7 Foods To Avoid After Heart Attack To Live A Long and Healthy Life

A heart attack is a life-changing event and a serious wake-up call to examine the way we have been leading our lives. Among many things, a healthy diet is a critical aspect of heart care after suffering an attack.

Food is fuel to the body. What you eat affects your body far more than you can imagine. A heart-friendly diet is essential to keep it strong and prevent future health complications. In general, 3S – salt, sugar, and sodium – are the foods to avoid after a heart attack.

You can consult your doctor for specific dietary advice. Knowing what not to do is far more crucial when you are recuperating. Keep these seven foods out to promote better heart health after an attack.

7 Foods You Need To Avoid After Heart Attack

1. Excessive Salt and Sodium

Yes, food is bland and tasteless without salt, but you have to limit its intake because salt contains sodium. Excessive sodium causes higher water retention in our blood vessels and raises blood pressure levels. Other heart failure symptoms also get aggravated if you do not keep a tab on salt levels in your diet.

Packaged food items and hotel food contribute over 70% to the overall sodium in your diet. Let’s not forget that the bread and biscuits that you probably consume every day are rich in sodium.

Home-made food is the best food for heart attack patients. Whole grains, dairy products, fresh fruits, and vegetables are great low-salt options. You can use herbs & spices for seasoning. Try citrus juice, allspice, ginger, and black or red pepper to season your food.

We understand how difficult it can be to curb your salt intake. But you have to make conscious efforts to avoid foods that can harm your heart health. If you need to have a heart transplant to survive a heart attack, it is even more important to listen to the advice shared by your Heart Transplant Surgeon. They’ll recommend a low salt diet or ask you to completely cut off salt from your diet post surgery.

Our post-heart transplant surgery guide can help to set you on a path of speedy recovery.

2. Trans Fats and Saturated Fats

Trans fats are unhealthy and can adversely affect your heart health. It increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It raises your bad cholesterol and reduces your good cholesterol, which is a double whammy for heart patients. Deep-fried foods, baked goods, processed snack foods, and margarine are high in trans fat content. Saturated fat or animal fat are found in meat & dairy products. High intake of saturated fat also increases blood cholesterol levels. These are foods to avoid with heart disease.

In order to maintain your heart health, you must completely avoid trans fat and minimize the consumption of saturated fat.

Monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat are considered to be healthy for your heart. So, you should incorporate healthy foods in your diet. Consider adding foods that contain these good fats, including nuts, vegetable oil, avocado, walnuts, flaxseed, salmon, herring, and sardines. These foods can be incorporated in the diet of family members so that a good health status is maintained and risks of heart attack in young age can be averted.

3. Processed and Packaged Foods

Processed & packaged foods are often high in sugar, sodium, and fat content. These additives might make the food tastier but can adversely affect your heart. Heavy processing also strips these foods of their nutritional value.

Processed foods contain a ton of artificial ingredients such as preservatives, sweeteners, and coloring agents. They also have many chemicals not listed on their labels. Excessive intake of these items increase the risk of heart ailments and also causes other health problems.

Heart patients must specifically avoid foods containing salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats. Fresh whole foods that include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, lean meat, and fish are the best heart attack foods to eat.

If you have undergone Heart Bypass Surgery in Mumbai from a reputed hospital, our doctor will provide you with a diet plan that you’ll need to strictly adhere to. If you have not been given a diet plan, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask them.

4. Added Sugars and Sugary Beverages

A sugar-rich diet increases the risk of heart disease even if you have no diabetes or obesity issues. High sugar content in processed food, confectionery items, fruit juices, and sodas can severely damage your heart.

The risk of experiencing heart ailments can be influenced by the proportion of sugar in the diet. This is irrespective of the age, sex, or fitness levels of an individual. Sugary beverages can raise blood pressure levels. High sugar also forces the liver to dump bad fats into the bloodstream. These are major risk factors for heart disease.

You can switch to other healthy alternatives to satisfy your sweet tooth. Dates are considered to be the best natural sweeteners. They are also high in fiber & nutrients. Honey is rich in vitamins & minerals. It also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Jaggery and brown sugar in the diet are also good for heart attack survivors.

5. Red and Processed Meats

High consumption of red and processed meat is associated with coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Red meat is high in saturated fat and processed meat has a high content of sodium (salt).

As we have seen before, higher intake of saturated fats tends to raise the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Higher salt in your diet increases blood pressure levels. It is essential to know how to prevent a heart attack with food.

Heart patients must cut down on meat to avoid future complications. They should consume more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Fish & plant-based proteins such as nuts, seeds, and lentils are other good alternatives to explore.

6. High-Fat Dairy Products

Not every dairy product is the same in terms of its impact on heart health. Milk, cheese, and yogurt can form part of a heart-healthy diet plan, but butter, cream, and ice cream are high-fat dairy products that are not good for the heart.

High-fat dairy products contain saturated fats that raise bad cholesterol levels and aggravate the risk of heart disease. Ice cream and dairy desserts also have high sugar content.

Our guide for symptoms of heart attack in women can help you avoid medical complications and get prompt medical attention.

7. Refined Grains and White Flour

Several studies have reported that a diet rich in processed grains increases the risk of heart attack and premature death. When grains are refined, they lose their nutrients and get broken down into simple sugars. There is a sudden surge in blood sugar levels when they get absorbed into the bloodstream. 

These simple carbohydrates contain a lot of calories but are devoid of fiber and essential nutrients. White bread, white rice, breakfast cereals, and refined flour are some common examples of processed grains.

The food chart for heart patients must include whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, and barley. Whole-grain bread, high-fiber cereal, fruits, and vegetables are excellent foods for heart health.

Switch to heart-healthy foods that can not only offer you nutrition and energy to achieve your day-to-day tasks but also improve your heart health, helping you live a long and healthy life. Food is only one of the few lifestyle changes that you have to make. Refer to our guide ‘9 Lifestyle Changes You Need To Make For A Healthy Heart’ to begin your heart health journey.

Conclusion

The right food for heart attack patients can significantly reduce the chances of having more such attacks in the future. By avoiding the seven foods discussed in the article, you can give yourself a long & healthy life free of diseases. Adopting a heart-healthy diet is the first important step toward making a full-fledged recovery.

Please consult your cardiovascular surgeon for personalized dietary advice. Making small and gradual changes to your diet can pave the way for long-term health and a better quality of life. You can contact us for any support and guidance in this challenging journey.