Sally Bee is utterly gorgeous, a woman who glows with health. She seems to be brimming over with energy and a general enthusiasm for life. That is why it is so shocking when she tells you that, aged 36 and the mother of three young children, she suffered three heart attacks in the space of a few days.

Facing death
“I shouldn’t have survived. They sent Dogan, my husband, in to say goodbye. I asked one of the nurses: ‘Am I going to die now?’ I caught her exchanging glances with her colleague and I thought: ‘I am. I’m going to die right now.’ I made a deal with myself that I was just going to keep on breathing. If I breathe, I can’t die. I was thinking: breathe in, breathe out.’”

What had happened was extremely rare – Bee had suffered from Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection, something she was born with but had remained undetected until then. It meant that the arteries to her heart had collapsed and very little blood was managing to get to her heart.

Little hope
The reason she survived is that, in her case, her body had built up a network of collateral vessels that were compensating for the missing artery. Bee was sent home after two weeks in hospital, although doctors were holding out little hope for her as her heart muscle was so badly damaged.

“When I first came out of hospital after my heart attacks, all I could manage were a few steps to and from my front gate. I couldn’t manage the short walk to and from school like the other mums so I had to be inventive. I would spend all day getting ready. I’d have a shower, then sleep for an hour; dry my hair – exhausting work – then sleep for two hours; add a bit of lippy, another nap; and it would be time to go.”

Even then, she would get a lift to the school, where she would wait on the school bench for her son. He would then be walked home by a friend while she was given a lift home.

Recipes for life
Having survived what doctors told her was unsurvivable, Bee began to devise recipes that were healthy but also emotionally satisfying.

“If I had to eat what Gillian McKeith puts on the table, I’d run a mile,” she says.

She also wanted the recipes to be meals that the whole family could eat. “I wanted us to enjoy our mealtimes as a family; they’re special if you don’t know if you’re going to be here tomorrow.”

Adapting family favourites
She began to work with the British Heart Foundation (BHF), counselling other heart-attack survivors. She did courses in nutrition and used what she had learned to adapt healthier versions of family favourites, such as lasagne and shepherd’s pie. She compiled them into a book that was self published to aid the BHF. However, after it reached the number one bestseller spot on the Amazon website, publishers Harper Collins came calling.

The result is The Secret Ingredient, a beautifully photographed book with mouth-watering recipes.

Shopping around
Bee has marked some of the dishes as treats but it’s quite a relief to know that something such as sausages and mash is considered a healthy dish “as long as you use best quality, low fat sausages.” Bee advises people to “shop around for ones that are very low in fat and salt and have a high meat content – at least 85 per cent.”

In Washington, another lady who has been promoting healthy eating, Michelle Obama, has invited Bee to the White House, having bought 12 of her books online.

“It’s so exciting. I think we both have a very similar philosophy on food. We’re both keen on promoting healthy eating that’s affordable.”

Incredible journey
Five years on from her heart attacks, Bee is on medication but describes herself as fit and strong. Her doctors are amazed at how far she has come.

“I often surprise people by saying that I’m not sorry I suffered heart attacks when I did. I have learned a lot from what happened to me.”

Her advice? “If you struggle sometimes, eat for nourishment as I do. Not only will you get some bounce in your step but it might just save your life.”

The Secret Ingredient by Sally Bee is published by Harper Collins.