New P.A.D. Healthy Eating Handbook

The Way To My Heart has released the first-ever Peripheral Artery Disease handbook for healthy eating. At the request of its P.A.D. Warrior Task Force, made up of more than two dozen patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (P.A.D.), a chronic circulation issue in mainly the legs, The Way To My Heart put together a strategic collection of dietary topics of interest that answer their most frequent questions. The PADdy's Plate "Food For Thought" special edition is a comprehensive, yet not exhaustive, handbook designed to help patients start the conversation with their healthcare team about healthier eating, a critical component in helping to slow progression of disease.

P.A.D. Warriors know they need to eat healthier but there are so many factors that get in the way. They have different comorbidities, lifestyles, culture, traditions, obligations (family, friends, work), logistical, financial, and emotional barriers that play a role in their eating style. So, while there's a sea of incredible diet and vascular-friendly food information on the internet, patients may not understand how to apply it in their own life as a sustainable, long-term way of eating. Even more, each P.A.D. Warrior presents differently with disease. So, a general, one-size-fits-all, heart healthy way of eating may not translate into improved bloodwork and imaging. Not seeing results makes it difficult for patients to stay motivated to continue critical lifestyle changes.

When patients can't measure the difference, they tend to fall back upon their old habits.

"Food For Thought" addresses that.

It's why we include a large section focused on getting to the heart of what is damaging the arteries and along with that, a list of advanced bloodwork, put together by Dr. Michael Dansinger, MD , Medical Director of Boston Heart Diagnostics , which provides novel diagnostics, reports, and a personalized, scientifically designed nutrition and lifestyle program. Patients desire a more comprehensive understanding of how certain food damages and heals their own individual arteries. And they want their efforts to be measurable.

My Dad is one of them.

We kick-off this handbook with a personal story about my Dad that many patients can relate to with vascular issues. My dad was on the verge of a heart attack. After a life-saving heart catheterization, lifestyle changes were in order, particularly with food. This former Navy Captain didn't take well to change, stuck in his 78 years of eating habits he enjoyed. It was through my commitment of slowing progression of disease that I learned the power of knowledge on creating sustainable eating strategies for life. My dad was not impressed with knowing simply 'what to eat.' He wanted to know the mechanism of action by which certain foods were leading to HIS artery damage and HIS plaque build-up, and which ones could help heal HIS arteries and slow progression of HIS disease. That led to us to discover advanced bloodwork offered by Boston Heart Diagnostics and WellSpring Natural Medicine functional medicine practitioner Dr. Adriane Hines who could interpret the results and create a personalized, impactful meal and supplement plan that, within two years, turned around his bloodwork and stalled progression of disease. One of the keys in developing that meal plan was listing his favorite unhealthy foods and finding delicious dad-approved substitutions that aligned with his meal plan. To make it easy to follow, we used Dr. Hines Food Tree and Food Tracker which helped him with shopping, daily and weekly food selection, and most importantly portion sizes of each item.

All of what we learned through the experience with my Dad, and we've seen also work for hundreds of others through The Way To My Heart's network, went into this handbook. Sections include:

• Why Your Arteries Are On Fire
• How Food Damages And Heals Arteries
• Cholesterol 101: A guide to understanding cholesterol and other fats in your blood.
• Exposing Hidden Risks: Specialized Blood Testing For Artery Health
• Easier Healthy Food Substitutes
• How To Choose The Best Olive Oil

Other sections were purely inspired by questions asked by P.A.D. Warriors to address not only their individual comorbidities but also their presentation of disease, AND way of life:

• The Keys To Kidney Health
• Nutrition & Wound Healing
• Pack A Nutrient Punch In A Pot
• Eating From The Freezer
• Grow What You Eat
• Eating Out...Healthy?
• Novel Ways To Reduce Claudication
• .... and more. Several P.A.D. Warriors also shared their successful approaches to healthier eating!

This handbook does not provide medical advice and is not intended to replace that of the patient's own healthcare team. It's designed to provide supplemental materials for patients and their healthcare teams to create a personalized, sustainable eating strategy. Throughout the handbook, we provide worksheets that allow P.A.D. Warriors to take notes, write-down questions for their own providers, and become an active participant in creating a new healthier eating strategy. There is also space for a patient's healthcare team to get a better understanding of the patient, discover what's lighting their arteries on fire, create shopping lists for approved items, and hold them accountable for their dietary changes.

The idea is to help patients step-by-step make the changes they need to improve their prognosis. Most patients can't just dive in and do a 180 with their diets. It's not realistic for the many factors I stated before, especially financial. Imagine going home and having to clean out all of your cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer and then going to the store to replace it all. That's daunting...and expensive. I would argue it's not financially feasible for most people. It takes time to make changes and get them to stick. That's why, in this handbook, we spend a lot of time on easy healthier food substitutions so that patients can ease their way into a healthier diet. Some patients may take right to that approach as it doesn't require learning new recipes, while others may prefer to utilize our P.A.D.-friendly shopping list provided by Dr. Hines and start stocking up on healthier items slowly as they begin to plan their meals each week. Ultimately, we hope that our meal tracker will start to reflect a more P.A.D.-friendly menu each and every week.

In 94 pages it's impossible to cover EVERYTHING a patient needs to know about food. But it's a great start! Future editions will expand on other important dietary topics and include more diet hacks and recipes submitted by P.A.D. Warriors. If you have questions or comments, want to contribute to future editions, are interested in sponsoring the printing and distribution for low-income patients in vulnerable communities, or want a customized copy for your practice, email [email protected] - An easy link to make your $100 donation for a customized copy to begin the process of getting one to your practices soonest is HERE. Let's save life and limb together!