Eliminating These 3 Foods For Better Heart Health

The heart is essential for life. In fact, it’s probably the hardest-working muscle in the body. So, keeping it healthy is important. One way of doing that is to limit—or eliminate—foods that are not good for the heart.

To keep your heart functioning and reduce your risk of heart disease, two cardiologists and a dietitian-nutritionist give their recommendations about three foods to avoid to reduce the risk of heart disease and what to eat instead:

1. Bacon

There’s nothing as satisfying as the smell of bacon frying in the morning, and the salty meat tastes just as good as it smells. But too much of a good thing is not good for your heart, according to the health professionals who are not fans of the crispy, greasy strips of meat.

“The way bacon is made can lead to adverse effects on heart health,” Michelle Routhenstein, a preventative cardiology dietitian-nutritionist told HuffPost.

It’s the chemicals in the meat that cause problems. For instance,
Routhenstein said sodium nitrate (a common ingredient used to cure bacon) and bacon’s high sodium content can elevate blood pressure. Also, chemical compounds, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines, formed in bacon when it cooks at high temperatures can contribute to inflammation and damage blood vessels. All of these compounds increase the risk of heart disease, she said.

Not only that, but more than half the calories in bacon come from saturated fat, which can raise cholesterol levels in your blood, including low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol. Too much LDL cholesterol can increase your risk of heart attack or stroke.

Besides bacon, processed meats in general, including red meats, are not good for the heart, according to Dr. Saman Setareh-Shenas, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA.

“People who eat diets rich in red meat, especially those with highly processed meats, have been associated with higher cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality, and obesity,” Dr. Setareh-Shenas told HuffPost.

2. White Bread

White bread may be soft and easy to digest, but it’s not good for your heart, according to Routhenstein. The packaged, presliced bread that you can buy at the grocery store has a high glycemic index, little nutritional value, and a very low amount of fiber compared to whole-grain bread.

Routhenstein said white bread “can lead to rapid blood sugar spikes,
insulin resistance, and weight gain, all of which increase the risk of heart disease and related complications.”

White bread is made of refined carbohydrates, which are carbohydrates that have been processed to remove healthy fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. After white bread is stripped of its nutritional value, all that’s left is pure sugar, according to Dr. Daniel Luger, a preventive cardiologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

“All refined carbohydrates increase your circulating glucose and triglyceride levels,” Dr. Luger told HuffPost.

Studies suggest that regular consumption of foods containing refined carbohydrates has been linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other chronic health conditions. These carbohydrates also increase the risk of obesity, insulin resistance, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Whole-grain bread or 100 percent whole-wheat bread are healthier options because they contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that have been removed from white bread.

To find these foods, Dr. Luger recommends looking for a “100% whole-grain” stamp on the package and carefully reading the list of ingredients.

“When looking at the ingredient list, you want to see the first ingredient being listed as whole (whole wheat, whole grain, etc.),” he said. “Ideally, when looking at the ingredient list, you want to see only a handful of ingredients and be able to recognize what those ingredients are.”

3. French Fries

The crispy, fried potato slices are commonly served as a side dish to a sandwich, hamburger, fish, or steak. Although they are tasty, greasy fries aren’t good for your heart.

“When food is fried, its nutritional content changes—the food loses water and takes up fat,” Dr. Setareh-Shenas said.

In the case of french fries, Setareh-Shenas explained that the oil used in cooking the fries is often reused, resulting in a loss of unsaturated fats and an increase in unhealthy fats, known as trans fats. French fries are also topped with lots of salt, and then there’s the option of dipping the fries in ketchup, which is high in sugar and salt. If eaten regularly, this combination is a recipe for high blood pressure and heart disease.

According to Dr. Setareh-Shenas, a regular diet of fried food in general can place you at risk for coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity.

What Should You Eat Instead?

If bacon, white bread, and french fries are foods that can damage the heart, then what foods are good for the heart?

Dr. Luger highly recommends eating legumes, like lentils, chickpeas, and beans regularly.

“Legumes are high in healthy fiber and help promote satiety, regulate bowel movements, and feed healthy gut bacteria,” Dr. Luger explained. “Also, legumes can easily be made in bulk and are great for weekday meals.”

Routhenstein recommends flaxseeds and almonds because they contain lignans, compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that support heart health by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.

“These compounds, alongside other nutrients such as vitamin E, alpha-linolenic acid, and magnesium, contribute to improved cholesterol levels, blood pressure regulation, and vascular health, collectively offering cardioprotective benefits,” Routhenstein said.

Grains are also good to have on a plate, particularly the heart-healthy quinoa and whole-wheat bread because these foods have fiber, phosphorus, zinc, plant-based protein, and antioxidants, all of which can lower bad cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

“Their high fiber content regulates blood sugar levels and supports a healthy gut, contributing to overall heart health,” Routhenstein said.

Eating a balanced diet is just one approach to take to maintain a healthy heart. But that’s not all. Routhenstein and Drs. Luger and Setareh-Shenas all agree that exercising regularly and avoiding smoking can also help to ensure that your heart works efficiently and contributes to a good quality of life.

Source Links:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/eliminating-these-3-foods-from-your-diet-can-be-a-game-changer-for-heart-health-ano_l_66c74ec2e4b0f1ca46941734?ncid=APPLENEWS00001
https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/ss/slideshow-foods-bad-heart
https://zoe.com/learn/refined-carbs#