I am a foodie, I used to live to eat.

In October I had a heart attack.
I am now on a restricted diet with is a major bummer for someone who saw food, and drink, as a part of their identity.

From now on my food needs to be low-fat (well animal fats anyway), and low salt/msg/additives.

The Wicker Basket has a good buffet that is healthy, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life eating at the same place.

Can anybody recommend any menu items from other places around the city?
Please.

Sig
Gastropod (I will walk around the city looking for good food)

I am not sure if you have done this, but I would research diet and nutrition a bit more to see if you really need to be doing cutting fat etc. Obviously, don't take my word for it, but I don't think you need to cut those things like saturated fat out of your diet.

If it were me, I would add a ton of poly and mono unsaturated fats by buying flax oil and flax seeds (available here in town), olive oil, and lots of high quality fish oil and taking high doses everyday. I would ask for less rice and extra veggies anytime you eat Chinese food, you can pay 5 yuan more for this, and eat the veggies first. otherwise I would keep eating normal food. But I would always have fruit and nuts on hand (in your car, e-bike, bike, bag. etc) everyday.

Most importantly, I would make 45 minutes at the gym (doing whole body exercises and cardio) my daily morning routine. And I would try to be in bed before midnight on 25 nights per month. I would also look at stress in my life. You may also simply eat less damn food.

Saturated fat, such as butter, meat, yogurt, coconut etc. is an important part of a healthy diet, particularly for males, so i wouldn't cut it out. Lots of doctors say stupid things about nutrition, which are based on studies of sedentary, overweight people, who's diet comes from boxes and plastic containers, who eat tons of refined sugars, and who have never seen a bottle of olive oil or sesame oil in their life.

I think there are endless healthy ways for you to eat, you don't need a special place to go, you need good technique for ordering and inquiring at Chinese restaurants. Asking about green vegetables, steamed foods, etc is a good idea. Overall though, maybe becoming an athlete, not gorging yourself, and ADDING lifesaving nutrients to balance things out is the main thing, not cutting out your favorite foods.

Hi Onelegged

I am already doing what you suggested with regards to diet, olive oil, and Chinese restaurants (that I generally avoid). At home I do eat a little red meat and maybe 3 eggs per week, skimmed milk and no butter. Mainly veggies, fish and chicken breast. I also cook with a little olive oil.

I am now walking briskly 6km per day. But, I am over 50 and overweight, and so I think my athletic days are over :(

The big problem was two clogged (100%) and one partially clogged (40%) coronary arteries (we only have 3). And even after a Stent operation (they could only fit one) I am only working on two coronary arteries (one of the veins is now working in reverse direction and doing the job of the third artery). I would like to avoid a heart bypass operation if I can and I think I do need to avoid cholesterol where possible.

But I do like to eat out and it would be nice to know of anywhere that has nice, good, healthy, non-Chinese dishes.

If you want to be healthy and don't have to worry about heart attacks anymore, there is only one way. Eat vegan. Not even vegetarian as eggs and milk are some of the worst things to eat.

I've been vegan more than 5 years. If you need information you can contact me. Or check on the Internet, you'll find everything you need.

Good luck

Hi Tigertiger.

I run www.vegetarian-china.info/ ... there's some dishes there you might like to take a look at. Going vegan or at least vegetarian would definitely help you.

In terms of eating decent low-fat western food outside, I would recommend:

- Small veggie pesto salad at Salvadors (very filling)

- Salads at Prague Cafe (though a little pricey)

Unfortunately much western food is simply bad for you in terms of cholesterol. Quiche, pizzas, hamburgers, heavy chunks of meat, etc. Lots of Chinese food you buy outside is also very oily, though. You can reduce the amount of oil you are eating by choosing good restaurants, ordering carefully and eating less.

Try going to a good Chinese restaurant (I recommend Kadilan, opposite Mandarin books) and ordering some vegetables you've never eaten before. The white root plant 'zi er gen', cucumber, mushrooms, tofu and tomato, various leafy greens, broccoli, etc. are all tasty and much better for heart conditions than meat dishes.

Also, drinking a glass of red wine every night is supposed to help reduce the incidence of heart problems.

Stay away from any regular consumption of sugary foods. One of the worst is beer, but also fizzy drinks like sodas. Move from beer to wine: feel better, drink less.

If you are smoking, stop. When I've succeeded in stopping for weeks or months in the past a combination of exercise and locking myself at home with DVDs or a computer game or some good books has been a good method. Also, travel in a low-pressure environment (Thailand, etc.) can be a good way to keep the mind off the habit.

Consider getting in to cooking a lot more ... the veggie markets in Yunnan are some of the best in the world and you can really eat well here. Ultimately, eating at home gives you the most control over what you will consume and in what quantity.

Get more fruit around the house, and snack on that and eg: cashew nuts instead of having full meals. Don't overdo the cashews though: in theory they're pretty high fat but in practice you can munch away pretty happily as long as you don't do a bowl a day!

Eat less in the evening, and more in the morning or at lunch time.

Exercise wise, maybe get yourself a bicycle and take a day a week to visit one of Kunming's nearby mountains. Also consider playing some badminton (very full body game: less energetic / high body impact than squash, very approachable for people out of shape).

Good luck and thanks for the shock treatment. I'm overweight too after a too much of the good life and not enough exercise but am working on it with some serious cycling and careful food selection right now. Hoping to avoid a similar situation in 20 years' time!

i'm reading this while eating a pile of fries and a generously buttered sandwich. i'm gonna live forever, dammit.

>I am now walking briskly 6km per day. But, I am over 50 and overweight, and so I think my athletic days are over :(

I don't think you need strenuous exercise. Brisk walking 45 minutes a day is probably good enough.

Maybe something a bit more strenuous like basketball once a week?

You need moderate regular exercise and you need to get the weight down, in my humble opinion. That's probably as important as the diet.

I am working on the weight indirectly. Just by changing my food structure and walking I have lost 8kg in the last 6 week. This is too fast for weight loss I know. I don't know what to do about it. If I eat bigger meals I feel bloated and this puts pressure on my diaphragm causing discomfort for my heart.
I am also eating 5 times a day. Sometimes six.

I believe that you can lose 1-2 kg per week without any adverse health effects (but I'm not certain about that).

Suggestion: beans are very good for a healthy heart and also help keep weight down because they contain lots of fiber and help you feel full. Salvador's has chili. Or cook a big pot at home for a few days.

I think if you're not starving yourself (and it sounds like you're not), you don't need to worry too much about losing weight too quickly.