8 Foods That Are Surprisingly Bad for Your Heart Health

Maybe you have a family history of heart health issues. Perhaps you’ve already been experiencing cardiovascular problems yourself. Or maybe you just want to protect this hypercritical organ. Whatever the case may be, what you eat makes a big difference.

Diet often plays a key role in David Bolon, MD’s heart attack prevention and other cardiovascular care. When you visit our Manhattan Integrative Cardiovascular office in Midtown East Manhattan, New York City, he always asks about your diet and helps you make more heart-healthy choices moving forward. 

That probably includes some changes you’d expect, like cutting out excess salt and avoiding saturated and trans fats. But things that aren’t great for your heart can hide in unexpected places, including foods you might think are healthy. With that in mind, we want to highlight some surprisingly bad foods for your heart health. 

Unexpectedly risky foods for your cardiovascular wellness

You probably already know that options like bacon and pizza aren’t ideal for your heart health. Other options might surprise you for their potentially negative cardiovascular impact, though. Here are eight we recommend minimizing in your diet:

• Canned soup because it often has a lot of sodium
• Coconut oil because it has a lot of saturated fats
• Flavored yogurt because it’s often high in sugar
• Fruit juice because it has a ton of sugar
• Granola because it often contains a lot of fat
• Lunch meat because it’s often high in salt and contains saturated fats
• Pre-made salad dressing because it’s often high in fat, sodium, or even sugar
• White rice because it’s a refined grain your body quickly converts to sugar

This isn’t to say you can never enjoy these foods. Take some time to read labels in the grocery store, though. For example, choose low-fat yogurt or low-sodium canned soup to offset some of the heart health risks. 

Tailoring your diet to support your heart health

Here at Manhattan Integrative Cardiovascular, Dr. Bolon evaluates your heart, health history, and lifestyle. He usually recommends a cardiac screening, which might include a:

• Blood pressure check
• Body mass index (BMI) calculation
• Cholesterol check
• Diabetes screening
• Genetic testing

Then, Dr. Bolon makes diet recommendations based on what your heart needs. He aims to help you make adjustments that support your cardiovascular health and are sustainable for you long-term.

We can help you pinpoint foods you regularly eat that might compromise your heart health and offer recommendations to support your heart, like medication or an exercise program. 

You don’t have to figure out a heart-healthy diet on your own. For support and dedicated cardiovascular health care, call our office at (716) 303-4738 or book your appointment online today.