Looking after our hearts isn’t just about keeping active, it’s also largely down to our diet and the food we consume. Getting a variety of nutrients in our meals, from protein to fibre and omega-3, and making sure we’re eating our five a day are essential for a healthy heart.
Minimising the risk of heart problems can also be helped by taking care of blood pressure, and avoiding high cholesterol levels, which are both heavily influenced by diet. While high blood pressure and cholesterol can put a serious strain on the heart, they can also be managed by keeping an eye on what we choose to eat in our day to day lives, and starting the day off right with breakfast is especially important.
But even when we are making healthy choices in our diet, there’s a number of food products that you might mistakenly think are healthier than they actually are.
If you’re looking to start your day off on the right foot, and keep an eye on blood pressure and cholesterol levels, a cardiologist has shared the foods he would avoid for a healthy heart, and two of them might surprise you.
In a video posted on Instagram, Sanjay Bhojrar MD, a board certified cardiologist based in California, listed Greek yoghurt and granola as two of the foods he would avoid eating.
In the caption, the cardiologist said: “What looks healthy on the label isn’t always heart-healthy” and pointed out that “Inflammation, blood sugar spikes, and nutrient depletion don’t always come from junk food”.
While Greek yoghurt itself isn’t necessarily unhealthy, flavoured Greek yoghurt often contains added sugars, and the same goes for granola brought from the supermarket.
It’s the high levels of hidden sugars in these “healthy” foods that can be detrimental to heart health in the long run, as spikes in blood sugar can lead to inflammation, and increased blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Checking the label for added sugars and sweeteners can help with finding a granola that’s healthier, and it’s also easy to make at home with a few ingredients such as oats, nuts and cinnamon, while sticking to unflavoured Greek yoghurt will help with aoviding unnecessary sugar.
But if you usually drizzle some agave syrup over your morning granola bowl, you might want to reconsider this too, with Sanjay also listing this as another food he would avoid.
Often sold as a “healthy sugar alternative” it can trigger a spike in triglycerides, which are our main source of energy, but a high level of these can also increase the risk of heart disease.
If you’re looking to add a sweet kick, honey is often considered a healthier alternative.