Chef Sat Bains has always known the importance of staying fit and eating healthy, especially considering the health issues that people of his ethnic background are prone to. As a Punjabi of Indian descent and a man in his 50s, Bains knew he had all the markers of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes.

Staying on top of your health has therefore always been a priority. Bains, whose Nottingham restaurant has two Michelin stars, told Yahoo UK he has been training since the age of 15, ranging from bodybuilding to martial arts.

So it came as a complete surprise when he suffered a massive “widowmaker” heart attack in 2021 that almost killed him. Bains said he initially felt chest pain while working out with a personal trainer, but he dismissed it as muscle tightness.

However, after the pain spread to his jaw and eye sockets and he felt short of breath during a walk in the park with his wife Amanda, Bains realized something was wrong – they called 111. On his fitness tracker, his heart rate appeared to be “all over the place”.

An angiogram revealed he had a large blood clot in his left artery. “There was a narrowing of the artery, which had probably been happening for some time, and the blood being forced through created a rupture and ultimately a blood clot,” Bains says. “I was very, very close to death from that heart attack, and I didn’t even know it.”

A heart attack causing widows is known as such because it can have serious consequences. It is caused by a complete blockage of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery, which carries a large amount of blood to the heart. When blocked, the heart can quickly run out of oxygen and stop beating.

Bains was put on treatment, then underwent triple heart bypass surgery. He was hospitalized for almost two weeks and took about six months to recover. “I was very out of breath and very weak for months, feeling dizzy all the time. I couldn’t even walk 10 meters.”

He credits his initial fitness with helping him recover from the attack. However, Bains has also accepted the fact that he now has to manage his health in different ways to avoid another heart attack.

He began learning about nutrition from his friend and nutrition scientist, Dr. Neil Williams, to find out what foods could help him manage his cholesterol levels and heart health. Before suffering the attack, Bains was following a high-fat, low-carb keto diet.

“I was eating a lot of fat, so it probably didn’t help,” he muses. “I have since learned and understood Neil’s philosophy of eating a wide range of biodiverse vegetables, fruits, nuts, meat and fish.”

Bains began creating recipes for himself with his new learnings, which is how he launched his collaborative cookbook with Neil, Eat to Your Heart’s Content.

“I’m by no means a health expert, but I can talk about my journey and tell you about the ingredients I chose, with Neil explaining all the benefits that come with it,” he says of the cookbook .

“And, as a chef, I can tell you how to prepare them delicious. I think that’s the biggest fear of most people at home and that’s why they don’t cook, everything is pre-processed from our days, and that’s where a lot of our problems come from.”

The chef’s observations that people struggle to give up foods they love for a heart-healthy diet because they fear sacrificing flavor were echoed by Jeremy Clarkson, who recently suffered from heart problems. caused by blocked arteries.

In a recent article in The Sun, the Top Gear star said he had to “completely cut out everything I like to eat” in order to lower his cholesterol levels – this included “bacon, sausages, beef , lamb, pork, butter”. , chops, good milk, Cadbury’s fruit and nut bars and the interesting bit in an egg.

But that it doesn’t have to be like thatinsists Bains. Her recipes include dishes like Chicken Meatballs, Butter Beans and Lemon, and Harissa Lamb Chops – dishes full of flavor and vitality.

Bains prioritized accessible ingredients, saying: “There’s nothing in there that will make people think, ‘Ah, it’s got a Michelin star'” – so everyone can buy them in their supermarket or at local butchers and fishmongers.

“My main advice is to always focus on whole foods,” he adds. “Go for really good dairy and oils, ingredients that you cook from scratch. Try to cut out as many processed foods as possible, stay away from anything with labels like ‘diet,’ ‘light.’ , “sugar-free”, “fat-free”: many of these products are ultra-processed.

“We need to get back to basics when it comes to nutrition. That’s the whole journey of this book, and it’s an ongoing process.”

The contents of the Eat to Your Heart cookbook by Sat Bains and Dr Neil Williams are available to order on Amazon.

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