About Us

Today, I am grateful for this reminder. Yes I am saddened because, just like 90% of U.S. adults and now children, that scar could have been avoided by doing one easy, simple thing: EAT RIGHT.

Because of my condition my Cardiologist and dietician ask I keep my fat intake levels extremely low and reduce my salt intake. For me those are the two areas I have been asked to keep low but as you will learn on this website controlling sugars, protein and cholesterol must also happen. If I do not reduce sugars and proteins and not physically active, un-used proteins and sugars are stored as FAT.

So why am I supposed to reduce my fat and sodium intake? My ‘silent’ heart attack was so severe that my left ventricle barely pumps anymore. My right side is doing the lions share of the work. Therefore reducing salt intake keeps water from settling around the heart. The more water around the heart the more it must work to pump. Think of it this way; try running 10 feet (3 meters) in the house. Now run those same 10 feet in waist deep water. It takes more effort to do this in water than on land. The same is true with your heart. Excess water around your heart causes it to work much harder. I am asked cut my sodium intake in-half per day which is 750-mg.

Cooking 4 The Heart was inspired by a company in my home town called Cooking 4 Life. Hi, I’m Michael Klein and I wish to share with you my personal experience with learning to eat right. I am, to what is termed, a heart survivor. That is I had a heart procedure and I live to tell my story. Since I’m not a Cardiologist I can give you the non-medical lingo of my condition. The common name is I have Congestive Heart Failure. I am aware that this is a broad definition and includes many categories. The bottom line is I had what is termed a ‘silent’ heart attack. As it was explained to me, it is more common than the traditional movie scene of a person grabbing their chest and falling to the floor. Also I have learned women have the highest number of ‘silent’ heart attacks which makes it very difficult even today for doctors to recognize when woman is actually having an attack or merely fatigued.

So since my attack was ‘silent’ no one is able to trace back to a point of the actual attack. They can hook up a monitor and run an EKG and the print-out shows clearly that I had one but just not when. I go into more details in My Story.

Simply, I caused this myself. I am 100% responsible for this and today I am a member of the ‘Zipper’ Society. Those who are reading this and have had open-heart surgery understand what I mean. If you have ever sat in a pool or on the beach and observed a person with a scar from the bottom of their throat down their breastplate are also members of this society. The scar is approximately 9-10 inches (23-24 cm) and it is a lifetime reminder that doctors cracked you open worked on your heart.

Do I still go out to a restaurant? Yes. Do I order take out once in a while? Yes. Do I eat at fast food 5-6 times a week? ABOSULTELY NOT! Since my surgery in 2010 I have eaten at fast food twice. Yes there are times when circumstances require me to eat out. Even when I did I purchased 6” sub and made it into 2 meals each and I never went hungry between meals.

This is why I am motivated to set up this site. I am convinced YOU can do this too.

I would encourage you to read My Story. It is not pretty. But I desire you to understand the extreme.

To Your Health

Michael

My fats are to be 1/3 of the daily amount for a healthy person or about 10 grams. The left ventricle is where the heart dumps the fat (plaque) it collects throughout the body. It is ‘stored’ in the left side and a value opens and the fat is dumped into the liver where enzymes breaks it down and the body then gets rid of it. I explain more in My Story.

I must reduce fats and salts or I will end up back in the hospital again or it will kill me. It is my choice just like everyone who reads this. It always comes down to CHOICE. When you read My Story you will understand much more where my motivation comes from.

Also, I mentioned on the home page about people (including me) about bitching that health care is so expensive. My stay in the hospital when I had my surgery was seven days and cost $281,000-plus. Granted I did not have to pay that amount out of my pocket due to health insurance but that bill was still calculated into the company's overall cost and spread throughout all of your annual premiums. Now, if my cost was the only one the insurance company had to spread throughout all its clients, your premium would not register too much. However, if 1 in 2 adults in the United States have heart disease which is approximately 80 million. Based on what I could currently find, at least 60% of adults with heart disease have serious conditions. That is 48 million adults. The average stay in the hospital for a serious heart condition is about what my time was, 7 days. So even if you take my bill times the 48 million that is over 13 trillion dollars! Now divide that through your health insurances and you begin to see that just heart disease has a significant impact just on your annual health premiums. This does not include heart related issues, diabetes, obesity, overweight, etc. AND this does not include children. Here is the solution: EAT HEALTHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My surgery happened in 2010. Do you believe my 7-day $281,000 bill is higher today? Until we change our mindset and eat healthier, costs will continue to escalate. One day of focused healthy eating is less than $25. One Day!! So it is your choice $281,000 for 7-day stay in the hospital and be scarred for life or $175 for 7-days of eating healthy.

I mentioned on the Home page I will provide recipes that are healthy I know this because I made them. Many of my meals were traditional meals with a few twists to reduce fats, sugars, cholesterol, and sodium, and more. Do you like bread pudding? How about rice pudding? Do you like Lasagna? What about a pork enchilada with all that melted cheese or the American symbol, a hamburger or apple pie. I have done these and more and I almost never exceed 10 grams of fat and 750-mg of sodium per day. Also I am usually below 1,250 calories and I am not going hungry