A change of heart

A Happy Heart programme gave 36 participants the chance to reduce their cholesterol levels without taking any medicine

THE “LET Food Be Your Medicine” philosophy was put to the test recently when David and Stephen Flynn, owners of the Happy Pear cafe in Greystones, Co Wicklow, signed up 36 people to their first Happy Heart programme.

The idea was that, over a period of four weeks, the participants would radically change their diets with the aim of reducing their cholesterol levels. The Flynn twins offered motivational support, weekly meal plans and recipes each Thursday evening during the programme.

We visit the group on the first evening to get a flavour of the course. A quick look at the meal plans for the first week reveals that participants will be eating lots of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains (brown rice, quinoa, bread made with wholemeal flour, etc).

Processed foods (biscuits, cakes, sweets, etc), dairy products, eggs, meat, fish and cooking oils are banned for the four weeks as are nuts and avocados which, although healthy, were cut out of this regime due to their high fat content.

“Our aim is for your cholesterol to drop 20-30 per cent, so the diet is high in fibre and low in fat,” explains Stephen Flynn.

“I thought that I could put the whole family on the diet, but I’m shocked at all the things that we can’t eat. I am on the borderline in terms of cholesterol, but I’m looking forward to cooking all the recipes,” says one participant.

“If my cholesterol comes down and I get more energy and lose weight, then that will give me the impetus to keep going,” says another.

Each participant had their cholesterol tested by a nurse on the first evening of the course. European health guidelines state that total blood cholesterol levels should be below 4.5.

“You will suffer from cravings, withdrawals and detoxes from certain foods, but we are not asking you to cut out tea, coffee or alcohol. It will be a challenge but we will offer support through the shop, by e-mail and on these evenings,” says David Flynn.

“The key will be to plan for the whole week – when to shop and when to cook and always to have food like fruit, seeds, wholegrain crackers with you so that you are not tempted to eat a doughnut or a croissant.”

Offering all participants food diaries in which to record everything they eat, he asks them to be honest. “Hold yourself accountable,” he says.

Anyone who knows the Flynns will already know that they epitomise good health – they have been vegetarians for more than seven years, and they take regular exercise and eat a wholefood diet. Although their academic backgrounds are in business, they have been running the wholefood shop and cooking in the restaurant for the past five or six years. David also has a certificate in plant-based nutrition from Cornell University in the United States.

Each week, participants are given detailed notes on nutrition and nutritional studies. The Flynns also explain how dietary cholesterol exists only in animal foods and how fibrous foods remove it from our bodies.

They discuss how cholesterol levels are influenced by alcohol intake, exercise and stress, and report on research studies that show how it can be lowered by lifestyle and diet changes alone.

They show how to make some of the food on the meal plans and offer exotic recipes including Asian sprouted bean salad, Moroccan quinoa salad, shepherdless pie and spelt bread.

They also explain how just 5-10 per cent of the average diet nowadays consists of wholefoods (pure, unrefined foods such as brown rice, all vegetables and fruit, nuts, seeds, brown flour, etc) compared with 90 per cent in the 1900s.

And they argue that most of our chronic diseases – heart disease, diabetes type 2 and many cancers – are a consequence of the absence of wholefoods in our diets.

At the end of the four weeks, we return to see how everyone has fared. The mood is upbeat and happy with more people willing to speak to us than on the first night.

The Flynn twins pass around samples of fresh juices and wheatgrass, and – once everyone has their cholesterol re-tested – pieces of avocado chocolate mousse cake (made without eggs and flour) and blueberry cake (made with soy milk, wholewheat flour and maple syrup) are shared among everyone.

“Eighty per cent of people said that they stuck to the diet. Overall, there was a 15 per cent drop in cholesterol and an average 8 per cent weight reduction in the group,” explains David Flynn.

“The whole idea was to empower people to take responsibility for their health and to help them see that nutrition and lifestyle can have a massive effect on how well they feel and look.”

So how did the participants feel after completion of the course?

“My problem was that I had big sugar cravings and I wanted to eat in a healthier way. I’ve done that. I lost 7-8lb – which has brought me back to the weight I should be,” says Eileen Kinch. “I found the first two weeks the hardest – the cravings were like giving up smoking for me.”

“I came to the course because I wanted to find new ways of eating. I don’t have high cholesterol, but I am getting older,” says Kathy Peters.

“In the first couple of days, I had a bizarre allergic reaction to the change in diet. That was discouraging but it settled down. I found that I had to graze constantly and carry water with me all the time.

“My taste changed and I began to like things that before I would never have eaten. I also realised that sometimes I thought I was hungry but in fact I was thirsty.”

Orla Baines was one of the participants with the highest cholesterol at the start of the programme. “My cholesterol went down from 5.75 to 3.9. I’m stunned because the doctor said that I wouldn’t be able to get it down myself,” she said.

“I also lost 12lb. I wouldn’t have believed it possible if I hadn’t seen for myself how this could have happened.”

'I DON'T MISS EATING MEAT EVERY DAY - WHICH I THOUGHT I WOULD'

Chairman of Wicklow County Council, Tom Fortune (59), tells us how he managed on the diet over the four weeks.

The first night:I signed up as part of my drive towards a healthier lifestyle. I recently started to do a lot of walking – I walk about six miles every second day – and am training to walk the Dublin City Marathon for the Wicklow Hospice in October. There is a family history of high cholesterol, but mainly I think I'm interested in being fit. I like my food and I probably eat quite a lot.

Week One:I've stuck exactly to what was recommended. In fact, I got used to the diet very quickly. I'm lucky in that my wife cooks the food for me and we've bought in all the different foods.

Week Two: We got an additional list of foods this week. I ate meat only once and that was when I was out at a function. I feel I have lost some weight already and feel like I've more energy. When I get hungry, I snack on fruit.

Week Three:I've really gotten used to the food that is recommended. I don't miss eating meat every day – which I thought I would. I drink a minimal amount of alcohol and sometimes I have a smoothie in the evening.

Week Four:I really feel like I've more energy. I go to bed around 11.30pm-midnight and usually I get up at about 7.30am-7.45am. One morning this week though I woke up at 5.30am and by 6.10am, my brain was so full of everything that I got up and got organised for the day, and didn't feel tired at all.

Last night:I lost 16lb over the four weeks and my cholesterol is down from 3.85 to 2.59. The results speak for themselves. I thought the guys explained everything in a very light-hearted way which made it easy to follow. I'll stick to the diet as much as I can. I'll probably follow the 80/20 rule in that 80 per cent of the time, I will and 20 per cent of the time I won't.

The next Happy Pear, Happy Heart programme will begin on Thursday, November 4th. Visit thehappypear.ie or tel: 01-2873655