4 Top Heart Healthy Foods Help Fight Heart Disease

 

When

 It comes to keeping your heart healthy, there are certain foods you should either avoid or eat in extreme amounts, depending on your heart level and risk of heart disease. Artery-clogging foods can be some of the worst food culprits and can have adverse effects on your heart health.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States alone. It covers a variety of conditions, including stroke, blocked arteries that can cause cardiac arrest or must bypass surgery, high cholesterol, heart attack, and premature death.

If the following ten foods are part of your daily diet, it could lead to serious heart problems.

 Red meat

Red meat is an animal protein that is high in saturated fat and not good for your heart when eaten in excess. It's okay to have steak in moderation, but it should be something you indulge in a few times a week and not part of your everyday meal.

Lean and or extra-lean sirloins, round roasts, and sirloin are some of your best heart-healthy red meats. It's also a good idea to remove the fat from the steak; this is the white marble part of the steak or roast.

Grilling or cooking over an open flame is a healthy cooking method because they allow the fat to drip off the meat, unlike frying, where the meat sits in its own fat in the pan.

Processed meat

Processed meats like bacon, hot dogs, sausages, and even deli meats are high in sodium, and fat, and can contain many preservatives. They often include added nitrates and nitrites, both of which have been linked to causing certain heart problems. Processed meat is also higher in saturated fat and lower in protein than any natural meat.

Pizza

Doughy, cheese-covered, pepperoni pizza pies contain about 2 and 3 of the largest daily recommended amount of saturated fat, and most pizza ingredients, especially takeout pizzas, are processed foods that are loaded with sodium.

A much healthier option is to make your own pizza at home, where you have control over the ingredients. Some options include using whole wheat thin crust, fresh vegetables, lean chicken breast, fresh tomatoes or homemade tomato sauce, and low-fat cheese.

These options improve the health factor of pizza, so you can still enjoy it without compromising your heart health.

 Fettuccine Alfredo

Alfredo sauce itself is loaded with saturated fat and calories because it's a combination of butter, heavy cream, and cheese, then there's white pasta, and none of the ingredients provide any impressive nutrients.

Most people eat this dish at a restaurant and here's what you get with Olive Garden's Fettuccini Alfredo entrée, this is without the chicken most people order:

1220 calories

75 grams of total fat

47 grams is saturated fat

1350 grams sodium 

GENTLEMEN! Look at those numbers! Can you never eat it again? No, of course, moderation is key, but if you love it, you can make a healthier version at home that you can enjoy more often.

Use whole wheat pasta and make a homemade Alfredo sauce with either plain yogurt or low-fat milk and cheese, and add some fresh vegetables to the mix for an extra nutritional boost.