Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Where's the Beef?

Jim's internist called here the week before last to talk to him about his latest blood test. I always am amazed by people who call here during the day expecting to find him. Hello! Work day! At that particular moment he was on his way down to Cape Girardeau, which happens once if not twice each week. The doctor decided to break every Hippa law and talk to me about the results. Since I do all the shopping and cooking, this makes sense to me. He informed me that Jim's cholesterol was at 137, and he really wants it to be below 130. (When I told Jim's mom about this number, she said she would be doing cartwheels - assuming that was still possible at 78 - if her level was 137. She is up in the 240 range, despite taking medication.) Anyway, I got the old fish and chicken lecture. He can eat fish or chicken, no beef. No eggs, no dairy (except skim milk) yadda, yadda. We are now in our third week of no beef. I can't say I really miss it, but I am quickly tiring of chicken. As I am not much of a fish lover, this will be a challenge for me. I talked with Jim's older sister over the weekend. She had a cardiac cath done a couple years ago, and she got the fish or chicken lecture from her cardiologist, who happens to work at the same hospital as her. By the time he was done, he had her in tears. One of the nurses came in, took one look at her and said "The food Nazi was in here, wasn't he? I'll send the dietitian in to talk to you, and she'll tell you what you can really eat." It ends up that a lean hamburger has less fat than some chicken. So I obviously have some research to do. I was a little surprised that the American Heart Association website offers very little in the way of menu preparation. Oh, wait...they have a book they want you to buy. I had a little more success with the Mayo Clinic website as they offer some heart healthy recipes. But until I get it all sorted out, what would you like for supper tonight? Fish or chicken?

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