We have seen an unprecedented rise in cases of heart disease. A major part of it can be attributed to today’s hectic lifestyle and unhealthy diet. Making healthy food a part of the diet is as important as keeping the heart healthy. (Image: AI-Generated)

It is equally important to exclude food items that can pose a risk to the heart. Here’s a list of items that should be avoided for a heart-healthy lifestyle. (Image: AI-Generated)

Salt and Sugar: Salt and sugar in excess are harmful to heart health. These can become the cause of many heart diseases. Not only this, consuming too much salt and sugar can also cause heart attack or stroke. (Image: File)

Red Meat: Eating red meat can also cause problems of heart disease and diabetes. That’s why one should avoid eating too much beef and pork. This is because the amount of saturated fat in them is high which plays a major role in increasing cholesterol levels. (Image: File)

Soda: If you want your heart to remain healthy, you should also avoid the consumption of soda. The problem of heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and high BP can be high in soda drinkers. That’s why staying away from soda water-based cold drinks can be better for your heart health. (Image: File)

Fried Chicken: Deep-fried chicken elevates calories, fat and sodium content in your diet, which can cause heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. Thus, it is better to roast the chicken instead of deep frying it. (Image: File)

Butter: Butter contains a lot of saturated fats that play a major role in increasing bad cholesterol. This can increase the chances of heart disease. So, it’s better to stay away from butter to maintain better heart health. If you want, you can include a limited amount of olive oil or vegetable oil in the diet. (Image: File)

French Fries: Nowadays, people are crazy about French fries but you should avoid eating them. Let us tell you that french fries contain a lot of fat and salt, which badly affects our heart health. A study has found that people who eat French fries or hash browns 2 to 3 times a week are likely to die early. (Image: File)

Flavoured Full-fat Yoghurt: If you like to eat flavoured full-fat yoghurt, you must know that those who consume it daily, have a higher possibility of high blood pressure, weight gain, bloating and problems with heart disease. You can replace it with plain and low-fat curd in the diet. (Image: File)