Redding hospital uses cooking classes to help heart patients recover

REDDING, Calif. - A local hospital is proving that recovery after a heart attack isn't just physical, it's a complete lifestyle shift.Mercy Medical Center in Redding is offering cardiac patients hands-on cooking classes as part of its intensive cardiac rehab program. The classes are based on the Pritikin Program, a nationally recognized, evidence-based approach to heart health that focuses on nutrition, exercise and mindset."The dying part was easy, it's the living part that's a lot harder," said Todd Hamilton.Hamilton is recovering from a heart attack that hit him suddenly, without any warning. Now, he says recovery isn't just physical, it's a complete lifestyle shift."The hardest part is more psychological, you have to change your lifestyle to completely different. Whatever vices you had are gone, whatever foods that you perhaps were enjoying like ribeye steak, that's gone, so you have to be committed to the loved ones that care about you and change your lifestyle," Hamilton said."A lot of times we eat things and we have no idea what we're actually eating," said Michael Paine, a cardiac rehab nurse at Mercy Medical Center.The classes aim to help patients understand what they're consuming and how to make healthier choices. Research from UCLA Health shows that heart-healthy diets, low in saturated fat and sodium, can significantly reduce the risk of future cardiac events and improve long-term survival."Helping our patients find a way to really maintain and develop a healthy mindset so that they can decrease their stress, helping them understand how they can have better functional mobility so that they stay active because we know that's so important for cardiac health and then also helping them try different types of recipes that they may not have considered," said Heather Van Horn, director of cardiovascular services at Mercy Medical Center.Organizers say their motto is progress, not perfection. Dottie Randall, a respiratory therapist, shared one patient's transformation over the 36-week program."We had one who started out and every single time I'd say 'how was the food, what would you do differently?' he'd say 'butter and salt, it's not good it doesn't have butter and salt.' And by the end, after the 36 weeks, he's like 'yeah, food doesn't need butter and salt.' And that was huge for me," Randall said.The classes not only give attendees advice on how to eat healthy, but also a place to connect with fellow cardiac patients. Paine says the group setting helps patients realize they're not alone in their journey."I think one of the biggest lies that we can tell ourselves is that I'm alone in this and so especially when we're talking about behavior change it's difficult and so bringing patients into a group setting and to a setting where they realize they're not the only one in this attempt and path of lifestyle change for the long term, it's empowering," Paine said.The program also gives patients a chance to try entirely new foods. "We have a lot of patients who have never had tofu. They come in and try a recipe and they're really pleasantly surprised by how good it is," Van Horn said.For patients like Hamilton, the intensive cardiac rehab program is proof that recovery is possible, one meal at a time.The cooking classes are held weekly at Mercy Medical Center and are part of a 36-week program designed to help patients make lasting lifestyle changes. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1514992'); }); Source: https://www.actionnewsnow.com/news/redding-hospital-uses-cooking-classes-to-help-heart-patients-recover/article_ab8ed787-f79e-4c95-878f-4f4f3a85a6f0.html