A U.S. cardiologist says she avoids processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages and refined snacks when grocery shopping. Foods high in sodium and added sugar worsen cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure and blood lipids, she said.
Men's Journal, a U.S. health publication, on the 15th cited cardiologist May Bakir in presenting three foods she avoids at the supermarket.
Bakir, founder of InfiniteHeart Health, said she steers clear of aisles stocked with the ultra-processed foods most consistently linked to cardiovascular damage.
Processed meats such as bacon, sausage and hot dogs are high in sodium and saturated fat. In the international PURE study, which tracked 134,297 people across 21 countries for 9.5 years, those who ate more than 150 grams of processed meat a week faced a 46% higher risk of major cardiovascular disease and a 51% higher risk of death than those who ate none. The observational study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2021, cannot establish causation.
Sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda, energy drinks, sweetened tea and fruit drinks contain high levels of added sugar. In a 2024 study by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health that followed more than 100,000 U.S. adults for 30 years, each additional daily serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage was associated with roughly an 18% higher risk of cardiovascular disease. People who drank two or more servings a day faced a 21% higher risk than those who rarely drank them, even when they met the recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise. The findings support recommendations to limit sugar-sweetened beverages and get sufficient physical activity, the researchers said.
Refined snacks such as packaged cookies, crackers, potato chips and pastries are low in dietary fiber and protein and high in refined starch, added sugar, sodium and fat. An analysis of more than 200,000 U.S. adults published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas in 2024 found higher cardiovascular disease risk among groups with greater ultra-processed food intake. The association weakened considerably, however, when processed meats and sugar-sweetened beverages were excluded.
In South Korea, an analysis released by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in July last year showed average daily sodium intake stood at 3,136 milligrams in 2023, about 1.6 times the World Health Organization's recommended limit of 2,000 milligrams. Nearly half of sugar intake came from beverages, at 11.4 grams, and from confectionery, bread and rice cakes, at 5.4 grams. In the 2025 cause-of-death statistics released last month by Statistics Korea, the death rate from heart disease was 66.3 per 100,000 people, ranking second after cancer.
Men's Journal suggested shopping mainly along the store's perimeter for fresh vegetables, whole grains, nuts, chicken and fish. The British Heart Foundation advises that healthy eating depends on the overall diet rather than on individual foods.