When it comes to maintaining heart health, diet plays a significant role. Your eating habits can determine whether or not you’re at risk for heart disease.

You may already know about eating a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins to maintain heart health. However, there are certain foods that you need to avoid if you want to keep your heart healthy.

Salt

Salt can harm your heart health, even if you do not have high blood pressure. Salt raises your blood pressure, which may lead to heart disease. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that adults consume no more than 2,300mg of salt per day.

Ideally, you should aim for 1,500mg or less per day.

Processed Foods

Processed foods such as canned soups, frozen dinners, and processed meats contain high amounts of salt and trans fats. They may also contain added sugars, which is not beneficial for heart health.

Avoid eating processed foods and select fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins instead.

Sugar-Sweetened Foods and Beverages

Sugar-sweetened foods and beverages such as candy, cakes, and soft drinks can lead to weight gain, which in turn can increase the risk of heart disease. Even artificially sweetened diet beverages can contribute to weight gain.

Choose water, unsweetened tea, and fresh fruits instead.

Saturated Fats

Saturated fats are found in red meat, butter, cheese, and many baked goods. They increase your level of LDL (bad) cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease.

To keep your heart healthy, limit your intake of saturated fats to no more than 5-6% of your daily calories.

Trans Fats

Trans fats are found in fried foods, margarine, shortening, and many processed foods. They not only raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, but they also reduce your HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

The negative impact on cholesterol levels increases the risk of heart disease. It’s best to avoid trans fats altogether and select foods that contain no trans fats.

Alcohol

Consuming too much alcohol raises your blood pressure and may lead to heart disease. The AHA recommends that men should have no more than two drinks per day, and women should have no more than one drink per day.

If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation, and select a drink that has low sugar content.

Caffeine

Drinks that are high in caffeine such as coffee and energy drinks may increase your heart rate and blood pressure. To maintain heart health, it’s best to limit the amount of caffeine intake.

The recommended amount of caffeine is no more than 400mg per day.

High-Fat Dairy

High-fat dairy products such as whole milk, cheese, and butter increase your intake of saturated fat. They are also high in calories and may contribute to weight gain and therefore increase the risk of heart disease.

To maintain heart health, it’s best to select low-fat or fat-free dairy products instead.

Salt Substitutes

Salt substitutes such as potassium chloride may lower your blood pressure. However, too much potassium may lead to hyperkalemia, which is a condition that is harmful to the heart.

If you have been prescribed a salt substitute, consult with your doctor to ensure that it is safe for you to continue using it.

Fast Food

Fast food is high in salt, saturated and trans fats, and added sugars. It’s best to avoid fast food altogether or select healthier fast food options that contain fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.

Limit your visits to fast food restaurants and choose healthier options when you do visit.