30 Best Foods to Help Unclog Arteries (and What to Avoid)

33. Canned Vegetables and Soups

Canned vegetables and canned soups seem like a convenient way to add more veggies to your diet, but they often contain too much added salt, especially if they come with sauce or broth. Too much salt increases blood pressure, which lowers the amount of oxygen going to your heart, which can even lead to a heart attack. Many of the preservatives used in these canned goods can be harmful and one popular soup additive, monosodium glutamate, or MSG, has been linked to heart palpitations.

Consuming too much salt (sodium) can result in fluid retention in the healthiest of people. In those with heart failure, excess sodium can cause serious complications. It can also worsen high blood pressure (hypertension), which can exacerbate existing heart failure. What’s more, high-sodium diets are usually high in fat and calories as well, which can contribute to obesity and its complications. Unfortunately, sodium is in almost everything we consume, which can make a low-sodium diet feel like a challenge. It is especially high in processed, prepared, canned, and smoked foods.

34. Frozen Meals

Frozen meals, especially TV dinners, are convenient, cheap, and often low in calories. However, many frozen meals have high levels of sodium, often used to flavor food, as well as a preservative. People should eat around 2,000 milligrams of sodium per day, but many frozen dinners can have half that in a single meal. Frozen foods can be high in sodium, too, so aim for 600 milligrams or fewer per serving for heart health. For frozen vegetables or fruits, avoid those with added sugar or high-fat sauces.

Another health risk that is associated with frozen or processed food is heart disease. The trans fats that are present in packaged foods increase your risk of contracting heart disease and also contribute to clogged arteries. Trans fats increase LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and also lower HDL (good) cholesterol levels, which is responsible for elevating the risk of heart disease. Sodium is widely used as a preservative. The added salt in frozen food increases your cholesterol levels as well, while also increasing your blood pressure.

35. Cured Meats

Hot dogs, sausage, salami, and lunch meat are the worst types of meats for your heart. They have high amounts of salt, and most are high in saturated fat. When it comes to deli meats, turkey is better for you than salami because it doesn’t have the saturated fat. But it still has a fair amount of sodium, so it isn’t as heart-healthy as fresh sliced turkey breast. Processed meats are those preserved using salts, nitrites, or other preservatives.

They include hot dogs, bacon, sausage, salami, and other deli meats, including deli ham, turkey, bologna, and chicken. Long-term observational studies have found that the worst types of meats for the heart are those that are processed. Why it harms the heart. It’s likely that the high levels of salt and preservatives found in processed meats are part of the problem.

36. Coffee Creamer

Coffee creamers often contain partially hydrogenated oils, a common source of trans fats that can increase cholesterol levels. Generally, if you don’t like your coffee black, milk is a healthier option. Adding plant-based milk is usually a good alternative to coffee creamer. Some non-dairy creamers can even contain trans fat, which adds to your bad cholesterol (LDL) levels; and adding a high-cholesterol chemical mix can only be bad news if you’re trying to keep your cholesterol count down. What is in it? Partially Hydrogenated Oils.

Thickeners alone can’t make a cream-free liquid taste luxuriously creamy, which is where partially hydrogenated oils, or synthetic trans fats, come in. These highly processed fats are downright dangerous, raising levels of bad cholesterol, and put you at higher risk for heart disease. All this can boost your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. You should not consume more than 2 grams of trans fat in a day, and some brands of non-dairy creamer can contain 1 gram per tablespoon. Non-dairy creamer can go bad. One of the perks of non-dairy creamers is that they keep longer than milk or cream.

37. Skip Deserts

In general, desserts should be enjoyed in moderation, but baked goods, like pies, can be especially troublesome due to their trans fats. One report found that there was a positive correlation between heart disease and trans fatty acids. Many baked goods are flavored with sugar, which can place stress on the heart if eaten in excess. Sugar in food can also contain glucose 6-phosphate, which can lower heart functions to the point of heart failure.

Cookies, cakes, and muffins should be rare treats. They’re typically loaded with added sugar, which leads to weight gain. They’re also linked to higher triglyceride levels, and that can lead to heart disease. Their main ingredient is usually white flour, which may spike your blood sugar and make you hungrier. Make healthier treats: Swap in whole-wheat flour, trim the sugar, and use liquid plant oils instead of butter or shortening.

38. Ice Cream

Ice cream is high in sugar, calories, and saturated fat, so save it for a special treat. Eating foods loaded with fat and sugar leads to weight gain. It can also drive up your triglycerides and lead to a heart attack. Cut your calories and fat by choosing sorbet, low-fat or nonfat frozen yogurt, or frozen fruit bars.

Check the label for the least amount of sugar and saturated fat. Ice cream often contains high levels of cholesterol. Half a cup of vanilla ice cream contains over 4 grams of saturated fats. This is more than a quarter of what adults should have in a day, and richer flavors can have even more.

39. Fried foods

In general, fried foods are bad for your health because the frying process creates trans fats. A 4 ounce serving of fried chicken can have as much cholesterol as 11 strips of bacon. By contrast, a grilled chicken breast can be a good source of protein in a weight-loss diet. Over time, high amounts of salt, sugar, saturated fat, and refined carbs raise your risk for a heart attack or stroke.

If you’re worried about your heart, you’ll want to keep these out of regular rotation. But rather than fixate on any one bad food, it’s wise to focus on your overall diet. You can still have these things if you mostly eat heart-healthy fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy. Things like Deep-frying chicken adds calories, fat, and sodium to otherwise healthy food. Studies have linked fried food with type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure — all of which raise your odds of heart failure. For a crispy but healthier choice, bread skinless chicken breasts in whole-wheat flour and bake instead of frying.

40. Soda

One study claimed that regularly drinking soda that was sweetened with sugar can increase the risk of heart disease. Even diet soda isn’t that much better. Other research claims that people who regularly consume artificially sweetened soda were at a greater risk for stroke and heart disease. An astounding 184,000 adult deaths worldwide each year are linked to the consumption of sugary drinks, according to research published conducted at Tufts University and published in the journal Circulation.

This includes 133,000 deaths from diabetes and 45,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease. Harvard researchers, who have been studying more than 40,000 physicians and 88,000 nurses for more than two decades, found that women who consumed more than two servings of a sugary beverage a day were 40 percent more likely to develop heart disease than women who drank fewer. Men who drank the most sodas were 20 percent more likely to have a heart attack than those who drank the least.

Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:

https://medical-news.org/30-best-foods-that-help-unclog-
https://www.thehealthy.com/heart-disease/best-foods-to-eat-clogged-arteries/
https://www.readersdigest.ca/health/conditions/best-foods-eat-avoid-clogged-arteries/
https://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/foods-that-could-help-unclog-your-arteries/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/heart-healthy-foods
https://brightside.me/inspiration-health/
https://www.heart.org/en/news/2018/10/04/researchers-suggest-way-to-possibly-eliminate-artery-clogging-condition
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/heart/chol_tlc.pdf