Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. People of most racial and ethnic groups in the country are more likely to die from heart-related problems.
These statistics are shocking, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed when researching how to improve your heart health, you’re not alone.good news? You don’t have to exercise three hours a day or eat entirely fish and plant-based foods to keep your heart healthy. A few simple adjustments can make a big difference.
One of the simplest things you can do is eliminate (or severely limit) certain foods that are particularly bad for your heart. Here, cardiologists and nutritionists summarize three foods you should consider cutting out of your diet as soon as possible.
1.Bacon
Sorry, bacon lovers, but all the experts we consulted agreed: If you want to take care of your heart, you should save bacon for special occasions or eliminate it from your diet entirely.
The way bacon is prepared can adversely affect heart health.
The use of sodium nitrite in the curing process of bacon and its high sodium content can increase blood pressure, while compounds formed during cooking, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines (HCAs), can cause inflammation and vascular damage, which together increase Risk of heart disease.
While bacon is the biggest culprit, anyone considering a heart-healthy diet should be wary of processed meats in general, as well as red meat. (Although generally considered white meat by culinary standards, the Cleveland Clinic, Diabetes UK, and other entities classify pork as red meat.)
People with diets rich in red meat, especially those with highly processed meats, are less likely to Higher cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality are associated with obesity. Ingredients used to make these foods include sodium and nitrites. Bacon is particularly high in salt, saturated fat, cholesterol, heme iron, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heterocyclic amines.
2.White Bread
White bread—think Wonder Bread products, or similar white bread you might find in bags at the grocery store—can be very bad for your heart.
Compared to whole wheat bread, white bread has a higher glycemic index and lacks nutrients and fiber, which can lead to rapid increases in blood sugar, insulin resistance, and weight gain, all of which increase the risk of heart disease and related complications.
All refined carbohydrates increase your circulating glucose and triglyceride levels, and white bread strips away all healthy fiber and nutrients. What’s left is pure sugar.
If you’re wondering whether a baguette from your grocery store’s baking department is healthier than a bag of white Wonder Bread, you can get some clues from the ingredient label. Luger recommends looking for the “100% whole grain” label on packaging and reading the ingredient list carefully.
When looking at an ingredient list you want to see the first ingredient listed as whole (whole wheat, whole grain, etc.) . Ideally when looking at an ingredient list you only want to see a handful of ingredients and be able to identify what those ingredients are.
3.French Fries
In particularly devastating news, french fries are not doing your heart any good.
When food is fried, its nutritional content changes—the food loses moisture and absorbs fat. Especially in the case of french fries, oil is often reused, which results in a loss of unsaturated fats and an increase in trans fats. French fries also contain a lot of salt, and high sodium intake has been linked to increased blood pressure and heart disease.
In general, regular consumption of fried foods is associated with an increase in coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity.
