Five Foods That Hurt Your Heart

Avoid these to live longer

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
Comments >
Table of Contents

Limit Bad Fats

You’ve heard of “bad” fats. Well, here they are—saturated fat and trans fat. Saturated fat receives the bad fat label because it raises LDL (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Saturated fat can only be reduced or limited because it is found in nature and would be virtually impossible to eliminate completely. Trans fats, however, are mostly man made and absolutely can be reduced to nearly zero.  

Trans fats do occur naturally in low levels in meat and dairy products, but in the American diet, most of it comes from that formed during the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils.

Why do trans fats carry the title of “really bad fat”? Trans fats offer a double whammy to your blood lipid profile—in addition to raising your bad cholesterol (LDL) levels, like saturated fat, trans fats also decrease your "good cholesterol" (HDL) levels at the same time. What’s the answer? Replace saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats naturally found in fish, nuts, and seeds.


Published June 15, 2009

Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
Recipe Doctor Feature

Sources +

Five Foods That Hurt Your Heart
Western Diet Carries Risk  
< 1 2 3 4 5 
 

Keywords -

Related Links

Five Foods That Help Your Heart
In this article, to give you a better idea of what comprises a heart-healthy diet, I’ll introduce five foods that help your heart. In my next article, to be published in about two weeks, we’ll cover five foods that seem to hurt your heart.

Make Eating a Healthy Breakfast a Priority
I know it’s tempting to skip breakfast when you’re in a hurry, but that’s definitely the wrong thing to do if you care about your health. What we eat for breakfast helps fuel our day’s activities—and new research suggests that if we eat a balanced breakfast, we are less likely to gain weight over a five-year period.

All Taste Buds Are Not Created Equal
I always knew food was a personal thing, but I had no idea how personal. For the life of me, I couldn’t imagine how anyone could like a few of the fat-free products I’ve sampled over the years.

Sodium Shock
When you hear the latest statistics and recommendations for sodium and hypertension, you are likely to go into sodium shock! Most Americans consume more than double the amount of sodium recommended.

Restaurant Rules to Eat By
The days of dining in restaurants only for special occasions are over. Today, for many people, eating out is an almost daily occurrence. Here’s the problem. . . .


What We Do
Silver Planet® helps baby boomers guide their parents to age in place by providing services and products related to aging at home and housing options.