Foodie Doctor

Today my husband saw his cardiologist for a regularly scheduled appointment.  Our visits are always enlightening and encouraging, but today’s felt even more so than usual. My man recently “graduated” from the heart failure specialist’s office – evidence that his previously diminished heart continues to stabilize, and even improve.  Ripe with gratitude and hope, I entered the doors to the cardiology office.  I was primed. Receptive.

I invite you to picture the clinical scene: narrow look-alike hallways (you know, like rat mazes); professional white coats; posters and plastic repos of hearts showing chambers and valves and arteries; brash florescent lights. It looked like every other cardiology office.

And yet our cardiologist talked passionately about food, which is not so typical! We’re used to this, however – she is outspoken whenever a patient is interested in a nutritional approach to wellness, and she knows we’re on board. In fact, nutrition was a primary focus of our time together; she prioritized food and gut health at least as much as the expected topics, like my husband’s upcoming echocardiogram and the usual review of his medications.  “As your gut goes, so goes the rest of you, heart included,” she reminded us with a huge smile, her eyes filled with contagious light.  “I believe what you’re doing is making a huge difference.  Keep up the good work.”

At one point she shared a personal antidote. “It was time for me to re-take boards again recently.  I was in another city, and I chose not to eat restaurant food knowing it would not prepare me for my best performance.  I took fresh veggies and fruits, nuts and seeds, and a protein drink to my hotel room.  Ate like a bird, achieved like a scholar.”  Yep, she’s a believer.  She practices this stuff herself.

Since Christmas we’ve been eating her way - a serious but delicious way, a way that supports health at the cellular level.  This kind of diet decreases systemic inflammation, a root cause of all degenerative diseases. We’re not perfect in following the rules exactly (who is?), and yet I would guess we’re in a small percentage of the American population when it comes to making clean food choices. 

For example, here’s a picture of a meal on a muggy summer evening a few days ago.  It aroused my taste buds and looked so beautiful on my plate that I felt compelled to take a picture: broccoli salad, zucchini salad, baby kale salad with shredded Brussels sprouts and dry roasted pumpkin seeds, venison burger with and raw fermented sauerkraut as a condiment (continuing clockwise around the plate, starting at 10:00).

And here’s a photo of the dessert that followed that meal later in the evening: chia pudding (a high protein copycat of starchy tapioca pudding made with raw walnuts, almonds, chia, and almond milk - no dairy or sugar) coupled with chocolate mousse (avocado-based goo sweetened with raw honey).   

Perhaps one day if I do actually end up authoring an anti-inflammatory cookbook, our foodie cardiologist might be willing to endorse it for me.  Now that is a dreamy thought…..