Health
Navigating Thanksgiving with heart disease: What to eat and what to avoid
This week, many American families will sit down to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal together — but those who live with a heart condition may need to put some extra thought into what goes on the plate.
Nearly half of U.S. adults live with some type of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association — and diet has a major impact on the risk of heart attack and stroke.
“Thanksgiving is a holiday that often results in overindulgence of food and alcohol, which can pose a risk to individuals with known or unknown heart disease,” Dr. Philip Nimoityn, clinical assistant professor of medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, told Fox News Digital.
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Dr. Sam Setareh, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, often sees the effects of that overindulgence.
Doctors offer tips on Thanksgiving foods to embrace and foods to avoid for people with heart disease. (iStock)
“Every year after Thanksgiving, I see patients that present to the emergency room or my clinic with heart failure exacerbation, hypertensive emergency or diabetic crisis,” he told Fox News Digital.
Foods to avoid
Salty, high-sodium foods are the main cause of congestive heart failure exacerbation and high blood pressure, according to Setareh.
“Canned gravies, processed meats (such as ham and sausage stuffing), and salty snacks can lead to fluid retention and elevated blood pressure,” he said.
Instead, he recommends opting for homemade alternatives with no added salt.
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Trans fats and saturated fats can raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, Setareh said.
To prevent that, he recommends avoiding buttery mashed potatoes, heavy cream-based casseroles, gravy and store-bought baked goods.
When it comes to meats, Nimoityn suggests avoidingfo the fattier choices.
“Thanksgiving is a holiday that often results in overindulgence of food and alcohol, which can pose a risk to individuals with known or unknown heart disease.”
“Dark turkey meat from the thigh and leg contains significantly more fat than white meat, and ham contains significantly more sodium than turkey,” he said.
Also steer clear of store-bought cranberry sauce, advised Dr. Alan Rozanski, a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine and director of nuclear cardiology at Mount Sinai St. Luke in New York City.
“They’re often packed with added sugar,” he warned.
“Traditional pies and sugary drinks can spike blood sugar and contribute to weight gain,” a doctor cautioned. “Choose desserts made with less sugar or natural sweeteners.” (iStock)
When it comes to beverages, Nimoityn recommends avoiding or limiting alcohol because of its direct effects and additional calories, as well as apple cider, which contains a significant amount of sugar.
Sugary desserts are another culprit to avoid.
“Traditional pies and sugary drinks can spike blood sugar and contribute to weight gain,” Setareh cautioned. “Choose desserts made with less sugar or natural sweeteners.”
Heart-healthy foods
For those with a heart condition, Setareh recommends choosing lean proteins.
“Turkey (without the skin) is an excellent source of lean protein,” he said. “Avoid deep-fried preparations.”
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When choosing sides, the doctor recommends fiber-rich options.
“Focus on vegetables like roasted Brussels sprouts, green beans and sweet potatoes (baked or mashed without added sugar),” he said. “Whole-grain stuffing is also a better choice.”
For a flavorful, nutritious side, a doctor recommends roast green beans, asparagus or carrots with olive oil and herbs. (iStock)
For heart-healthy fats, Setareh suggests incorporating ingredients like walnuts, almonds and olive oil into recipes.
“These provide omega-3 fatty acids and support heart health,” he said.
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For dessert, fresh fruit salads or baked apples with cinnamon are heart-healthier alternatives to traditional pies.
“Taking larger portions of the healthier foods will result in having smaller portions of the foods that are higher in fat, carbohydrates and sodium,” added Nimoityn.
6 healthy twists on traditional faves
Rozanski believes people with heart conditions can still enjoy Thanksgiving favorites by giving them a heart-healthy twist.
“Dark turkey meat from the thigh and leg contains significantly more fat than white meat, and ham contains significantly more sodium than turkey,” an expert said. (iStock)
Below are some of his tips.
Turkey: Use whole grains, fresh vegetables and low-sodium broth for a healthier stuffing — and go easy on the gravy, he advised.
Non-starchy vegetables: For a flavorful, nutritious side, Rozanski recommends roast green beans, asparagus or carrots with olive oil and herbs. “Classics like sweet potatoes with marshmallows and brown sugar, buttery mashed potatoes, creamy green bean casserole, and glazed carrots often come with loads of added fats and sugars,” he cautioned.
Salad: “A fresh, leafy green salad with nuts, seeds and a light vinaigrette adds a vibrant, healthy option to your table,” he said.
Mashed Potatoes: Swap traditional mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower as a lighter alternative, Rozanski suggested.
Dinner Rolls: The doctor recommends choosing whole-grain rolls over refined ones.
Desserts: “Enjoy pie in moderation or try healthier treats like fresh fruit, dark chocolate or air-popped popcorn with light seasoning,” Rozanski suggested.
6 more heart-healthy tips
The doctors shared some additional Thanksgiving health tips for those who have heart conditions.
1. Cut out the “high-ticket” items
Nimoityn recommends avoiding some of what he calls the “high-ticket” items that are often added at the table, such as butter, salt and sauces.
“This can markedly decrease the amount of these components in your meal,” he said.
Patients with heart conditions should consult with their doctors for specific dietary guidance. (iStock)
2. Start small
“Serve modest portions for your first plate,” Rozanski advised.
“Long meals often encourage seconds, so keeping your initial serving manageable is key.”
3. Eat mindfully
“Eating slowly and taking a break to enjoy the company of family and friends before rushing to fill a second plate can help to prevent overeating,” Nimoityn suggested.
“Give your body 10 to 15 minutes to recognize fullness before refilling your plate.”
Rozanski echoed that advice, encouraging people to “savor every bite.”
“Put your fork down between bites, chew thoroughly and focus on the flavors to help prevent overeating,” he recommended.
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Before going for seconds, Rozanski said it’s best to pause.
“Give your body 10 to 15 minutes to recognize fullness before refilling your plate,” he advised.
Experts recommend taking a brief walk after eating the Thanksgiving meal. (iStock)
4. Walk it off
Experts recommend taking a brief walk after eating the Thanksgiving meal.
“A post-meal walk can aid digestion, lower blood sugar and support heart health,” said Setareh.
5. Adhere to medications
“Ensure that you take all your prescribed medications as usual and avoid foods or beverages that may interact with them, such as excessive alcohol,” Setareh advised.
6. Make nutrition a habit
“Having a heart-healthy diet throughout the year — combined with comprehensive screening by a physician for future cardiovascular risk, including evaluation of lipid and vascular inflammatory markers — may help to prevent adverse cardiac events in the future,” Nimoityn said.
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Patients with heart conditions should consult with their doctors for specific dietary guidance, he added.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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