The term heart disease refers to conditions that affect your heart, including coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, heart failure and congenital heart disease. Heart disease is responsible for 26 percent of deaths in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making it the primary cause of death in women and men. Fortunately, your risk for heart disease can be managed by not smoking, exercising regularly and eating a heart-healthy diet.
Features
While no particular food can cause heart disease, certain foods and ingredients are common contributors. According to MayoClinic.com, your intake of saturated fat and trans fats are the most important dietary steps toward improving your blood pressure and reducing your heart disease risk. Foods high in added sugars, sodium, refined carbohydrates and cholesterol-containing foods may also contribute to heart disease. Commercially prepared snack foods, fast food, meat with visible fat, "white" carbohydrates -- foods made with enriched flour -- and greasy foods typically contain potentially damaging ingredients.
Specific Foods
Foods rich in saturated fat include fatty red meat, organ meats, dark-meat poultry and poultry skin, egg yolks, butter, cocoa butter, whole milk, and whole milk products, such as high-fat cheeses, cheesecake and ice cream. Foods rich in trans fats include shortening, margarine and commercially prepared foods, such as pie crust, pastries, crackers, chips and cookies, that contain hydrogenated vegetable oil. Dietary cholesterol is found in animal-derived fat sources, such as red meat, poultry fat, egg yolks and whole milk. The American Heart Association also recommends avoiding foods and beverages high in added sugars, which include regular soft drinks, candy, sweet desserts, pancake syrup, jam and jelly, and high-sodium foods, such as canned soup and salty snacks.
Function
Foods affect your risk for heart disease in various ways. Saturated fat increases your LDL, or "bad," cholesterol and contributes to high cholesterol --- a major risk factor for heart disease --- more so than any other dietary factor, according to the American Heart Association. Trans fats are more dangerous, however, since they can increase your LDL cholesterol and decrease your HDL, or "good," cholesterol. Consuming excessive dietary cholesterol generally coincides with saturated fat intake, since they are present in many of the same foods. Dietary cholesterol adds to the cholesterol content in your bloodstream, which increases your risk for arterial plaque and blocked arteries.
Refined carbohydrates, such as enriched breads and sugary foods, provide few nutrients and can hinder your blood sugar levels, energy and appetite control. Salty varieties, such as potato chips and processed snack foods, can increase your blood pressure. Diets rich in refined carbohydrates are associated with increased risk for unhealthy weight gain, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Guidelines
You don't need to eliminate foods linked with heart disease entirely to maintain optimum wellness. The American Heart Association recommends limiting your saturated fat intake to no more than 7 percent of your daily calories, trans fats to no more than 1 percent of your daily calories, and dietary cholesterol to a maximum of 300 mg per day. If you have high blood pressure, aim for no more than 1,500 mg of sodium, or salt, per day. Otherwise, a maximum of 2,400 mg is acceptable.
Helpful Foods
In addition to limiting or avoiding foods that can damage your cardiovascular health, nutritious foods can improve your wellness and further reduce your risk for heart disease. Aim for a diet based on fiber and nutrient-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Lean protein sources, such as skinless chicken and turkey breasts, low-fat dairy products, legumes and fish, provide healthy alternatives to high-fat meats and dairy products. Eating fatty fish, such as salmon, albacore tuna, herring, mackerel, lake trout, flounder and halibut, at least twice weekly may reduce your heart disease risk significantly, according to the American Heart Association. Additional healthy fat sources include avocados, nuts, seeds, canola oil and olive oil.
