiling water until just tender, 3 to 6 minutes. Drain and refresh in the ice water. Pat dry and add to the salad along with parsley; toss well.
Makes 8 servings, about 1 cup each Nutrition Info Per serving: 109 calories; 2 g fat (0 g sat, 1 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrate; 5 g protein; 6 g fiber; 322 mg sodium; 381 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Fiber (23% daily value), Vitamin C (15% dv).
Dear Readers, I was so excited to post a recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo that Funk and I actually created this for dinner last night, just to have a post ready for you today! How's that for blogger dedication?! We dusted off our sombreros and got the ingredients out for a perfect Cinco de Mayo pizza.
Ingredients: 1/2 ball of fresh whole wheat pizza dough and a few shakes of whole wheat flour for dusting enough spicy salsa to cover the crust soy cheese about 1/3 cup black beans (canned and rinsed) about 1/4 cup guacamole
We rolled out the dough and put it in a pie pan (sprayed with some cooking spray) then spread spicy salsa on top in place of the pizza sauce. I topped it with some shredded soy cheese. If you eat dairy cheese, go for the spicy jalapeno kind for added flair! Then we sprinkled on some black beans and baked it in a 425 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes until the crust was...crusty. I'd actually recommend adding the beans with only a few minutes left of cooking because ours began to dry out. Funk recommended I do that and I didn't listen to him. Whoops! After the pizza was cooked and slightly cooled I spread on some guacamole around the crust. It was prepared Trader Joe's guacamole since I was pressed for time and the avocados were NOT ready for Cinco de Mayo!
This pizza was muy bueno! We fully intended to only eat half tonight so we could have leftovers on the actual Cinco de Mayo...but we ate the whole thing. Can you blame us? Ole!
Whole wheat spaghetti (I used Barilla Plus – a favorite among many of my clients who don’t love the overly nutty flavor of whole wheat pasta) 5-6 carrots, peeled and cut into slices 1 zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces 1 green pepper, cut into bite sized pieces olive oil 3 garlic cloves basil to taste salt and pepper red pepper flakes (optional for a little kick)
I cooked the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile, I heated some olive oil in a pan, and added 3 chopped garlic cloves and a bunch of chopped basil. My garlic actually wasn’t in the form of a clove, and my basil wasn’t in a bunch. I buy them frozen and cubed, made by Dorot. It is a simple way to store fresh-to-frozen herbs without all the chopping (and you avoid garlic smelling fingers). All you have to do is pop the little frozen cubes into your cooking! I purchase mine at Trader Joe’s.
Adding loads of veggies is a great way to portion control your pasta. You fill up on big bulky veggies, leaving less room for the higher-calorie pasta. Try this dish with any fresh vegetables!
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Melissa, who had a story to share about her heart attack experience that had an instant effect on my life. Her story can be read below, and on the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women website. Melissa generously agreed to let me share her story on my blog so it can continue to educate others. When I read her story, I could not understand how a healthy, fit woman with no heart risk factors and a total cholesterol of only 105 could suffer a heart attack. This picture-of-health person sitting in front of me, who sneaks ground flax seed and wheat germ into her son’s grilled cheese sandwiches and adopted a vegan diet, is a heart patient?...Why?
Because of a cold medicine she was using at the time that contained the ingredient pseudoephedrine, which is widely used and easily available at drugstores. There is very little information out there about the effects of pseudoephedrine, but you might recognize the word ephedrine, which was in a popular weight loss drug several years ago that killed many people.
I instantly went to my medicine cabinet to find that the seasonal allergy medicine (Claritin D) I had Funk buy the night before contained this ingredient. And the DayQuil and Advil Cold + Sinus tablets I depend on when I have a cold went right into the trash too. The only warning on these medications is that “those who have high blood pressure should speak to their doctor before using.” What they do not warn is that use of these medications can result in a heart attack. And for Melissa, they did. Funk put it best when he said, “I’d rather have a stuffy nose than a stuffy heart.”
The past few days I have been consumed by this ingredient and shocked at the number of times I’ve taken it in medicine. I have been researching to find out where else it lurks, and trying to warn everyone I can to get it out of the house. Now. Check out your medicine cabinet and don’t take any risks. I invite you to read Melissa’s story and please pass it along to educate others.
After a quick google search I found the following medications that contain pseudoephedrine or pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (HCL). (This is not a final or official list – check each and every medication to be sure). Pay close attention to those medications that act as decongestants as these are likely to contain the harmful ingredient.
It was just before Christmas 2006, and I was standing at my laptop in the kitchen when I felt back pain, like lightning flashes, shooting down my shoulder blades to the center of my back. I turned to my husband, Scott, in the living room and said, "I'm having strange pains that I've never felt before." The pain didn't go away when I changed position, and I was starting to feel scared. Just to be on the safe side, we called 911. At the emergency room, doctors gave me baby aspirin and ran tests, including an ECG, chest x-ray, and blood work. All of the test results were normal, and after a few hours, I was sent home with the diagnosis of "back spasms." I was prescribed ibuprofen and told to follow up with my primary care doctor in the morning. In the meantime, the pain had disappeared. Everything seemed fine.
Of course, everything was fine. It couldn't possibly be anything serious. After all, I was under a lot of stress -- between fighting a bad cold, being busy at work, getting ready for the holidays, and chasing after my two-year-old son, Aidan. I was 37 years old, in excellent health. I'd never smoked, never taken any illegal drugs, and didn't have diabetes or any medical condition. My blood pressure and weight were normal (I'm 5'4" and 122 lbs.). My total cholesterol was 105, and I limited the saturated fat in my diet and regularly exercised at a gym several times each week. Since I'd managed our employee wellness program at work for several years and considered myself educated on how to stay healthy, I'd earned the reputation of being a "skinny health nut." There's no incidence of early heart disease in my family and all of my grandparents lived to age 90 or beyond. And most interestingly, since I'm a participant in the Framingham Heart Study (my grandfather was one of the original research subjects in 1948), I'd had a complete Heart Study exam in 2003, which included a cardiac CT scan that can detect early calcification in the arteries -- a medical test few people my age receive. All normal. I was probably healthier than most of my peers.
So, I assured myself, I could rest easy. After coming home from the ER, I went to sleep thinking the pain I'd felt was indeed back spasms from putting up the Christmas tree earlier that day.
Imagine my shock when a strong wave of pain shook me awake five hours later. I sat upright in bed and grabbed Scott's arm. The pain was back, but now it was changing -- it was more intense, it was migrating to my chest, and I had broken out into a sweat. Scott was reluctant to call 911 again, but I begged and pleaded. Something was definitely wrong. I returned to the ER, where the same crew of doctors re-ran the same tests. But this time, one of them came into the room and said "We think you're having a heart attack." After that, everything moved in slow motion. I was stunned, to say the least. I thought for certain that I would die, and all I could think about was how I'd never see my little boy again.
Upstairs in the cardiac catherization lab, the team found significant left main stenosis with occlusion of the proximal LAD artery and diagonal branch. (I found out later that stenting was not possible due to the location and unstable nature of the blockage. The type of blockage I had is sometimes referred to as "the widow-maker," and many folks don't even make it to a hospital.) When a surgeon appeared at my bedside soon after, the pain medication being pumped into me could not dull the rising fear as I struggled to grasp his words. Through the haze, I thought I heard him say "I'm recommending we do an emergency cardiac bypass -- probably a triple bypass."
"A bypass -- like you do on elderly men?" By now, I was crying hard and gasping for air. I knew that a bypass was major, risky, open-heart surgery. On me -- the skinny health nut! I thought, this cannot be happening to me. One minute, we're putting up the Christmas tree -- and the next minute, I'm here?
"Yes, it's the same procedure," he said.
"I guess I have no choice?"
"Not really," he replied gently, and he handed me the waiver to sign.
The surgery was performed the next day, and I was released from the hospital a week later, on Christmas Eve. My postoperative course was predictable, and I recovered from a medical and physical perspective. But in some ways, my ordeal had just begun.
One of the most difficult things about my heart attack was the identity crisis that followed. I felt as if I'd suddenly been thrust into a demographic I didn't belong in -- my identity as a young person, a healthy person, even my identity as a woman -- it was like my identity disappeared in an instant. While I knew several people my age who had battled cancer (three in my neighborhood alone), I knew no one else who'd had a heart attack in their thirties... not a soul. And I personally knew no women who'd had a heart attack, let alone bypass surgery! I felt defective, like a freak of nature... it was a confusing, frightening, incredibly lonely time. Cardiac rehab only added to my sense of isolation. It was intimidating and strange to find myself among men thirty and forty years older than me. At first, the group thought I was a visiting medical student -- I couldn't possibly be a heart attack survivor! -- and I almost dropped out that day. Somehow, though, I stuck with it and over time, rehab helped me to tap into a network of caring professionals who supported me and helped me put my life back together.
I realize that having a heart attack in your thirties is unusual. But with heart disease now epidemic, my story is one that women need to hear -- especially young women, because they think it can't happen to them. Some lessons I learned:
- Of course, manage your cardiac risk factors if you have them. But just because you have no known cardiac risk factors doesn't mean you have no risk for heart disease or heart attack. I assure you: if someone with my medical profile can have a heart attack, ANYONE can. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security.
- Don't ignore symptoms. Any strange pain that doesn't have a clear cause should be evaluated by a doctor. Recognize that women absolutely do have heart attacks, and we may have atypical symptoms, like back pain (as I did). Not all heart attacks look or feel like the so-called "Hollywood heart attack" (where the person clutches his chest and collapses in agony).
- Don't be dismissed at the emergency room. It might not be just anxiety, and you're not necessarily overreacting. You may have to advocate for yourself in a medical setting if you don't "look" like a typical heart attack patient or you don't have risk factors. Doctors may not believe you; insist on a cardiac workup if you feel something is wrong. I'm certain of one thing: if I had been too embarrassed to return to the ER the second time ("what will the neighbors think?"), I would surely be dead now.
Several months later, we learned the likely cause of my heart attack: a common over-the-counter cold medicine triggered a coronary artery spasm, which produced a blood clot in my artery. I'm still amazed that this chemical, pseudoephedrine, is still widely available while an identical substance, the weight-loss drug known as ephedra, was banned several years ago for causing heart attacks and stroke in healthy people. Pseudoephedrine almost killed me, and its dangers are well-known and well-documented. I'm angry that it's still on the market in this country, because no one else should have to endure the hell I've been through. This "skinny health nut" is now a "heart patient" for the rest of her life -- and all because of a cold medicine I bought at the drugstore for five bucks.
Since my heart attack, I've resumed my life and I don't take a single day for granted. These days, when I'm keeping up with my busy schedule at work, doing somersaults with my son at his tumbling class, or powering through a workout at the gym, I often think "I made it... I'm alive... I'm a survivor." As you can see from the photo of me, Scott, and Aidan, I have a lot to live for -- and I plan to be around for a long time!
