Doctor reveals the six foods you should definitely 'avoid' to protect your heart

A cardiologist has revealed there are six common foods that have snuck into the American diet that we should all be avoiding to protect our hearts.

Keeping our tickers ticking should be a concern for all of us considering heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the CDC, more than cancer, accidental injury and Alzheimer's disease and killing someone every 33 seconds.

It's no secret that what we eat and what we do, like eating more vegetables and picking up regular exercise, can play a huge part in maintaining good health. But did you know our lifestyle choices and the food we consume could be actively hampering your efforts?

Help your heart out by avoiding these six foods (Getty Images)

Things like stress, poor sleep, a sedentary lifestyle and even a lack of sunlight and socialization can all play a part.

However, Doctor Wen-Chih Wu, director of the Brown University Health Cardiovascular Wellness and Prevention Centre in Rhode Island, has revealed cardiologists agree there are six foods you should consider 'avoiding' entirely.

So let's get into it.

Fried food

While they taste nice, french fries, along with its other fried friends like fried chicken, aren't exactly nice to our hearts.

Dr Wu explained that's because fried food contains 'high levels of saturated fat and trans fats' which, alone, are bad enough for heart health.

However, fries are also often laden with salt, 'another threat to your cardiovascular health', he added.

Heart-friendly fries can be made at home with home-baked potato sprinkled with olive oil.

Bacon and sausages make the perfect breakfast companion, but aren't good for our hearts (Getty Images)

Bacon, sausages and red meat

Red meat is a great source of protein and nutrients, and you might need more of it if you have an iron deficiency.

However, eating too much could be a fast-track ticket to greater problems with your heart.

The doctor warns red meat like beef, veal and lamb are high in cholesterol and saturated fat, with the worst offenders being sausages and bacon.

Mr Wu said: "So before you dig into a juicy T-bone steak, keep in mind that animal fat found in red meat is especially bad for your heart and arteries, and should be limited to a small percentage of your overall diet."

"[B]acon is not only loaded with saturated fat," he continued, "but also contains high amounts of sodium, both of which are linked to increased risk for heart disease."

“The same is true for frankfurters and deli meats such as salami, ham, and pastrami.”

The doc recommended making some healthy swaps to chicken, turkey, fish, seafood, tofu, lentils, chickpeas or black beans and limiting hot dogs to, say, a baseball game for a treat.

The doc recommends swapping your full-fat milk with a dairy-free alternative like oat or almond milk (Getty Images)

Dairy

Dr Wu said it's time to pass on the 'whole' full-fat dairy products 'for your heart's sake.'

Low-fat milk, yoghurt and cheese will help to reduce fat intake while reaping the dairy benefits.

“When it comes to milk, you might even want to try non-dairy milk alternatives such as almond or oat milk. These products offer the creamy texture of milk with delicious flavour but none of the animal fat that can increase your risk for heart disease," the doctor said.

Sugar and cookies

The American diet is considered one of the worst in the world due to a killer combo of highly processed food, saturated fat and excessive sugar, which is literally killing us through diabetes and other chronic diseases.

That's because too much of the sweet stuff is a recipe for disaster on the heart as excessive sugar intake tips the scales, leading to high blood pressure and obesity, the doctor warns.

We know cookies and baked treats like pastries aren't really good for us with high amounts of both sugar and fats, but there's also a surprising amount of added sugar in our food and drink, like cereal and energy drinks.

Dr Wu says weight gain is bad for the heart while sugar can also clog up our arteries with 'increased levels of triglycerides and a type of cholesterol known as LDL' as well as causing inflammation in the body.

Excessive sugar and salt won't help our waistlines or our heart health (Getty Images)

Snacks like chips

Sugar's partner in crime is its savoury counterparts, like crisps and other snacky foods.

Dr Wu said: "They don't call it junk food for nothing! Those bags of potato chips and their counterparts like nacho chips and cheese curls are highly processed foods that are fried and filled with additives along with high amounts of sodium.

"There’s really nothing healthy about them," he continued. "They can contribute to weight gain, heart disease, and increased risk of stroke. If you’re having a snack attack, skip the chips and instead go for a handful of nuts, seeds, or dried fruit chips.”

The doctor concluded: "When it comes to food choices, focus on nutritional foods that help your heart keep beating and avoid those that can prevent it from doing its job.”