YAHOO
Most of us are aware that certain habits are flat-out terrible for our hearts. Smoking? Forget about it. A sedentary lifestyle — yep, that will eventually get you.
But with diet culture still running rampant, the foods that are “good” and “bad” can feel a bit murkier. The keto diet, for example, encourages piling on the bacon. And while it may help you lose weight, something about chomping on bacon every day feels — not great.
If you’re eating with your heart health in mind (and we all should be, at least a little bit!), you can read through the American Heart Association’s diet and lifestyle recommendations. Or, if you really want to cut to the chase, you can find out which foods top cardiologists avoid 99% of the time.
While none of these foods will kill you if eaten once in a while, cardiologists say these are the foods they never, or very rarely, eat.
Chopped liver
Some of us wrinkle our noses at the thought of eating chopped liver, while others absolutely love it. If you fall into the former category, you’re in luck. Dr. Eleanor Levin, a cardiologist at Stanford University, says she never eats liver.
“Liver is a red meat that’s extremely high in fat,” Levin said. “In general, I avoid red meat because it’s very high in saturated fat and trans fats, and in addition to being bad for the heart, saturated fat can provoke osteoporosis. Liver is especially bad because it’s also the organ that filters out toxins, so any toxins are typically just sitting there. I used to eat chopped liver when I was a kid, but I haven’t since I became a cardiologist.”
Breakfast sausages
Sad, but true: Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist based in Minneapolis, said she avoids breakfast sausages at all costs.“These are high in sodium (promoting higher blood pressure) and a rich source of saturated fats, which raise cholesterol readings,” Klodas said. “Plus, because we only have so much room in our stomachs, foods like breakfast sausages can displace other items that might be more health-promoting.”
Klodas noted that all processed meats, including sausages, ham and bacon, have been classified as carcinogens by the World Health Organization.
Margarine
If you’re still eating fake butter, it’s time to stop, because margarine is just flat-out bad for you.
“Margarine seems like a great idea in theory, but it turns out to be just as bad as butter,” said Dr. Harmony Reynold, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Health. “A study found that with each tablespoon of margarine per day, people were 6% more likely to die over the median 16 years of the study. Olive oil is better, and each tablespoon of olive oil was associated with a 4% lower risk of death. With that in mind, I tell my patients to use olive oil whenever possible, even for cooking eggs, or toast. When nothing but the taste of butter will do, it’s still better to use mostly olive oil with a skinny pat of butter for flavor.”
Steak
Sorry, steak lovers, but this is another food you should probably avoid most of the time.
“I avoid really fatty red meat, like highly marbleized steak, because it’s very high in saturated fat,” Dr. Leonard Lilly, the chief of cardiology at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, said. “Clinical studies have shown that saturated fat consumption is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.”
Lilly noted that most people can get away with eating small amounts of almost anything on rare occasions, so he’s guilty of the occasional steak.
Bacon
You were waiting for this one, right? Dr. Francoise Marvel, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins University, said she typically avoids this salty, delicious breakfast delicacy.
