Heart Attack and BBQ


 
M

Mark Childers

TVWBB Member
I had a pretty bad heart attack in Jan. Had 5 way bypass and open heart surgery. Is my BBQ and smoking days over? They want me to have less than 2gram of sodium a day. BBQ and smoking seems to be very sodium high.

Anyone else have similar issues? I am really missing some smoked turkey or pulled pork. Or a nice slab of ribs.
 
My father is also required to have a low sodium diet for heart issues and I often make up a plate and deliver it to him when I cook. His dietitian also allows him one "cheat day" a week. Mrs. Dash makes several seasonings that work well with grilling. The Steak Blend and Chicken Grilling Blend come to mind. Onion & Herb is also one of his favorites. (Sorry, those are all upstairs in the kitchen.) They also make both Taco and Chili Seasoning. If you go to their website they have links to their Amazon store. I think you may find some flavor profiles that aren't the traditional Smoking/BBQ flavors but may make interesting flavor profiles. If I'm smoking I tend to use either Hickory or a fruit wood as then tend to have lighter smoke flavor than mesquite or oak.

Kingsford has a No Salt Blend and Kent Rollins makes a low sodium version of his Red River Seasoning and I saw that McCormick also makes a low sodium version of their Montreal Steak Seasoning the last time I was in the grocery store.
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You're not going to have to give up the wonderful food; just change what you use to make it. Good luck on your recovery.
 
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Tony Chacheres has a sodium free version, McCormick makes a few without sodium as well. But honestly there’s no telling what all is available out there, I’d bet Amazon would turn up a bit. Glad you’re doing ok though.
 
amazingribs.com

The Science Of Rubs

Herb & spice rubs and blends are a great way to bring major flavor to food. But there is a science and art to making and using them.
amazingribs.com

Lots of salt-free rub recipes here. The intent is that you apply the salt separately, as much or as little as you like. Or none.
 
Kevin-KY said:
I make my own rub and it has zero salt in it. I bet if you Google salt free rub recipes you’ll find some that are to your liking.
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same. i make ALL my rubs salt free so I can salt as needed. so in this case, just omit salt. there's so much flavor in a good rub that you won't miss salt. the ribs i just did yesterday had almost no salt once i salted the ribs. i could have easily gone zero salt and not missed it at all.

once you change your palate, and remove salt, you won't miss it. same for sugar.

since we rarely eat out, we easily and instantly taste the salt (over salt) in restaurant foods. same for sugar.

hope you're doing well, @Mark Childers.
 
Buy only all natural pork or poultry. Avoid enhanced or pre marinated because of the sodium.
Leaner pork or beef instead of the fatty cuts.
 
Thanks folks. This salt is a tough one. My wife is trying every substitute, and its tolerable. But not the same. But honestly, I don't think I could go thru this again.
 
I’m sorry to hear about the “event”. Like folks have said above, there are lots of options out there. Don’t give up, you can find things that have taste without salt.
 
You should follow your doctor's advice.

That said I always considered the link between sodium and blood pressure to be junk science
As is most of the dietary advice that has come out of the medical establishment.
Hell, much of the medical advice is junk science at best as well.
The medical industry role is to sell services and sell drugs. They create many of the problems they treat.
 
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MartinB said:
You should follow your doctor's advice.
That said I always considered the link between sodium and blood pressure to be junk science
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I am in no way a medical professional, but I agree with you. I eat and drink large amounts of sodium and my BP is always 120something over 70-72. Has been that way my entire adult life. I thank God for that but also kinda makes me question the BP and sodium link.
 
LeviWooten said:
I am in no way a medical professional, but I agree with you. I eat and drink large amounts of sodium and my BP is always 120something over 70-72. Has been that way my entire adult life. I thank God for that but also kinda makes me question the BP and sodium link.
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For sure people with high blood pressure should not do anything to aggravate their blood pressure. Sodium intake does that possibly indirectly by increasing blood volume through retained fluids. However normal people are not affected. Unfortunately when people start taking high blood pressure medication their bodies become dependent on it, and they end up taking it for 60 years.

We ate salt tablets like candy when we were teenagers... Handfuls of yellow salt tablets.. It was thought then that it would help prevent dehydration at football practice...😂.... More junk science.
 
MartinB said:
For sure people with high blood pressure should not do anything to aggravate their blood pressure. Sodium intake does that possibly indirectly by increasing blood volume through retained fluids. However normal people are not affected. Unfortunately when people start taking high blood pressure medication their bodies become dependent on it, and they end up taking it for 60 years.
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That makes a lot of sense
 
I am no doctor at all but I do like the Arginine as a supplement....it has been noted that it may not be for people who have had a heart attack though. It basically relaxes your blood vessels and reduces high blood pressure....slightly..... There is also a good sized list of medications and supplements you should not take it with.....an odd one simply is grapefruit!! It is the precursor to nitrous oxide which the body already produces. So if one wanted more nitrous oxide in the system Arginine would be the route I would consider. L-Arginine is an amino acid of course.
I also wouldn't listen to anything I have to say of course....I would look it up on a trusted quality search engine.
There are complimentary supplents to take with this of course like
L-citrulline
Beets
Beet root juice
All work together / do similar things.....
They are also good items for one who would work out for recovery and muscle pump if you lift heavy.
These are all also found in foods so a supplement is not always required.
 
I’m sorry to hear that Mark and I hope all goes well for you.

I’m not qualified to give any advice.
This is a tough one because I don’t think that you can trust processed supplement type substitutes.
I’m not even sure about or organic substitutes.

I’m salt sensitive because of taste rather than health reasons so I can substitute or reduce salt with organic things like items from my herb garden and citrus from the stores.
I’m not sure if these would work for you so I would ask you doctor about his/her recommendations.

Citrus wise lemon and lime slices and juice are my faves but zesting other skins works good too.

Herb wise thyme, rosemary, basil and fennel seem to always find a way on my food.

There are also the countless peppers that I constantly use.
I recently became a fan of zesting frozen jalapeños on a bunch of things even hard boiled eggs

Salmon covered with lemon slices, veggies, with a light dusting of chipotle and no salt in a convertible aluminum foil boat on the bbq has never received any complaints here.

I’m even thinking about rigging a fish basket to my rotisserie and using simple herbs with mesquite heat for flavor.
 
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Thanks all. I guess I need to get past this recovery stage, and make sure these bypasses heal. I will consult a doctor. My surgeon was very vague about the subject. He was not big on the one teaspoon of salt a day. The biggest cause of my Heart attack was really diabetes. I love sweet BBQ.
 
Mark Childers said:
Thanks all. I guess I need to get past this recovery stage, and make sure these bypasses heal. I will consult a doctor. My surgeon was very vague about the subject. He was not big on the one teaspoon of salt a day. The biggest cause of my Heart attack was really diabetes. I love sweet BBQ.
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Glad to see you're still with us, Mark.

By all means, listen to the health care folks. And keep your blood sugars under control. Yeah, I know..... loves me some beer & barbecue as well while I'm on insulin. Just gotta count what I'm eating.
 
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