Have a Heart: Foods to Avoid & Foods to Embrace

By Editorial Staff

Heart disease, stroke and diabetes: three of the primary causes of death in today's Standard American Diet (SAD) culture. Fortunately, the common cause is also the solution, with a recent study underscoring the power of a good diet in preventing these potentially fatal conditions and implicating specific foods as culprits in the disease epidemic.

According to the study, which reviewed data from several sources including National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), approximately 45 percent of deaths attributable to heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes are associated with diet, specifically getting too much or too little of the following 10 foods:

Too Much
Sodium
Processed meats
Unprocessed red meat
Sugar-sweetened beverages

Too Little
Fruits
Vegetables
Whole grains
Nuts and seeds
Polyunsaturated fats
Omega-3 fats (fatty fish)

The most significant dietary factors linked to heart disease / stroke / diabetes, according to study findings, were "excess sodium intake, insufficient intake of nuts/seeds, high intake of processed meats, and low intake of seafood omega-3 fats."

So, how's your diet these days? Getting too much of the "danger" foods and not enough of the beneficial ones? Unfortunately, heart disease, stroke and/or type 2 diabetes could be in your future. Do something about it before it's too late. Talk to your doctor for more information.