A heart surgeon has warned that popular foods people are eating all the time are leading them into his operating room every week.
Doctor Philip Ovadia has carried out over 3,000 heart surgeries and said some food ‘in most people’s kitchens’ right now was the culprit behind many folks needing to go under the knife. In fact, there are 11 items he says everyone needs to cut out of their diet immediately.
“This food drives insulin resistance, triggers chronic inflammation, and is slowly destroying your heart,” the surgeon said, explaining that when he was operating on someone, he could see exactly what had caused their heart attack.
He described seeing build up of plaque that was ‘soft, unstable, and highly inflammatory’ which ‘suddenly ruptures and blocks the artery’, and ‘hard, calcified plaque’ that had ‘gradually choked off that blood supply going through that artery’.
While Dr Ovadia said most people assumed red meat, saturated fats and salt were the prime suspects, the heart surgeon said ‘highly processed carbohydrates‘ were the real culprit.
This food is worse than saturated fat for your heart (YouTube/I Fix Hearts by Dr. Ovadia)
Describing the main factors that resulted in people having plaque that results in heart attacks as ‘insulin resistance, chronic high blood sugar, inflammation, and visceral fat’, he listed all sorts of foods people eat on a regular basis.
“I don’t just mean candy and soda,” the heart surgeon explained, advising that people completely cut out all of the following foods from their diet:
- white bread
- bagels
- breakfast cereals
- crackers
- pasta
- crisps
- granola bars
- flavoured yogurt
- fruit juice
- instant oatmeal
- most wholegrain packaged products
Dr Ovadia added: “Even foods marketed as healthy, like low-fat granola, whole wheat bread, and rice cakes are loaded with these refined carbs.
“These foods spike your blood sugar and your insulin repeatedly, they promote chronic inflammation, they drive visceral fat storage.
“And they create exactly the inflammatory environment that turns into that soft, unstable plaque I see causing heart attacks every week in the operating room.”
His advice to people is to cut out the processed carbs from their diets as they’re the foods he sees doing ‘the most damage’ to people’s hearts, and he reckons people ought to replace them with ‘real whole foods’ like vegetables, animal proteins and ‘healthy fats in their natural form’.
Fellow heart surgeon Dr Jeremy London agrees that heavily processed foods are really bad for your heart, as he told people to stay well away from things packed full of additives and artificial ingredients but are light on actual nutrition.
Basically, it was pretty much any food he reckoned ‘your grandmother wouldn’t have’ somewhere in her kitchen.
Meanwhile, NHS doctor Chris van Tulleken said heavily processed foods had ‘overtaken tobacco as the leading cause of early death on planet Earth’.
The symptoms of a heart attack
A heart attack can be mistaken for indigestion (Getty Stock Images)
According to the NHS, the symptoms of a heart attack include:
- A painful crushing or squeezing sensation in your chest that might spread to your arm, neck or jaw
- Feeling short of breath
- Feeling sick or being sick
- Feeling like you have indigestion or feeling bloated
- Sweating
- Pale, blue or grey skin
Featured Image Credit: Youtube/ I Fix Hearts by Dr. Ovadia
Topics: Food And Drink, Health, Lifestyle
He said he could tell what you’d been eating by looking at the damage done to your heart
How to nature-max in everyday life
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Follow us on Google DiscoverMost of us spend a lot of time indoors. Bed to bathroom to kitchen to commute to office to sofa – maybe with a brief cameo from “outside” while waiting for a bus if we’re lucky. And while we’re well versed on the benefits of going for a weekend hike or long Sunday dog walk, making an effort to actually get out and about in nature can often feel like something of a slog. But what if we told you that even spending as little as 20 minutes in fresh air could work wonders on both your body and mind?
You don’t have to take our word for it – there are heaps of studies on how spending some time outdoors can positively affect everything from stress hormones and blood pressure to gut health. Case in point? One 2019 UK study of nearly 20,000 people found that people who spent at least a total of 120 minutes every week in greenery were significantly more likely to report good health and higher psychological well-being. That’s literally 17 minutes per day.
Another study led by Dr. Mary Carol Hunter, an associate professor at the University of Michigan, found that spending at least 20 minutes a day sitting or walking somewhere that feels connected to nature – something she coined a ‘nature pill’ – can significantly reduce levels of stress hormones.
The best bit? You don’t need to become an outdoors expert overnight, or invest in multiple fleeces, to reap the benefits. A bit of fresh air here, a short walk there – whether it’s a patch of grass near your office or a quick visit to your local park – is all it takes.
Here are some low-effort ways to sneak a bit more nature into your everyday routine.
©National Trust Images/James Beck
Take your lunch outside
Whether you’re in the office or working from home, enjoying your sandwich outside is one of the easiest wins going. Swap your desk for a bench, a patch of grass or even a curb if you’re desperate – it still counts. The same emails will be waiting for you when you get back, but at least now you can tackle them with a slightly clearer head.
Join a running – or walking – club
If you struggle to motivate yourself, maybe some company would help. Joining a running or walking club means you’re getting outside and being held accountable by other people who also decided to leave the house. Sometimes they all go for a pint at the end of it. Plus, it’s a good excuse to pretend you’re “training” for something, even if it’s just a slightly longer walk next week.
Take on a gardening project
You don’t need to suddenly become a full-time landscape gardener, but planting something – anything – is a solid way to get your hands dirty (literally) while getting outside at the same time. If you don’t have a garden, windowsills, balconies and even a couple of pots by the door do the job. Congratulations, you now own a small but thriving herb empire.
Plan a day out with family and friends
If you want to level things up slightly, why not plan a visit to a nearby garden, heritage site or even coastline if you are lucky enough to live lose to the sea? There are heaps of places to enjoy – take a look at the National Trust website if you’re stuck for ideas – with some of our favourites being Blickling Estate in Norfolk, Sutton Hoo in Suffolk and Dunham Masset in Cheshire.
Go for a walk before work
We’re not expecting you to become a member of the 5am club or buy a puppy (although we wouldn’t talk you out of it) – even a quick loop round the block before you log on can make a difference. If you can walk or cycle to work, then even better. You’ll feel productive, slightly refreshed, and like the kind of person who has their morning routine sorted (even if you absolutely don’t).
Become a bench person
Find a bench and sit on it. That’s it – that’s the activity. No steps to hit, no route to follow, just you, existing outside for a bit. Pet dogs, people-watch, listen to birds – it’s low effort, slightly underrated and surprisingly effective.
Add some nature to your office space
If getting outside feels like a stretch, why not bring a bit of nature to you? A plant on your desk or a window open for some actual fresh air can all help boost morale and make your space feel like less of a box.
Touch grass – literally
One Gen Z social media meme we would actually suggest taking on board, take 15 minutes to remove your shoes, sit on the grass and just actually interact with the outdoors. It might feel slightly ridiculous, but it’s also the quickest way to remind yourself you’ve been inside for far too long.
Featured Image Credit: Credit: ©National Trust Images/Gwenno Parry & ©National Trust Images/Paul Harris
A content creator swapped her vegan diet for a carnivore one – here’s what happened.
Six years ago, US content creator Bella Ma (@steakandbuttergal) decided to quit her plant-based diet and follow one which consisted of, you guessed it, animal products.
She has since built a sizable following online through sharing videos of herself gnawing on slabs of meat, sticks of butter and something called ‘golden jello’ made from bone broth.
As for the benefits, the content creator claims it has helped get rid of stubborn acne, regulate her menstrual cycle, and even improve her mental health.
Bella’s choice in diet will likely come as a surprise to most of us who follow the typical ‘five portions of fruit and veg alongside fibre, protein and carbohydrates’ diet – aka, how most of the population eats – but it’s a lifestyle choice she swears by.
Bella follows a carnivore diet and claims it has overhauled her life (Instagram/@steakandbuttergal)
What happens to your body after switching to the carnivore diet?
In one video shared to her account, Bella can be seen gorging on an entire roast chicken while revealing all the changes she’s noted in the six years of living off meat and dairy.
“I haven’t eaten a single carb, piece of fruit or vegetable in six years, and I’m not dying of low energy, nor have I wrecked my hormones,” she said.
“I’ve actually lost 25 pounds, now have painless periods, unbelievably stable energy and moods because my body burns fat for fuel now.”
In another clip, she claims that her body odour has improved drastically since switching from being vegan to following a carnivore diet.
“People think that if you only eat meat, you will smell terrible,” she says in a voiceover, while eating a steak.