Avoid This Everyday “Healthy” Food to Protect Your Heart

Worried about your heart health?

If so, you join the millions of others who are suffering from, or are at risk of suffering from heart disease.

Heart related conditions are one of the leading causes of death today.

Sadly, most people don’t take notice or concern of their heart health until it’s too late, often waiting until they’ve had a heart attack to start taking steps to change their diet and lifestyle.

Perhaps someone you know suffered a heart attack and now you are reflecting on your own health.

Whatever the case, you may be taking steps to reduce the saturated fat intake in your diet and limit how much sodium you consume daily in efforts to improve your heart health.

While items like saturated fats and sodium may often be at the top of the list for items to eliminate from your diet for a healthy heart, many people completely overlook one common everyday food they are likely consuming that’s turning their heart into a ticking time bomb.

The food?

Wheat.

Free Report >> 15 Foods That Damage Your Heart

The Impacts Of High Carb Foods On Your Body

When you eat foods laden with wheat – think white bread, crackers, white pasta, and others of the same nature, a series of events goes on in the body. Upon consumption of high GI carbs (GI stands for Glycemic Index and most wheat or wheat containing foods are high on the index), your heart is placed under greater stress levels than eating foods rich in dietary fat.

This, in turn, is linked to increased damage to your arteries which can later increase your risk of heart disease and heart attacks.

It’s been very well documented that the real culprit behind heart health problems is not naturally occurring saturated fat or cholesterol, but rather, it’s high carbohydrate foods ranked high on the GI scale (wheat, sugar, and corn), coupled with a high consumption of transfats, and everyday stress levels.

The Inflammatory Effect of Whole Wheat

Consuming wheat can increase your blood sugar levels equal to or higher than if you consumed pure table sugar.

These foods will increase the total level of something called C-reactive protein in your body which is a marker of how much total inflammation is present in your cells.

As this C-reactive protein increases, so does your risk for heart disease.  In contrast, those who base their diets around lean proteins, healthy fats, plenty of fresh vegetables, along with the occasional glass of red wine, demonstrate low levels of C-reactive protein, illustrating a very low risk for heart disease.

Many people believe that by avoiding red meat consumption they are taking strides in promoting heart health.

The fact is red meat, especially if you choose grass fed beef, is not linked to heart disease risk at all.  In reality, grass fed beef contains CLA, which is a form of fat that will actually boost your heart health and help reduce your risk of disease.

Does this mean you should automatically adopt a very low carb diet if you want to promote heart health?

Not necessarily. If you want to eat a very low carb diet, you can certainly do so (provided you are still taking in sufficient vegetables for fiber and nutrients), you simply need to choose your carbohydrates more wisely.

Opt for complex carbohydrates made from nature – sweet potatoes, yams, and oats being your best bet.  These are not the inflammation causing wheat based foods that are so heavily linked with heart disease and will help to fuel your physical activity while keeping your health intact.

Free Report >> 15 Foods That Damage Your Heart

Like all things, however, moderation is key.  To best promote a healthy heart, you not only want to remove all wheat from your diet, but also focus on those healthy fats and of course get regular exercise.

Whether they are high or moderate in your diet (in accordance with your carbohydrate intake), healthy fats are key.

Do this and you’ll be setting yourself up for years of optimal heart health.