Beware: These Foods Can Damage Your Heart More Than You Might Think

Nutrition & Weight LossMarch 5, 2019

In the recent years, more and more people have been dying from different heart and cardiovascular diseases. Most of these health problems are food-related, so you should be well aware which meals and snack items you should keep away from your cart and out of your regular diet. You can eat them occasionally, but not more than twice a week. Whenever possible, replace them with heart-healthy swaps.

Foods which can seriously damage your heart are the following:

Pastries

Most commercially produced foods are full of sugar and are most probably made with saturated fats. They may also have trans fats such as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and all of this is not good for your health. So, basically, all pastries and cookies contain some of those three ingredients we mentioned here. They should be fully avoided or at least taken in very small amounts.

Juices and soft drinks

Spending a day without drinking soda, or some kind of soft drink for many Americans is an unimaginable scenario. The largest source of additional sugar in their diets isn’t food, but beverages. One study showed that, among the Americans, more than 60% of children, 54% of adult men, and 45% of adult women have at least one soda or sugar-sweetened drink a day.

Fast-food burgers

It has not yet been fully scientifically proven that saturated fats are truly linked to heart disease. However, it is known that when consumed in moderation, high-quality, grass-fed beef may have some beneficial effect on the heart. This was actually claimed by Dr. Regina Druz, a chief of cardiology at St. John Episcopal Hospital in New York City.

Since fast-food restaurants often use lower quality ingredients and unhealthy cooking methods, it is always a smart decision to avoid them.

Candies

Until recently, fat was blamed for being the biggest dietary cause of heart disease. However, some new studies revealed that actually sugar is to be blamed. It was even found out that some big candy-producing corporations paid for false reports on the allegedly non-existent influence of sugar on the heart’s health. These days, some experts suggest that diets high in additional sugar may be just huge threats by contributing to inflammation, obesity, cholesterol and diabetes. These are the main risk factors for heart disease.

Processed meats

Products made out of meat such as bacon and sausage can have a high amount of saturated fat. There are also low-fat options, but still, they are very high in salt. According to the American Heart Association, even a small amount of meat delicatessen can contain half the daily recommended level of sodium.

“The majority of people should be on a salt-restricted diet because of sodium’s link to high blood pressure.Sometimes, my patients with elevated blood pressure are able to make significant improvements just by adjusting their diet,” —Dr. Laxmi Mehta.

Sweet cereals

Even foods that are called ‘healthy breakfast’ can be loaded with sugar. Some scientist claim that eating refined carbohydrates and sugars in the morning produces inflammation and makes blood sugar go up and down. After such breakfast, your body will crave more sugar throughout the day. Instead of this modern breakfast, we should eat fruits, eggs or even avocado on whole-wheat toast.

Deep-fried foods

French fries, fried chicken, and fried snacks are linked to an increased risk of heart disease by some scientists. They contain trans fats, a type of fat which raises the bad type of cholesterol and lowers the good one. Even though sometimes you can eat the fried food prepared at home, those kinds you don’t prepare at home should be avoided by all means.

Margarine

While it is not 100% certain if there are the cardiovascular risks associated with saturated fats, it is certain that diets high in trans fats raise a risk of heart disease. Margarine contains trans fats and butter has the saturated ones.

Diet soda

We’ve seen that those fat-free and zero-calorie sodas are highly popular. Nonetheless, they are far from healthy. They are linked to heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. People who drink diet sodas consume more calories than they otherwise would and actually should. Some researchers suggest that chemicals in diet soda could alter gastrointestinal bacteria and make people more prone to gaining weight. So, even though it has no sugar, it’s not good for your health.