Effects of food

[julie]

Having been diagnosed with HCM back in October, I am just beginning to realise what efects different types of food have on the condition - I was wondering whether anyone else had seen this. Three days ago I started to experience an extreme sensation of my heart beat. This pretty much prevented me from sleeping as it was that strong - it didn't feel irregular but it was strong enough for me to feel my pulse through different parts of my body. I also felt as if my heart was floating. I thought I was going to have to see my cardiologist again. However, I thought about whether I had been eating anything different - and yes for 2 days before this and the 3 days of the symptoms I had been eating a lot of salads with salad onions. I stopped them on the third day and a few hours into the fourth day all the symptoms had gone. I haven't had the symptoms since. Has anyone else experienced this - it has happened before when I have had caffeine (I don't have any now) - are there other foods which can cause this?

[Sarah]

yes. yes, yes. isn't it funny how we are all so surprised (myself included) when what we eat affects us so strongly? i mean, biologically our bodies are designed to breathe, digest, and reproduce. that's it! every thing else is gravy.

the hcm heart is working overtime-all the time, so heavy meals, ice cold drinks/foods, spicy foods, anything that creates a charge or spike in the body's chemical engine is going to be a candidate for palpitations.

Caffiene, alcohol, nicotine, and drugs are the most obvious and common culprits, but not the only ones by a far stretch. People sometimes forget that dark chocolate has caffiene (by the way).

I don't know what you mean by "salad onions" (green?) but if your body was having a hard time digesting the increased amount of greens, that could have been it or perhaps you are sensitive to another ingredient or even the pesticides on the food.

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/produce-1.html

For me, sugar and cheese are like poison.

[Paul S]

I find oils bother me the most.

Salads bother me becuase of the dressing. So I usually get it on the side and dip a lil.

Indian food is a big no no for me. A lot of oil used. Yet my most favorite YUMMY food of all.

Deep fried food is taboo. Fries, Chicken, anything like that.

[jmurray]

Eating in general for me is now a very planned event. If I am at work (restaurant manager) I will not eat because I know I have to run around and talk to guests, and help out my staff. I instead choose to eat when I get home so that if I get my normal "after I eat chest pains" I will be in the comfort of my home chillin' out with the remote.

When I do eat outside of the home, I try to avoid carbs because they really make me feel like ****. I am definitely not on the "Atkins" plan, but if I stick to protein I feel fairly good.

What a drag....Eating used to be such a fun exercise. Now it is a bit of a gamble... Will I feel good after I eat? who knows I REALLY WANT A HUGE PEPPERONI PIZZA RIGHT NOW - YUM!

John

[Toogoofy317]

John, shall we both go and get some pizza?

I know how you feel some things really get me going as well esp if it is a big meal.

mary S.

[Largehearted]

Hi everyong.

In my case hi carb meals make me feel like rolling over and playing dead! So I avoid pastas, too many sweets, large "bready" meals etc. You would think I would lose weight. But no. So far my beta-blocker, slowed down metabolism just has a tough time shedding pounds.

I tried Atkins a few years back. I felt great, I lost weight, but my hair started thinning, and I missed "chewy" kinds of food terribly. So the truth that foods place demands on our hearts rules my life for now.

Peace,

Leon

[Debbie]

I, too, notice the chest pain after eating. I have recently put together the fact that when I eat breakfast in the morning, I feel bad the rest of the day. I work in the food industry, too, and run around all day. Last week, I just started drinking a meal drink, instead of eating, and I felt better.

I'm glad to see this post, as sometimes, you begin to think it is just you feeling these things, and it is helpful to know that others are experiencing the same thing.

I often, if not always, notice that eating makes me feel worse. Most of the time, it doesn't matter what I ate, I just experience pretty noticeable symptoms if I eat and then try to walk around or exercise at all.

Debbie

[Sarah]

Dear Debbie,

Have you talked to your doctor? Every/any meal shouldn't make you feel really bad regardless of what you ate (unless you are eating really large quantities every time). You should make sure something else isn't going on -just to be safe.

take care,

S

[cheerchicken05]

this might sound wierd, but is there anything wrong with green tea?? i was drinking it earlier and my mom said she remembers hearing somewhere that it was bad, i thought she was just going crazy. i've never had a problem with caffine or anything like that before, what do you think?

[Reenie]

The only thing I know of with green tea is the caffeine content. I'm not sure, but I think it has less caffeine than black tea, though. If you don't have a problem with caffeine I would think green tea is all right in moderation.

Reenie