Absolutely! Nothing good ever came from smoking. I quit years ago when I
went to my doctor and my blood pressure was high. :)

Eating healthy doesn't mean you can't eat any of the "bad" stuff, it
just means you have to moderate how much of those you eat. I have
noticed that americans tend to eat too much salt, so that one might be
harder to control. Why do people put salt on their food before tasting
it? That's not good!
Anyhow, just try to add more vegetables, avoid processed foods, eat
whole grains. It's not as hard as it sounds, you just have to make the
commitment to yourself that you'd rather die old in your sleep and not
young in the ER. :)

Most doctors will try to control BP with diet and exercise first. Those
help, very much. Even walking a half an hour a day is good!

How about oatmeal? With ground flax seed. Guaranteed to drop your
cholesterol in a few weeks. We don't "diet", but we do avoid processed
foods and try to eat a lot of veggies and whole grains. I make my own
granola that is delicious and very healthy. Takes 5 minutes of prep
work, then 2 hrs in the oven. I cook with olive oil mostly, my secondary
oil is grapeseed. Both are good oils, so I don't mind eating them. You
might also want to start having one glass of red wine per day. Makes the
heart good!

Lots of purrs coming over for you, Catherine. It's hard at first, but
once your palate gets used to less salt and less fat, more fatty and
salty foods taste disgusting. The transition may take a month or two,
though. Try to compensate with a lot of herbs, or if you like hot foods
like me, lots of chili and pepper.

Kind of been there done that, with the difference that my doctor had me
monitoring my own blood pressure and adjusting medications while travel.  
Yes, while I even had prescriptions that let me get lab tests, and I
know what I'm doing in adjusting, it's scary, on travel, to see it go to
180/120 and continuing up, and knowing it's ER time.

That being said, there's no question that weight loss would help several
conditions. Salt doesn't seem to be a major part of my pressure problem,
but that's extremely individual and I believe you if your drug response
shows that the salt is part of the problem.  

Pending lifestyle changes, high blood pressure often can be controlled
with medication, but it can take a complex multi-drug regimen, often
needing a subspecialist, to control it. There are some detailed
step-by-step protocols from NIH consensus conferences that develop
guidelines. I'm on about a fourth-step regimen, using about six drugs,
some to control effects from other drugs. The good news about that is
the most potent blood-pressure lowering drug I take is minoxidil, which
is the oral version of scalp Rogaine -- but much more powerful for
growing hair when taken orally. I can now refer to the much smaller bald
spot as a solar energy panel for a luuuuuve machine.

Seriously, a good cardiologist should be able to get it under control
with medication, but lifestyle changes do help.

There's not a lot one can say in favor of the health benefits of
smoking, other than perhaps that nicotine might help in some
tranquilizer overdoses.

May I suggest a rephrasing? You like the _taste_, or the _equivalent
taste_, of salt, fat and cholesterol.  I'm lucky that I don't especially
like salty food, but some dishes simply won't taste right without it.
Nevertheless, there are a lot of ways to substitute for the taste effect
of salt. I have an assortment of vinegars on my shelf, and they often
can substitute as a flavor enhancer. Many spices, and hot peppers, also
can give the equivalent zing.

Again, remember salt is as much or more a flavor enhancer rather than a
specific taste. Unfortunately, it's out of print as far as I know, but
there was the _No Excuses Cookbook_ -- it's about the only cookbook my
ex-wife insisted on taking out of the two bookshelves of cookbooks.  
It's more Cajun than anything else. One of the tricks I learned is that
apple juice concentrate can be an amazing flavor enhancer.  I just scoop
a tablespoon or so out of a can of frozen apple juice. _slight_ dashes
of sweetenings can do amazing things -- try a fraction of a teaspoon of
cane sugar in peas or tomato dishes (hint: if you slightly burn a sauce,
pour it into another pan, and put in dashes of sugar and a flavored
(e.g., wine) vinegar. You may salvage the dish).

Fat adds flavor. Sometimes, it's a compromise to go to a reduced
quantity of a healthier fat rather than cut it out completely. Olive and
walnut oils, in moderation, have heart health benefits -- the FDA even
recently approved health claims for walnuts. Canola oil (a much better
name than its original name, rapeseed) is pretty healthy. It will help
you to know the different kinds of fat (saturated, unsaturated,
transfatty, etc.) and use the more healthy forms.

When cooking, where you would use fat as a lubricant, there are
alternatives. I might, for example, use a teaspoon or two of olive oil
just to brown garlic, but then rely on a nonstick pan, and dashes of
water or juice, to do most of the cooking. Secret of Professional Chefs:
nonstick pans do not last forever. Commercial kitchens get cheap ones
and replace them every couple of years. While I have some very expensive
enameled cast iron pots for some purposes, I use cheap nonstick from a
restaurant supply house. I get mine by Internet order from a nice but
strange place called happychefsuniforms.com -- it's mostly a clothing
store (nice cheap comfortable casual things as well as restaurant wear),
but it has a limited range of pots and knives -- with the best prices
I've ever seen. A Law of Cooking says that for almost any gadget you see
at Williams-Sonoma, which is actually useful, you can get a non-shiny,
non-colored version for a third the price at a restaurant supply place.

Cholesterol is an odd thing, and your choloesterol levels (actually a
misnomer) depend as much or more on genetics than diet. Most
cardiologists now start the cholesterol (or more correctly lipid)
lowering drugs earlier in treatment, especially the group called the
statins. Sometimes you need a second drug of a different class; this
depends on the makeup of your blood lipids (fat-like compounds).  

Very briefly, the total cholesterol is misleading.  Cholesterol itself
is made in the liver, and is necessary to produce many hormones. You
absolutely do not want to lower cholesterol during pregnancy!  Anyway,
in a "lipid profile", you get a total cholesterol reading, and at least
three other numbers: high-density lipoproteins (HDL), low-density
lipoproteins (LDL), and triglycerides. Simplifying, HDL carries
cholesterol away from the blood vessels and LDL carries it to the blood
vessels. If you have a high HDL, you can be at very low cardiac risk
even with a high total. It's not perfect, but a good estimator of risk
is the ratio of HDL to total cholesterol -- the higher the better.

There can be some other blood factors that may or may not be present,
but should be comsidered. High levels of a chemical called homocysteine
predispose to heart disease, but the level is suppressed by taking
supplements of folic acid. About a milligram a day is ideal, but 1mg
tablets are prescription -- you can get away with vitamins with about
800 micrograms. It's a cheap prescription if you do get it. There's more
and more folic acid supplementation in food, because it turns out that
folic acid supplements prevent a large class of birth defects. The only
reason high doses are on prescription is that taking high doses can
sometimes mask the diagnosis of certain anemias.

You also want to get a test for something called "LP little A". In
general, either you have a genetically determined higher level, or you
don't. If you do, high doses of niacin are usually preferred. Niacin, a
vitamin, can be extremely effective for many blood lipd problems in very
high doses, but at these doses, there can be intolerable side effects.  
It's very individual. I rather like the hot flash sensation that many
people can't stand, but it causes my skin to discolor and bleed, badly
enough that I can't use it.

Good luck.  By aggressive treatment, I've reversed some significant
heart damage and have my blood pressure under control. I'm 56. My father
was dead at 42 and a cardiac cripple for several years before, because
the treatments we have now simply didn't exist. Even now, I have been
very aggressive in seeking treatment; one enormous help is that I'm in a
long-term monitoring program at the NIH Clinical Center.  Treatment
options get better every day.

Lifestyle can be hard, but it helps to be creative. I've found, for
example, that the only way I will do aerobic exercise regularly is if I
also do weight training. Weights are more of a meditation for me, with
lots of visualization. Lately, several of my doctors and I have agreed
that it's less important that I have the optimal weight workout, than
periodically do a set or two when I feel stressed, or eat or take a pill
as a reminder to lift a little.

Good luck, and let your furry family have all the fat they want for you.

Catherine, you can use this diagnosis as motivation to live a healthier
lifestyle.  I know -- I speak from experience.  I was diagnosed with
diabetes in June 2004, and I have frequently used your exact words to
explain my reaction.  That is, it was a real wake-up call for me.  I also
was overweight and had high cholesterol and high triglycerides.  I had known
for years that I should lose weight, but it took that diagnosis to convince
me to really make a change.  I adopted the South Beach diet, plus I
eliminated potatoes, rice, pasta, flour, and added sugar.  That is probably
much more rigid than you need, but it is working well for me.  I found in
the past that I simply don't do well by eating "just a little" of something,
such as dessert -- I wanted the whole thing and soon lost all sense of
dieting.  This time, I get plenty to eat, but it is much healthier food.  I
am eating fresh food almost exclusively (except for the meat, of course,
where it would be a stretch to call it "fresh").  I get lots of fresh
veggies, a fairly substantial amount of fresh fruit (especially berries),
lots of eggs, lean meat, and snack on nuts and Jarlsberg Lite cheese.  I
have lost a considerable amount of weight, my BG (glucose) is now under
control, and my cholesterol and triglycerides have come.  In fact, my doctor
says I can now eliminate my diabetes medication!  I even had to cut my blood
pressure medicine in half because my BP dropped *too* low (and I'm hoping
for even more improvement as I lose more weight).  So, the point is, it can
be done; and it really does not need to feel like a sacrifice.  I am never
hungry (but eat different foods than in the past) and feel better than I had
felt in years.

So, please look at the positive side and try to find a diet that can fit
your needs.  Once you begin to think about the serious consequences if you
don't make changes, then changing your lifestyle becomes much easier.

MaryL

Metamucil (psycllum husks) is great for cholesterol. Also, there's a
margarine here, can't remember hte name of it off hand, but if its here in
Oz its *has* to be available in the USA that can drop cholestrol levels even
if thats all you change.

If you can afford it, go see a dietician or nutritionist to work out a
proper diet that has enough of the things  you love to keep you on the plan,
but otherwise has an varied and good diet that will keep you interested in
stickign with it.

use spices, herbs and lemon juice to add more "zing" to your food whilst
cutting out on the salt. And the big trick with salt is not to cook with it,
just add it when you've finished making your meal. Joel likes alot more salt
than me, the only thing I ever add salt to are eggs and french fries. I have
no idea how he can taste *anything* with the amount of salt he uses. Its
just a matter of training your tongue to taste the more sublte tastes in
food, rather than just the salt. Quitting smoking will bring back that extra
taste ability.

Yowie

Catherine,

BTDT. My BP was 170/120.  What I found helped me most is to quit smoking
and walking 30-50 minutes 5 days a week.  Doing those two things made
salt a non-issue.  As far as diet, an Atkins style low-carb lowered my
BP even further.  It also lowered my LDL and triglycerides.  I'm not
alone in getting those results either.  I'm not telling you to ignore
what your doctor tells you, but do keep it in the back of your mind
should you not be happy with the traditional low-fat diet.  It's not for
everyone.

Of course, none of it is really easy.  It would be great if we could
take a little pill and have it all go away. In reality, the pills are
best thought of as a temporary fix. The problem is one pill often leads
to another to counteract the side effects from the first, which leads to
another, and another....  Lifestyle changes pay off better and safer.
They're hard work, but things worthwhile normally are.  

There are USENET support groups there that might help you.
Alt.support.stop-smoking and also the alt.support.diet hierarchy that
covers most popular diets. Keep in mind though, while they are all very
helpful, they are not even as close to as friendly as this one.  They
can be downright nasty at times, but take what you can use, and leave
the rest.

I wish you the best.  I know how frightened you must be.  Like you, the
thought of a stroke was definitely a wakeup call.  I wasn't afraid of
dying near as much as I was afraid of surviving and dealing with the
results.  You may not think you have the will power, but try to take it
a day at a time.  Don't overwhelm yourself with thoughts of forever.

Hang in there,
Lorraine

364 weeks, 5 days, 12 hours, 52 minutes, 27 seconds
since my last cigarette. That's a few days short of 7 years, BTW.
Cigarettes not smoked     102,141
Money saved*      $15,321.15

*Ha!  I wish.  That should read money spent elsewhere.  Even at that,
it's an inflated amount figured at $3.00 a pack.  I wasn't spending that
much per pack 7 years ago.  

CATherine - think about going to WeightWatchers and learning to eat a
healthy low-fat, low-salt diet. You can get lots of cookbooks and recipes
from them which are filled with good healthy stuff for you to make that
looks good and is tasty. I recommend them.

I haven't added salt to *anything* for years and yes, you get used to it -
so much so, I now find many foods too salty. Learn to use herbs & spices as
flavourings instead of salt. After a while you really do taste the food and
not the salt. Use skimmed milk instead of normal full-fat milk - I've used
this for years - and I now honestly prefer it to full-fat milk. Cheese is my
weakness - but it's a killer - I simply have to avoid it if I want to lose
weight, which I currently do. Standard cheeses are about 40% fat (and
saturated fat to boot) and are incredibly salty - many are cured in brine.
Reduce the amount of red meat you eat, increase the amount of white meat &
eat fish, especially oily fish. Have oily fish at least once a week - the
oils in it are high in Omega 3 which are seriously good for your heart. All
meats - cut all fat off before cooking. Don't have fried food - grill, do
not fry and do not add oil to stuff. Avoid as much processed foods as
possible - make your own homecooked foods using fresh ingredients, little
oil, avoid adding salt & use lots of herbs & spices for flavour. Also -
there's a lot of salt in many breads - so check those ingredient labels - or
make your own bread. For spreading on bread, instead of butter or
margarines, use a spread that has plant sterols which actively reduce
cholesterol levels - especially when eaten in conjunction with a healthy
diet.

Here's a recipe for a flavoursome vegetable soup I make & eat copious
quantities of as a snack - instead of reaching for the cheese or the
chocolate :-)

2 x tins chopped tomatoes (make sure no salt added to them)
1 x large carrot
half-a-head of celery
2 x medium courgettes
1 x large onion
handful of chives
garlic to taste
mixed herbs to taste (oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary... whatever you
like)
2 x *low-salt* organic vegetable stock cubes
Water

Chop all the veggies up - place everything in a pan - bring to boil & simmer
until veggies soft. Blitz until smooth with a blender. Now had lots of fresh
basil (basil goes brilliantly with tomatoes).

Have with a fresh-baked crusty roll (no butter - taste the bread!)

Remember - the *only* person who can change your lifestyle is you - no-one
else can. It isn't easy, but when it's your life at stake - you *have* to be
serious about it. Take it a day at a time - having something naughty is okay
if it's an *occasional* treat - but absolutely not everyday. You have to
retrain your palate and you lifestyle to a healthy living/eating way of
life. Exercise is good for helping to get cholesterol levels down too. Find
an exercise you enjoy - that way you'll stick to it. It doesn't have to be
something that requires a huges expense in equipment - regular daily walks
are as good a place to start as any. For me - my exercise of choice is
cycling - I loathe going to the gym with a passion, but I can cycle all day
long :-)

Learn diversion tactics for when you get food & nicotine cravings - can you
get nicotine patches over there? People wanting to quit smoking over here
can get nicotine patches on the National Health Service - to help reduce the
cravings.

Best of luck - helen s

Purrs for your health, and also for strength as you take on the
changes you will need to make.

Theresa
Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

Purrs and purr-ayers are on the way for your blood pressure to get
regulated ASAP! Ditto for the ability to quit smoking and get your
cholesterol numbers to a healthy level.

Check online for low-fat, low-salt, etc recipes. There are support groups
out there and they're sure to have plenty of recipes that are not only
healthy to eat, but APPEALING to the taste buds. Because as we all know,
it doesn't matter how healthy a food is; if it tastes like cardboard we're
not going to want to eat it regularly.

There are sure to be cookbooks available with recipes geared toward
reducing things like salt and fat in the diet.

I'm sure that once you actually get to try some of the recipes that are
out there, eating healthy won't seem like a burden at all.

Take care and hang in there.

Oh, and fuss over a cat every chance you get. Petting cats helps lower
blood pressure. :o)

Donna and the blood-pressure-lowering kitties, Captain and Stanley

<snip very scary wake-up call story>

BTDT.  Reference http://www.possibleplaces.com/changes/

Granted, I had gastric bypass surgery to help me lose weight, but the
surgery isn't magic - it did take some effort on my part - and the surgery
didn't help me quit smoking.  Email me offlist lcrews (at) houston (dot) rr
(dot (com) and I'll be happy to be part of your "support team" to help you
through this.  I have *lots* of tips that can help you quit smoking, eat
right, and make exercise less tedious.

Hugs,

CatNipped

CATherine, very sorry to hear of your scare -- please know you'll always
have support and encouragement from our household.  Re the salty foods -- I
think of salt in the same way I do of sugar -- eating too much of either
starts cravings for them.  My mom was the world's worst regarding salt and
would salt everything before she ate; I finally managed to convince her to
try a product called "light salt" and she was able to moderate her intake;
you can also get a product called a "salt substitute," which I've used
before, too.  I use the Morton's Light Salt in our own household because I
know how salty everything is.

Also, I'd suggest going to your doctor and asking about using a nicotine
patch and there also is an antidepressant called "Wellbutrin" (bupropion)
which is supposed to be useful in helping people stop smoking -- I believe
for the stop smoking aspect it is marketed as "Zyban."

hugs and purrs, hope this helps,
Christine

Catherine, there is one very interesting fact that people still neglect. It
isn't just the amount of fat one consumes nearly as much as the TYPE of fat
one consumes that is a problem. You may find this artcile exceptionally
interesting;

http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-3-58-135-4835-1,00.html?

"Are these foods really healthy?" which talks about the effects of high
fructose corn syrup and trans fat in our diet.

I also HIGHLY recommend a book called "The Good Fat Cookbook"by Fran
McCullough. The recipes are really just part of the book and not kinds we
would probably make ourselves, but the worth of the book is totally in the
front half. Eye opening.

You could probably do yourself a world of good by simply starting by
eliminating trans fat. It's hard because if you read labels at the store,
almost everything convienced, packaged or ready made has "partially
hydrogenated oil" in the list. That is trans fat and that is probably the
NUMBER ONE enemy of your heart and blood cells. You really can find a lot of
products that aren't processed in the "health mart" section of your grocery
store (well, we have them in some stores in Lincoln, so I am assuming larger
towns are also follwoing that) or at a local health or organic store.

Also, throw out your sugar and get splenda. I am picky and can taste
chemically things in foods (the first packaged "Grandma's Cookie" I ever ate
was my last. I didn't know WHAT was in it, but to me it tasted like someone
had dumped something awful in it. Can't do nutrasweet or aspartame, but
splenda seems to work great) but splenda does not give me a headache or
taste badly at all. Honest, if it is WHITE (bread, pasta, sugar, rice) don't
eat it. Get the brown kind. I think the first thing to try is replacing
these things. Yes, some of it is more expensive (shameful but true it's more
expensive to eat healthy) but it is a first step toward changing your blood
chemistry.

So rather than trying at first to completely eliminate things you love, try
finding the healthy alternative. Start reading labels. Fortuneately, it is
going to become much easier to see transfat content as in January of this
year it is mandatory to list it on the nutrition info.

Heck, if you only do TWO things,  don't by anything that says "hydrogenated
oil" or high fructose corn syrup in the ingredient list you will probably
make an improvement. And of course, the other thing (which is definitely
hard for me anyway) use portion control. Measure out what a portion really
is and eat it. I even use small bowls to put things in that I know are 1/2
cup. It helps me realize that a serving of veggies or fruit is truly less
than I think it is (even though I like those things, it seems monumental to
eat 5 to 9 servings until you actually see what a real serving is) and keeps
anything starchy I am having down to a reasonable amount. A "real" serving.

I bet if you read the front half of the Good Fat Cookbook, you will feel, as
I do, completely flabbergasted by what companies and the governments role in
the current American health problem. We've been lied to and given some very
wrong products over the years. But I am finding it much easier these days to
find the RIGHT things to put in my recipes and they are none the worse for
it. And of course the other thing (which as you are so remote is probably
not difficult for you) DON'T EAT OUT unless you know the restaurant is
serving meals made from scratch and without trans fat type oils. That is of
course, the pricey restaurants which are small and usually family owned or
else run  by middle eastern folk.

Hope some of this helps you out. Honestly, after I started doing reading
between Dr. Agaston's South Beach Diet book (and honestly, following his
reccomendations of just not eating processed things, my mom's cholesterol
went down 40 points.), the Good Fat Cookbook and articles like the above, I
can hardly buy anything packaged anymore. As much as my mouth wants it my
brain screams "run away".

P.S. If you are interested, I would gladly send you my South Beach Diet book
as I know you are often a little strapped for cash. It is worth reading the
first part of the book, even if  you don't go any further than that. I have
the Good Fat Cookbook on my palm pilot though, but I know you can get it
used at Amazon for fairly inexpensive prices. Let me know.

Sending lots of purrs that you find the strength. I quit smoking
November 2001, at the time I was getting through 4 or 5 packs per day,
so if I could do it you can. The next thing I have to tackle is my diet.
Why do all the bad things taste so good?

{{{{CATherine}}}}}

I saw that episode, too, and it scared the heck out of me!

Changing your whole lifestyle isn't easy.  I'm trying, too, and it is
*very* difficult.  I think the thing to do is take one step at a time.
Pick the most important thing (like, probably, smoking), and don't
worry about the eating just yet.  Put all your energy into quitting
the smoking.  Once you're comfortable with that, then start looking
around at diet and exercise, and see what you can do with that.  Start
just cutting down, or eliminating, *one* bad thing from your diet.
And honestly, I don't think you should have to eliminate *everything*
that you love.  I have acid reflux, and yep, everything on their
"no-no" list is stuff I love.  It's not realistic to give it *all* up.
Moderation is the key, I think.

You can do it.  I can do it.  We'll just have to do it slowly!

Ginger-lyn

Rather than answer so many individual replies, I decided to make one
comprehensive answer here. Thank you, all my dear friends, for your
support and helpful suggestions. I have saved a good many of the
replies and printed out the long one of Howard's.

This new lifestyle is going to be hard. But, one step at a time.
Trouble is, I had just bought a lot of groceries full of fats and
salt. I can't afford to toss it. Jeff can eat a lot of it. But there
are some things he Will Not Eat! Like broccoli and peas, for instance.
So the frozen dinners he won't touch, I will eat. But I won't eat a
buttered bagel with them, as i usually do.

While Jeff is eating processed food, I will eat fresh cooked meat and
broccoli and salad, etc. I will use the Jane's Crazy Mixed-up Salt on
my food. Jeff can have the regular salt. I also have Lemon Pepper and
garlic pepper. I also found a bottle of grated orange rind! I wonder
when and why i bought that? What can I use that for?

I made a list of lifestyle changes. Once i accomplish something, I
will check it off. But I don't want to just give up everything. I will
still have my cheddar cheese; but just one small slice. Tonight i made
Spanish Rice (Rice a Roni made with tomato soup, --didn't have any
tomatoes--and ground beef). I ate my portion in a small dessert bowl
with one little slice of cheese. It was filling, but I wasn't stuffed
as usual. I finished off with a banana. For breakfast, I had my coffee
and later oatmeal with toast. I did use butter; but only a very thin
skim. So that is a good start.

In the afternoon, I got my walking stick and Jeff put the harness on
Robin and we went for a walk. When i was young, I could walk miles.
Now I huff and puff going across a room. My driveway is a quarter-mile
long. So i walked a half mile. It is not level. there are ups and
downs. I had to take a few rests; but I made it. I sure was tired
afterward.Watching Robin on the harness was fun.

In reply to some people, I already use fat-free Miracle Whip and
Canaola oil and I even have a small bottle of olive oil. Jeff can have
the shortening, unless I decide to save it for a pie crust. I buy
fat-free salad dressing. I love Ceasar salad. I have decided to eat
less beef and more fish. Baked, of course. And lots of baked chicken.
I have used butter-flavored cooking spray on baked chicken. It is
sodium-free and fat-free. I can use lemon-pepper instead of salt.

But what about a turkey? I can use the spray on it, but what herbs
besides sage to