1
Canned Vegetables
Veggies may be a cornerstone of a blood-pressure-friendly diet, but not the ones that come out of a can. The preservatives and sauces that keep the vitamin-filled veggies company inside the container are packed with sodium. Look for “no salt added” or “low sodium” options and be sure to rinse your veggies thoroughly before digging in. Can’t find an unsalted option? Consider switching to frozen vegetables; there are plenty of unsalted selections. And speaking of surprisingly salty foods, check out these 20 Restaurant Desserts With More Salt Than A Bag of Pretzels!
2
Restaurant Soup
Get this: P.F. Chang’s Hot & Sour Soup Bowl, packs an artery-shivering 9,590 milligrams of sodium. That’s more than four days’ worth or the equivalent of about 55—yes, 55—individual bags of Cool Ranch Doritos. Not all restaurant’s bowls of broth are quite that salt-filled, but even chains like Ruby Tuesday and Applebee’s don’t ladle out anything with less than half a day’s sodium per bowl. Our advice: If you’re looking to enjoy something warming and delicious, make soup at home with the help of these 20 Best-Ever Fat Burning Soup Recipes.
3
Cold Cuts
According to a recent survey, 48 percent of Americans are looking to cut back on sodium, however, according to a Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics study, nearly half of Americans consume a sandwich every day—one of the top source of salt in the American diet. Coincidental? We think not. The bread and condiments certainly don’t help the salt situation, but cold cuts and cheese are the primary culprits, contributing about 250 milligrams of sodium per slice. And let’s be real: we all use at least three or four slices of the stuff, which equates to 1,000 milligrams of salt in a single sitting. Looking for delicious flat-belly lunches to eat instead of your tired turkey and mayo? Indulge in the all-new Zero Belly Cookbook!
4
Tomato Sauce
Want some pasta with that salt!? A half cup of Hunter’s Tomato sauce packs a whopping 830 milligrams of sodium—which is more than you’d find in 97 Cheez-It crackers! To keep your blood pressure from spiking, look for jars of tomato sauce with fewer than 350 milligrams per half-cup serving. Both Amy’s Light in Sodium Organic Family Marinara and Ragu Light No Sugar Added Tomato & Basil fit the bill. To see which jars are better left on the shelf, don’t miss our special report 40 Best and Worst Pasta Sauces.
5
Frozen Meals
Frozen dinners may be quick and easy options when you’re time strapped, but they’re also loaded with sodium. Yes, even the healthy-sounding options. Two prime examples: Lean Cuisine’s Roasted Chicken and Garden Vegetables packs 620 milligrams of sodium and Special K’s Sausage, Egg & Cheese Flatbread Breakfast Sandwich carries 700 milligrams—or just under half a day’s worth. When you’re in the freezer aisle, look for meals with less than 500 milligrams per serving. And whenever you’re eating something high in sodium, wash down your meal with one of these 50 Best Detox Waters for Bloat.
6
Vegetable Juice
Prefer to sip your greens rather than chew ’em? Stick with the freshly made varieties from a local juice shop (or your kitchen). The bottled versions are filled to the brim with salt. For example, just 8-ounces of V8 Vegetable Juice Essential Antioxidants has 480 milligrams of sodium. If you have to sip the bottled variety go for V8’s low-sodium blend. It will save you 340 milligrams of sodium, which over the course of a month can really make a difference in your blood pressure levels. For more better-for-you picks to keep within reach, read up on these 40 Things Healthy Cooks Always Have in Their Kitchen.
7 & 8
Capers & Ketchup
When it comes to your blood pressure and heart health, condiments matter. Those capers you top your Chicken Piccata with? They carry over 200 milligrams of salt per tablespoon. And the ketchup you dip your fries into has 167 milligrams in the same serving size. Scale back on the condiments to maintain your flat belly and keep your ticker in tip-top condition.
9
Cottage Cheese
Even though this breakfast staple doesn’t taste salty, a one-cup serving can carry almost 700 milligrams of the mineral—more than a third of what you’re supposed to have in an entire day. If you’re going to keep the stuff in your breakfast lineup, swap to a no-salt-added variety. Or, better yet, eat a container of Greek yogurt instead. It’s a low-salt, high-protein cottage cheese substitute we’re big fans of.
10
Beef Jerky
Jerky is super trendy right now, thanks in part to the ever-growing Paleo trend. Sure, it’s free of refined grains and packed with protein, but it’s also notoriously high in salt—not good news if you have high blood pressure or want to keep your heart healthy. A small, 1-ounce serving can have an upwards of 700 milligrams of salt, which is more than four times what you’d find in the same serving of chips.
BECAUSE THEY WILL CLOG YOUR ARTERIES…
When you have more cholesterol in your blood than what’s considered to be healthy, it can clog your arteries with plaques that increase the risk heart disease. What causes the backup? A diet high in certain types of cholesterol, saturated and trans fats. Read on to meet the most dangerous fat- and cholesterol-laden eats on the planet.
11
Coffee Creamer
Traditional coffee creamers are prime sources of trans-fats, often hiding under the guise of its lesser-known name: hydrogenated oil. Trans fats have been shown to raise cholesterol levels and diminish memory in adults under 45 years old—scary stuff! Our advice: Switch to milk or use one of Coffee Mate’s Natural Bliss creamers—they come in great flavors and are totally free of scary ingredients and heart-harming fats. Alternatively, try tea! One Dutch study found that people who drank three daily cups of antioxidant-filled tea had half the risk of heart attack of those who didn’t sip the brew at all. To learn more about the benefits of black, white, and green tea, check out The 7-Day Flat-Belly Tea Cleanse! Test panelists improved their health and lost up to 4 inches from their waist!
12
Frozen Pies
We know that baking a pie isn’t easy—but tread carefully in the land of frozen lattices and crumble tops. Frozen desserts one of the most potent sources of trans-fat in the supermarket. In fact, Marie Callender’s Lattice Apple Pie packs 3 grams of the stuff per slice—that’s more than you should eat in an entire day. One 14 year study of 80,000 women found a positive correlation between heart disease and the consumption of foods containing trans fatty acids so stay away at all costs—your ticker and waistline will thank you! For more foods that should be on your “do not eat” list, check out these 150 Worst Packaged Foods in America.
13
Ice Cream
A healthy adult should consume no more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol a day. A cup of certain Ben and Jerry’s flavors contain more than a third of the day’s intake (130 grams!)—and so do plenty of other creamy, cool treats. To indulge in something icy without freezing out your heart, make a batch of banana ice cream. Here’s how: Slice two bananas and place them in a bag and freeze overnight. The next day, blend them up on high with some milk and almond butter until the mixture reaches a consistency that resembles ice cream. Shavings of dark chocolate make for a tasty topping, as do raspberries—a potent heart-healthy food. High fiber foods like raspberries have been shown to reduce levels of bad cholesterol in the blood, according to the Mayo Clinic.
14
Fried Chicken
Grilled chicken breast is one of the best 29 Best-Ever Proteins for Weight Loss, but when you keep the skin on and dunk it into a deep fryer, the nutritional reality of your meal changes—and fast. In fact, one 4-ounce serving of fried chicken with the skin on it has as much cholesterol as 11 strips of sizzling bacon! Do your heart a favor and opt for a more heart-healthy piece of poultry.
15
Margarine
Butter alternatives like margarine are often made with partially-hydrogenated oils, one of the most common sources of trans-fats. You may have heard that this type of fat is linked to heart disease, but what most people don’t know is that it may also accelerate the skin’s aging process by making the skin more vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation. Eek! Hello, wrinkles! Skip this high-cholesterol food and stick with heart-healthy olive oil or small amounts of grass-fed butter instead, suggests registered dietitian Isabel Smith.
16
Biscuits
Bad news, Southern food lovers: Packaged biscuits—the fluffy pillows of goodness that make weekend brunch and fried chicken dinners extra delicious—are chock full of trans fats that can hurt your heart. In fact, each of Mary B’s Buttermilk Biscuits carries three grams a pop, which is more than a day’s worth. And though the nutrition label on Pillsbury Grands! Buttermilk Biscuits reads “0 grams” in the trans fat column; it’s made with hydrogenated soybean oil—a dead giveaway that there are traces of the dangerous fat in the biscuits. Opt for a whole grain English muffin at breakfast or a whole grain roll at dinner (we like Alexia’s Whole Grain Hearty Rolls) to keep your arteries clean and clear.
It’s a little-known fact that impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes increases your risk for heart disease. That said, a major part of keeping your heart healthy involves keeping your blood sugar levels in check. And according to the Mayo Clinic, if you already have diabetes, tight blood sugar control can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Sure, candy and soda can wreak havoc on your system but there a number of other things you may not realize can mess with your sugar levels, too. Read on to get in the know.
17
White Rice
While whole grains can reduce your risk of dying of heart disease by nearly 20 percent but nutrient-stripped refined grains have the opposite effect on your health. In fact, in one study of more than 350,00 people, those who ate the most white rice were at greatest risk for type 2 diabetes—can’t say we’re too shocked. Bottom line: Stick with whole grains to ward off the disease. Carboholic? Check out these 25 Best Carbs for Weight Loss.
18
Blended Coffees
Warning: Blended coffees laced with syrup, sugar, whipped cream, and other toppings can have as many calories and fat grams as a milkshake. Not only can the sugar overload send blood glucose soaring, but the caffeine can also increase your blood pressure levels—a combination that’s less than ideal if you’re trying to ward off diabetes and heart disease. To stay healthy, stick with plain java with milk and cinnamon, a spice that’s been shown to decrease the risk of heart damage as a result of high blood sugar. And if you’ve been looking for ways to eliminate the sweet stuff from your diet, order your copy of the Zero Sugar Diet today! The fat-burning formula is at your fingertips.
19
Chinese Take-Out
Thanks to their sugary sauces and deep-fried breading, Chinese restaurant favorites like sesame chicken and sweet and sour pork are packed with calories, fat, sodium, and carbs. Experts say this combination of dietary demons can spike blood sugar dramatically and keep it elevated for a substantial chunk of time—not what you want! To keep your glucose levels in check without giving up the flavors you love order steamed veggies and your protein of choice and ask for your favorite sauce on the side. If you only spoon on a tablespoon or two, you’ll improve the healthfulness of your dish ten-fold. Oh, and, ask your server to hold the rice or see if they have the brown kind. For even more flat-belly restaurant hacks, check out our guide 35 Tips for Being Healthy at Restaurants.
20
Cinnamon Rolls
All pastries are sugar and carb landmines, but cinnamon rolls may be the very worst of the lot. Consider this: A Classic Roll from Cinnabon has 880 calories, 127 grams of carbs and 58 grams of sugar—which is about what you’d find in 10 Chips Ahoy! Chewy cookies. There are so many better ways to kick off your morning.
Source: http://www.eatthis.com/foods-that-cause-heart-disease/
