"A Shortcut to Ruining Your Health? I Never Buy These": 3 Foods a Doctor Warns Against

Processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and refined snacks raise the risk of cardiovascular disease
Build your diet around vegetables, whole grains, and fish

File photo of a supermarket. Getty Images Bank

It is a very healthy habit to choose ingredients yourself at the supermarket and cook meals at home to take care of your health. But what you put in your shopping cart from the supermarket shelves can make all the difference to your heart health. In particular, unlike the perimeter of the store, where fresh vegetables and fruit are displayed, the inner aisles are full of foods that threaten cardiovascular health, such as processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages and packaged snacks.

Recently, the U.S. health publication Men's Journal introduced three foods that cardiologist Dr. May Bakir, who holds three board certifications in specialties including cardiology and internal medicine, says she never buys when grocery shopping to protect heart health and manage blood pressure.

Processed meats such as bacon, sausage and sliced ham

Sausage stock photo. Pixabay

The first place Dr. Bakir avoids at the supermarket is the processed meat section, where bacon, sausage, hot dogs, salami and sliced deli meats are displayed. Processed meat is a leading ultra-processed food that harms cardiovascular health and is among the foods most strongly associated with coronary artery disease.

Processed meats contain large amounts of sodium, which increases the amount of water in the body and can sharply raise blood pressure. They are also loaded with saturated fat, which raises levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. According to relevant studies, consuming just 150 g of processed meat a week (about five slices of sliced ham or bacon) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by 46% and the risk of death by as much as 50%.

Sugar-sweetened drinks such as soda and energy drinks

File photo of carbonated drinks. Getty Images Bank

Sugar-sweetened sodas, energy drinks, sweetened teas, fruit drinks and sports drinks lined up in the beverage aisle are also major threats to heart health. The large amounts of added sugar in these drinks increase insulin resistance in the body, add to dangerous visceral fat that accumulates around the organs, and cause a serious imbalance in blood triglyceride levels.

Unlike foods that are chewed, sugar in liquid form is absorbed very quickly by the body and sharply raises blood sugar. Research has found that the habit of drinking just one additional can of a sugar-sweetened beverage every day increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by about 18%. When thirsty, choose water or unsweetened tea instead of sugary drinks, and make a habit of checking the added sugar content on nutrition labels before buying.

Refined snacks such as cookies, crackers and potato chips

Cookies. File photo: Pixabay

Packaged cookies, crackers, potato chips, pastries and other snacks made with refined starch are also key items to leave out of your shopping cart. These foods contain virtually none of the nutrients that benefit the body, such as protein, dietary fiber and essential vitamins, while being excessively high in refined starch, added sugar, sodium, saturated fat and trans fat.

Refined carbohydrate foods that lack dietary fiber do not keep you feeling full for long, leading to overeating. This, in turn, can cause abdominal obesity and raise blood sugar, directly increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Numerous clinical studies have shown that as consumption of ultra-processed foods increases, rates of coronary artery disease and stroke rise accordingly. If you need a snack, it is wise to choose fruit, unsalted nuts or unsweetened yogurt instead of refined snack foods.

"Start at the store's perimeter"... A grocery strategy to protect your heart

Dr. Bakir recommends shopping mainly around the perimeter of the supermarket as the easiest strategy for protecting heart health. That's because the outer aisles of large supermarkets are generally where fresh vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts and unprocessed protein foods such as chicken and fish are placed. Simply filling your cart with minimally processed, whole ingredients can naturally help lower blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular disease.

However, Dr. Bakir emphasized, "Avoiding a few specific risky foods alone cannot completely prevent heart disease." She added, "To keep your blood vessels young, you need to manage your overall lifestyle, including efforts to reduce sodium intake and fill your cart with fresh foods, along with at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week and maintaining a healthy weight."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.