If your kids had a horrible family history with regards to heart disease, what diet would you follow?

[umsami]

So, my kids' father's family has a horrible family history... blood clots, early coronary artery disease (think before 50), diabetes, gout, prone to kidney stones.  We know, due to 23andme, that some of our kids have inherited not only an increased risk of blood clots from me (prothrombin factor II mutation), but also from their Dad (factor V leiden).

 

Knowing this, what health habits/diet would you want to start early with them?  We do family walks and yoga....and lean Mediterranean in diet, although probably not as strict as I should be.

Edited February 28, 2019 by umsami

[Selkie]

Whole food plant based. It is vegan, but whole foods only and no processed junk. No added sugars, salt, or oil. 

Get the book How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger. It references tons of studies about heart health. You can also go to his website nutritionfacts.org

Other good books are The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell Esselstyn.

[BeachGal]

Choice of diet would depend upon what was causing the heart disease. There are a number of factors.

For example, I have two genotypes that indicate that I need more choline than most. One of the genotypes shows that I'm more likely to develop hyperhomocysteinemia. However, if I eat more foods that contain choline (and betaine) and also make sure my B vitamins are adequate, then my body has a better chance to prevent problems. Because I'm about 75% Scandinavian, I eat the foods my ancestors were probably eating -- salmon, eggs, certain veggies -- and take an additional 500 mg or choline per day.

I ran my raw data from 23andMe through Rhonda Patrick's genome analyzer tool and got quite a bit of good information explaining what to pay attention to, explanation of the problems, what studies have shown and what I can specifically do to avoid problems. Cost was $10.

[Catwoman]

I’d continue as you are with Mediterranean but not being insanely strict about it, because I would want the kids to stick with it for life, not rebel against the healthy stuff as soon as they got out of the house. I think moderation is key.

Every cardiologist and heart surgeon we have ever dealt with (and there have been a lot of them, unfortunately,) has recommended the Mediterranean diet, as have all of the doctors involved with my dh’s transplant. It’s well-balanced, it’s not extreme, and it’s do-able.

So basically, I think you’re already doing the right thing. 🙂

[Carol in Cal.]

I’d go with your diet but emphasize exercise and, later on, maintaining a healthy weight.

[AmandaVT]

I'd think Mediterranean - it's already your natural inclination and it's super healthy. Right now I'm trying low carb/keto (mostly vegetarian as well) to see if it'll help me lose weight  - I hope to transition to Mediterranean once I'm at goal weight, or at least begin adding small amounts of fruit and beans back in. 

[displace]

I answered vegan, because it was closest to the choice that is proven to reverse heart disease: whole foods plant based.  

Nutritionfacts.org is a great non profit nutritional resource by a physician based on research and diet.  Studies have proven whole food plant based is the best diet.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I said Mediterranean, but I would not do *lean* Mediterranean.  Dietary fat is being exonerated as the cause of heart issues as research becomes more clear.  It looks like inflammation is the culprit, and processed foods and sugar are the dietary causes of that.  (greatly simplified)

I would consider paleo do be a close second, if you find you or your kids are sensitive to beans or gluten or similar.  

[HollyDay]

I'd try to find out why.    Homocysteine?  Cholesterol?  Genetic factors such as clotting or Marfans or something else entirely? Then go from there. 

[TravelingChris]

Specifically in your case, I would be doing a modified Mediterranean.  With the clotting being a big issue, do things like tomato and cucumber salad-  much lighter on darker leafy green veggies.  Very light on cruciferous,  no green teas, etc.    But make dining pleasurable and low stress too.  

[Crimson Wife]

With a family history of diabetes, I would do a modified Mediterranean. I would limit carbs more than a standard Mediterranean diet does. Even healthy carbs like sweet potatoes, carrots, fruit, beans, whole grains, etc. can mess with blood sugar too much for someone with pre-diabetes.

[Katy]

I marked complicated because I would run their 23andme data through promethease and come back and tell us what it says.  Based on the answers there I'd have a direction to start, and at that point I would start asking for early cholesterol & other factor screenings at their physicals, even if you have to pay for it yourself.  Then I would refine from there.  I might even buy them each a cheap blood glucose monitor and test strips from Walmart and choose staple foods from results of that testing.

I love nutritionfacts and Dr Gregor, BUT I would caution you that even he has given speeches that note that vegans do not live longer than meat eaters, in fact they tend to die of neurological diseases instead of heart disease. He's hoping that by keeping Omega 3's high he will overcome that statistic but the science isn't there yet, or if it is he hasn't covered it.  And the brain is made from saturated fat.  And some people find they have trouble with things like anxiety when they don't eat enough of it.  So honestly while they are children I would still serve them at least 1 tablespoon of saturated fat per day UNLESS their blood work comes back with high cholesterol at their young age.  And even then I'd be more inclined to serve them beans & greens with butter at every meal  rather than cutting it back entirely. OTOH, if you figure out they can't eat saturated fat without it raising their blood sugar more dramatically than you'd suspect then I'd try to find the medium between whatever they can tolerate saturated fat wise and for mental health.

[Tanaqui]

Mediterranean, with a couple of days no-meat. Whole grains as much as possible instead of refined.

I'd also seriously consider upping the exercise. Walks and yoga are great, but I'd want to make sure the kids get a minimum of 75 minutes of vigorous exercise every single week, something fun that they'll want to continue when they're older. (And I'd want to make sure they go to swim class, but that's because swimming is a life skill.)

[mathnerd]

complicated ...

Diet and exercise helps a lot with that kind of history. Lifestyle modifications like including rigorous exercise daily (swim team, running track, working out with a personal trainer, martial arts etc are some examples), eating mostly plant based diets, cutting out unhealthy fats, supplementing with high quality omega 3 are some helpful tips. Try to eliminate grains for 1 or 2 dinners every week (riced cauliflower in place of carbs, soups, salads etc). Eat dinner 3-4 hours before bedtime as eating late increases triglyceride levels in the blood.

Stick with the mediterranean diet as a rule of thumb, but, modify it to not include any meat or eggs for 1 or 2 days a week (vegetarian or vegan on those days). 

[maize]

I'd stick with Mediterranean and encourage/facilitate an active lifestyle.

Part of living life is enjoying life, a diet that is very restrictive or very different from what everyone else is eating may not feel sustainable or desirable to your kids long term. I'd like my kids to learn generally healthy but also sustainable and enjoyable eating and exercise patterns.

[StaceyinLA]

Great info in this thread! I've been struggling with this decision myself, as both my parents had different types of heart disease, and my brother was diagnosed with BOTH types in his 50's (although none of my sisters have seemed to have issues yet, and they are all now in their 60's).

I've struggled with a vegan diet, mainly because I watched my mom's mental decline from B12 deficiency that was caught late. I don't want to go completely vegan.

I've been doing Whole 30 for nearly 60 days (just to lose a bit of weight and reset my eating habits that I've really let go over the last year), and I feel SOOO much better when I eat NO sugar, dairy or soy. I feel okay with a small amount of grain, but it's almost easier for me to just eliminate it because I WILL go back to insane amounts of bread if given a chance.

It's just hard for me to modify things and know my limitations. I like something I can follow, mainly because it's easy to find recipes, certain food items when shopping, etc. I just like a "label."

At this point, I'm shooting for about 75%-80% vegan, with about 20% grass-fed meats, eggs (our own), and wild-caught fish/seafood. I'm not quite there because I struggle to keep enough fresh veggies around, but I'm working on it.

[73349]

I voted vegan, but it would probably look like something between that and Mediterranean (maybe vegan 4 or 5 days a week, otherwise Mediterranean).

And probably a seasonal rotation of sports/fitness activities--e.g., everybody does soccer or track in spring, swimming in summer, hiking or cross-country in fall, indoor swimming or a mix of other indoor activities (yoga, bowling, rock climbing, etc.) in winter. Exercise has proven to lower DS's cholesterol even without changing his diet.

[ktgrok]

There are a lot of diets that seem to help prevent those issues, from low carb/keto to vegan plant based. The one thing they have in common? Getting rid of processed foods and sugar. That would be my biggest push. I think processed food and sugar is probably the bigger culprit, not one particular nutrient. 

[Ali in OR]

I know my risk is more cholesterol related, not blood pressure related. So while we watch salt for dh, I'm not too worried about that. I do know that my cholesterol numbers improved a lot when I started watching saturated fat (cut a lot of cheese out--we already didn't do too much red meat) and added fish oil to my diet. My doctor said my still-high triglyceride level would drop if I cut sugar (I am trying to reduce it). I think many of the diets you mentioned would be good. The one I wouldn't do is keto/low carb. My dd was on the real keto diet for seizure control and needed close medical supervision as it increases triglyceride levels and wasn't good for gut health (constantly constipated with no fiber). The real keto diet is not meant to be permanent because of the related health problems it can cause. But I think the Mediterranean diet, vegan or vegetarian, or DASH diet would all be good. Try for low-no sugar too.

[ktgrok]

25 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

I know my risk is more cholesterol related, not blood pressure related. So while we watch salt for dh, I'm not too worried about that. I do know that my cholesterol numbers improved a lot when I started watching saturated fat (cut a lot of cheese out--we already didn't do too much red meat) and added fish oil to my diet. My doctor said my still-high triglyceride level would drop if I cut sugar (I am trying to reduce it). I think many of the diets you mentioned would be good. The one I wouldn't do is keto/low carb. My dd was on the real keto diet for seizure control and needed close medical supervision as it increases triglyceride levels and wasn't good for gut health (constantly constipated with no fiber). The real keto diet is not meant to be permanent because of the related health problems it can cause. But I think the Mediterranean diet, vegan or vegetarian, or DASH diet would all be good. Try for low-no sugar too.

I think in popular parlance Keto is not as restricted as the medical Keto. For instance, most people on Keto eat a lot of salads/veggies/etc for fiber. I've not heard of it increasing triglycerides...usually that's related to sugar as your doctor said. Although, if one is losing weight fast that fat coming out of the cells is in the blood and can cause a temporary increase (or is that cholesterol?). But it's the weight loss, not the diet itself (same thing happens on any rapid weight loss diet). 

But I can see how the type of Keto used for seizure control would be more strict. 

Basically  mediterraneans is a lot of veggies and some fruit and beans/grains/meat and vegetarian is a lot of veggies and some nuts and grains and low carb is a lot of veggies with meat. Commonality being - lots of veggies!