If you are watching your heart health, the following foods should not make it in your meal plan very often. In fact, if you can cut them out of your diet, your heart will be even healthier.
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Processed meats
How much to eat: If not unavoidable, maximum of 2 servings per week shouldn’t harm.
One Serving size: 50-60gms
Why it harms the heart. It is highly likely that the high levels of salt and preservatives found in processed meats lead to heart problems. -
Highly refined and processed grains and carbohydrates
How much to eat: Foods like these are difficult to completely cut from your diet. Hence, you should have only the smallest servings possible. Having one small serving each day won’t be harmful. Keep a check on the size of the serving though:
Serving size: 30 gms
Why it harms the heart. Refined or processed foods include white bread, white rice, low-fiber breakfast cereals, sweets. High levels of processing removes many of the healthy components in whole grains, such as dietary fiber, minerals, phytochemicals, and fatty acids. -
Soft drinks and other sugary drinks
How much to eat: Preferably none
Why it harms the heart. Sugary drinks have all the same ill effects on the heart as highly refined and processed carbohydrates. In addition to the other harms of highly refined and processed carbohydrates, sugary drinks also increase your chances of weight gain.
