Coburn Family Restaurant adds Heartwise menu

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    MILO — Coburn Family Restaurant in Milo is well known for its home-style meals, generous portions and service with a smile. Now, owner Wendy Coburn has added another ingredient: a Heartwise menu.

Observer photo/Mike Lange

HEARTWISE MENU – Coburn Family Restaurant is the first eatery in Piscataquis County to offer a Heartwise menu with healthy choices. Pictured, from left, are Heartwise program director Judy Gerrish, restaurant owner Wendy Coburn and regular customer Ron Knowles.

    Heartwise is Mayo Regional Hospital’s cardiac rehabilitation program which combines exercise, diet and education for those who have either had heart problems or are at high risk for cardiac disease.
    Heartwise program director Judy Gerrish was on hand for the introduction of the menu on Nov. 1. “Wendy and I looked over the menu and I suggested some changes,” Gerrish said. “Some changes were pretty simple. You can trade in eggs for Egg Beaters (an alternative to shelled eggs), use low-fat margarine instead of butter or baking or broiling instead of deep-fat frying.” Sodium intake can also be curtailed and salad dressings “are just as tasty in smaller portions,” she added.
    Coburn, a former emergency medical technician at Mayo Regional Hospital, has had firsthand experience with health issues – personal and professional. “I’ve lost 110 pounds,” she said, “and one of my best friends had a heart attack. He is now enrolled in the Heartwise program. So that motivated me even more to start this menu.”
    Gerrish said that unhealthy eating habits can be reversed. “Overweight people have a tendency to develop diabetes, so it’s very important to watch your weight,” she explained. “You need to look at the labels on the foods you buy in the stores as well.”
    Stan Drake of LaGrange was enjoying breakfast at Coburn’s on the day of the Heartwise kickoff and said that he’d try the new menu on his next visit. “I just finished cardiac rehab this week, so my doctor wants me to start a new regimen,” Drake said. “This is a good idea.”
    One of Coburn’s strongest supporters is Ron Knowles of Milo, who suffered a heart attack on Sept. 11 and is now enrolled in the Heartwise program. “I had gone to EMMC (in Bangor) with some discomfort, but they didn’t detect anything,” Knowles said. “A few days later, I was getting out of the shower and – wham – it hit me. I’ve never had pain so intense for such a long period of time.”
    Knowles had a stent implanted and said that he feels great “considering that I’m 78 and was in good shape for most of my life. But now I’ve lost weight and I’m on a different diet. This menu is a great idea, and I’m helping Judy and Wendy spread the word.”
    Gerrish encourages people who assume that a low-fat and healthy menu is bland to give Coburn’s Heartwise menu a try. “We’re hoping that other restaurants in Piscataquis County take an interest in the menu as well,” she said. “We’re not a very healthy county in general, and proper eating habits make a big difference. After all, it’s not much fun going through life not feeling well.”
    For more information, visit Coburn Family Restaurant’s Facebook page and the Heartwise link at www.mayohospital.com.