{"id":13161,"date":"2021-11-28T17:30:33","date_gmt":"2021-11-28T17:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ovadiahearthealth.com\/old-site\/?p=13161"},"modified":"2022-03-11T06:41:46","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T06:41:46","slug":"forget-superfoods-here-are-the-top-3-foods-to-eliminate-to-improve-your-heart-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ovadiahearthealth.com\/old-site\/2021\/11\/28\/forget-superfoods-here-are-the-top-3-foods-to-eliminate-to-improve-your-heart-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Forget superfoods. Here are the top 3 foods to eliminate to improve your heart health"},"content":{"rendered":"

By now we\u2019ve all heard the term \u2018superfoods\u2019 and their supposed value when it comes to things like cancer and heart disease prevention. But what exactly is a \u2018superfood\u2019? How do they work?<\/span><\/p>\n

The answer is, they don\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

The term \u2018superfood\u2019 is often used to describe foods that are nutritionally dense or thought to reduce risks of disease. Over the years, the term has been awarded to a broad range of foods, from leafy greens to legumes to beans. Sometimes it\u2019s given to an entire category, like seafood and berries. Even <\/span>water <\/span><\/i>has been classified as a superfood!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But there is no clear definition for it, so the food industry can put it on just about anything, wait for the inevitable media headlines of \u201cThe one superfood you need to be eating\u201d and sit back as sales go up. It\u2019s a big market too: in 2018 the global market for superfoods was valued at <\/span>$137 billion dollars<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>As long as the fountain of youth eludes us, superfoods may be considered the next best thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

In reality, superfoods are a marketing gimmick. The term is so vacant that\u00a0 in 2007, the <\/span>EU ruled to ban it<\/span><\/a>. In an interview with <\/span>The Guardian<\/span><\/a>, Catherine Collins of London’s St George\u2019s Hospital said that \u201cThe term \u2018superfoods\u2019 is at best meaningless and at most harmful.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, some foods are more nutritious than others, but the implication is that superfoods are life-saving miracle foods. This is probably an indictment of our current diet: we\u2019re so used to foods being nutritionally empty that when we see something nutritious, it astounds us.<\/span><\/p>\n

But there\u2019s no miracle food that will keep you young, fit and healthy forever. The closest thing for that is being metabolically healthy, which is achieved through consistent diet and lifestyle choices. Eating dark leafy greens and legumes won\u2019t make you healthy if the rest of your diet consists of Twinkies and packaged foods – despite what the marketing teams try to imply, no single food item can make you healthy.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why my recommendation is instead of looking for superfoods promoted as a shortcut to health, eliminate the worst offenders from your diet. Let\u2019s take a look at those here:<\/span><\/p>\n

Processed foods<\/b><\/h2>\n

Much like superfood, \u2018processed food\u2019 is a vague term. Some of them are obvious and easy to avoid, like cookies, cakes and potato chips. But there are also a lot of products that fly under the radar with labels like \u2018sugar-free\u2019 or \u2018heart healthy.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have any cereal or granola in your cupboards, go and read the labels. I can guarantee you that it includes sugar or an unhealthy oil.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The truth is the label on your \u2018heart-healthy\u2019 granola box is lying to you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The problem isn\u2019t just that these products contain these unhealthy additives (although that is certainly one of the problems), but also that by eating them, you\u2019re simultaneously denying your body the healthy fats and proteins that it actually requires.<\/span><\/p>\n

As <\/span>I\u2019ve said before,<\/span><\/a> a general rule for establishing a healthy diet is to consume things that grow in the ground or which eat things that grow in the ground i.e. animal products, seeds, nuts etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

But there\u2019s another rule you can follow to help you spot the many processed products that are advertised as healthy. Simply, you should be able to tell what\u2019s in a product by looking at it. If you need to check the list of ingredients to know what\u2019s in your food, then most likely you should avoid it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Artificial trans-fats<\/b><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re focusing on heart disease prevention, perhaps the most important products to eliminate from your diet are those that contain artificial trans-fats, or partially-hydrogenated fats.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of conflicting information when it comes to improving heart health, especially what kinds of fats should be consumed. Yet one thing that is almost universally agreed on is that artificial trans-fats are unhealthy, dangerous, and best avoided. So much so that there have been <\/span>many calls to ban them<\/span><\/a>, with some success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trans-fats can often be found in:<\/span><\/p>\n