- A cardiologist says it can be difficult for patients to follow strict heart-healthy diets.
- It’s okay to eat sweets once in a while, he said, but overdoing it can put your health at risk.
- She suggests staying completely away from saturated fat, fried foods, and bacon.
It won’t surprise anyone that to maintain a healthy heart and avoid heart diseasewe should be eating well.
Fortunately, this doesn’t mean cutting out pizza or sweets entirely, but rather avoiding going overboard.
Dr. Elizabeth Klodasa John Hopkins-trained cardiologist and company founder who makes cholesterol-lowering foods, told Insider that he likes to eat ice cream and fries once in a while just like the rest of us.
However, there are some foods that you have completely eliminated from your diet due to potential health risks. These are the four main types of food that she tries to avoid.
1. Butter and cheese
Klodas said some cardiologists tell their patients to avoid fat altogether, but he said this is very difficult to stick to, though he supports any patient who wants to try.
Saturated fats they’re the ones we need to actively limit, he told Insider. These fats are solid at room temperature and they come from animal sources, such as butter and cheese.
Klodas said they can raise cholesterol, which is linked to heart disease.
However, unsaturated fats, such as those from plant sources such as olive oil, seed and nut oils, fish oil and avocado oil, are considered anti-inflammatory from a heart disease perspective, he said. Klodas. These types of fats can actually low cholesterol.
Klodas added that you shouldn’t gobble down a gallon of olive oil, though.
2. Fried foods
Fried foods tend to be high in saturated fat and salt, which can increase blood pressure.
“I try to stay away from fried foods,” Klodas said, though she can’t resist the occasional deep frying.
Investigation published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that eating fried foods increases the risk of heart failure.
The researchers said it’s not clear why this is, but they suggested several possible reasons: frying increases the levels of fat in some foods, and frying increases the concentration of cholesterol oxidation, which is also linked to heart disease.
3. Bacon and sausage
Klodas said she completely avoids processed meats, like bacon and sausage.
These foods are high in nitrates, which are used as preservatives in processed meats, and can sometimes be converted to nitrosamines, which are associated with increased cancer risk. These foods can also contain high levels of salt that can draw water into the bloodstream, increased blood pressure levels. This can increase the risk of heart disease.
There’s also a link between processed meats and cancer, he said, which is another reason he avoids these foods. Research in The Lancet linked processed meats to stomach cancer and bowel cancer.
