A morning habit that can hurt your heart, says a cardiologist

Reviewed Diettian Karen Ansel, Ms, Rdn

Image: Getty images. Eating design.

The main points

  • Breakfast foods such as bacon, sausages, muffins and bagels can be loaded with sodium.

  • Eating their sodium regularly can damage your heart health, says the cardiologist.

  • Choose foods high in fiber and lean protein, but low in sodium and saturated fat.

Despite all the reports of social media to go to your day quiet, well -fed and happily, the morning can be busy and chaotic. However, there is one important reason to spend time starting the day with a strong, healthy note: some of your morning habits can affect your heart health. Like your breakfast. If it is a lot of hidden sodium, it can slowly crush your heart health, says cardiologist Robert Segel, MD

And we are not just talking about salty bacon or sausages. Sodium is often hidden in many breakfast staples that do not even taste salty, such as bread, bagelies, muffins, cakes and more. Given that cardiovascular disease is 1 in 3 deaths in the US, it is worth retreating and re -evaluating what is on your plate before the busy day begins.

Read on to find out why high sodium breakfast can cause worries to your heart as well as morning habits to make your heart best.

How can your heart damage a high sodium breakfast

Can increase blood pressure

“High sodium intake causes fluid retention, increases blood pressure and increases the risk of heart failure,” says Segel. Sodium is so problematic that studies have found that people who eat a diet with high sodium may be 19% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people who follow a low sodium eating model. Cause? Excess sodium disrupts the function of the system that regulates your blood pressure, the function (called renin-angiotensin system) and makes your heart more difficult to pump blood.

Usually most of us consume more than 3,300 milligrams of sodium every day. The American Heart Association recommends reducing this number by half to 1,500 mg per day to optimal heart health.

Can contain a lot of saturated fat

If you have a recycled breakfast meat like bacon and sausage, there are sources of your morning protein, you not only get much unpaid sodium. This meat is also high in cholesterol -grown saturated fat, causing the heart health to occur double. One study even found that eating a little more than 5 ounces of processed meat weekly can increase the risk of main cardiovascular disease by as much as 46%.

Good news is that there are many less treated breakfast staples that can provide you with the protein you need without all sodium and saturated fat. Eggs, unsweetened yogurt and kefir, small sodium curd and even tuna are the best choices.

What about Turkish bacon or chicken sausage? Whatever they are, they still fall into a processed meat umbrella, so avoid.

Linked to type 2 diabetes

People with diabetes cause a double risk of heart disease due to chronically high blood sugar, which is harmful to blood vessels. So you can protect your heart while maintaining a healthy blood sugar.

Sweet breakfast delicacies, like donuts and pastries, are not the only food to be monitored to reduce the risk of your diabetes. Studies reveal that a high sodium eating model can also be a culprit. For example, one study found that people with the most sodium in their diets were 80% more prone to diabetes than people who ate the least sodium.

Often low fiber

The fiber is found in vegetable foods such as fruits, vegetables, non -broken grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Although the fiber is best known for the fact that your digestive system is regularly adhered to, it also provides protection against heart disease and diabetes. However, most of us do not come to the approximately 28 grams we need per day. Catch, the side and sausage do not have a fiber. Many bread, bagelies and baked goods also contain low fiber unless they are made of many healthy grains.

Although all the fiber is a win, the soluble fiber is the one you want for better heart health. This type of fiber binds to cholesterol in your intestine, pushing out of the body through your stool from the body. To work with more cholesterol soluble fiber in your morning, think about oatmeal and fruits such as apples, pears, bananas and oranges.

Morning habits that support heart health

Sodium reduction at breakfast is a great start to heart health. The question is now: what do you eat (and do)? Here are a few completely normal habits:

  • Hydrate: Instead of having a coffee first routine, Kiran Campbell RDN recommends starting her day with a glass of water. “Even gentle dehydration can affect how difficult your heart is to work,” she says. First of all, H2O receiving helps maintain circulatory, digestive and blood pressure regulation, she adds.

  • Add a little fiber: “The fiber helps to reduce the total and LDL (” bad “) cholesterol and maintains digestive and heart health,” says Campbell. It offers at least 5 grams of fiber at breakfast.

  • Include high quality proteins: ‘[Protein] Helps maintain a stable blood sugar, reduce cravings, maintain muscle mass and improve satiety, making it easier to eat on a smart day for the rest of the day, ”says Blair Persyn, MS, RDN. She recommends starting her day with breakfast with 20 to 30 grams of protein.

  • Avoid added sugar: Excessive consumption of added sugar also increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and atrial fibrillation, says Campbell. Small fruits can be a great source of natural sweetness during breakfast. If you drink coffee and tea, skip the sugar.

  • Move your body: If you have time, spending 10 to 15 minutes, moving your body in the morning, you can help you improve your blood pressure and cholesterol and stimulate healthy weight, says Campbell. These may include some yoga sunshine greetings, stretching or outdoor walks. Bonus points if that walk is after a meal as it can also help lower blood sugar and improve digestion.

  • Create at some calm time: The rush to prepare is given in many of our morning routines. But Persyn recommends slowing down, even if it’s just a moment. “Stress management is often overlooked when it comes to heart health, but it matters,” she says. “Even a moment of deep breathing or awareness in just 60 seconds before jumping into your day can make a significant difference.”

  • Look for the sun: The effect of morning light has been found to help lower blood pressure at night and can be an additional way to maintain heart health, research shows. Start your day with a leisure time outdoors, and you will also double your exercise and quiet time.

Our expert is taking

According to a cardiologist, eating high sodium breakfast regularly can damage your heart. Many breakfast foods such as bacon, sausages, muffins, bagels and bread can be with it. Not only can their sodium increase your blood pressure, but you can also increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, which can double the risk of your heart disease. If there were not enough problems, many high sodium breakfast staples are heavy artery clogged with saturated fat but low heart fiber. So, reach breakfast rich in fiber and lean protein, but it contains low sugar and sodium. While you are with it, add some heart healthy habits to your AM, such as moving your body, planning some moments of awareness, or going to sunlight. During the day you will start positively and do good things in your heart process.

Read the original article about Eatingwell

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