Five foods that increase your risk of heart attack

In Spain, there are around 50,000 heart attacks every year, with heart disease being the leading cause of death. In fact, they account for 30% of total annual deaths. Smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise are largely to blame for this reality.

According to the Spanish Heart Foundation (FEC), tobacco smoking and poor diet are responsible for about 15,000 and 44,000 deaths from cardiovascular diseases per year respectively. Sedentary lifestyle is the most important: it is responsible for more than 52,000 deaths every year. That’s why it’s important to raise awareness about the importance of quitting smoking, eating a balanced diet, and doing recommended heart-healthy exercise.

The FEC Expert Council emphasizes the need to instill healthy habits from childhood. Childhood obesity and excessive consumption of foods high in fat, salt and sugar are associated with the risk of developing diseases in adulthood associated with a lack of physical activity.

According to them, poor diet is one of the factors that most increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. It also happens the other way around: a healthy diet protects the heart. Therefore, the Mediterranean diet, rich in foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumesfatty fish with lots of omega-3s (eg. salmon or tuna), whole grains and extra virgin olive oil protect the heart.

The more fruits and vegetables we eat, the less cholesterol we absorb from other foods. That is why it is recommended to take 5 pieces per day. Except, dried fruits such as walnuts or almonds They contain omega-3 fatty acids, making them the most recommended food for snacking between meals.

Foods that “destroy” the cardiovascular system

Eat five key foods to avoid because they are associated with harmful effects on the heart and cardiovascular system. The first, as it could not be otherwise, are ultra-processed and processed “products”. Essentially, these are the foods we already find in the supermarket that are high in saturated fat.

For example, prepared meals such as burritos or pizza. As well as packaged foods such as chips, crusts or candy. And also industrial baked goods, which contain a lot of sugar and cause us to exceed the recommended daily intake. For all these reasons, processed foods should not be eaten or should be consumed as little as possible, only in exceptional cases.

Secondly, there are processed meats and sausages. According to the WHO, processed meat is “any type of meat that has been transformed by curing, curing, fermentation, smoking or other processes.” For example, salami, serrano ham or fouette. Also included will be meat derivatives such as sausages and prepared hamburgers. Also cold cuts such as York ham or sliced ​​sausages.

In the third “position” we find red meat itself. Although, of course Red meat can be consumed, but should not be consumed in excess.because they contain carnitine. This chemical compound increases the absorption of cholesterol. Therefore, it is better to eat white meat. Red too, but without insults. In fact, a Harvard expert recently put together some tips on how to eat meat for health.

Fourthly, FEC experts also mention sweet drinks. Soft drinks contain a lot of sugar and some compounds that are undesirable from a medical point of view. Aspartame, a sweetener we find in colas, for example, was recently classified by the WHO as a “possible carcinogen.” They are also harmful to the stomach, teeth, and contribute to overweight and obesity, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Finally, the fifth food to avoid is not so much a food group as a cooking method. We are talking about fried or battered. The ingredients are best cooked on the grill, in the oven or in a stew; For example, we do not recommend frying potatoes or eating a lot of croquettes, fried breaded chicken, sanjacobo, etc. If this typical Spanish fries will be retained (onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes and olive oil) as some studies show they reduce the risk of heart disease.