When people think about foods linked to heart disease, processed meats usually come to mind first.
Items like bacon, hot dogs, salami, ham, and sausages have long been criticized because of their high salt, fat, and preservative content.
But according to heart surgeon Philip Ovadia, another category of food may be doing just as much damage quietly in the background, and millions of people consume it every single day without thinking twice.
His warning is focused on refined carbohydrates.
Heart disease continues to remain the leading cause of death in the United States, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health experts say lifestyle choices, especially diet, still play a major role in determining long term cardiovascular health.
Over the years, nutrition advice has slowly shifted away from simply blaming individual nutrients like fat or cholesterol. Instead, many doctors now focus on overall eating patterns. Diets such as the Mediterranean and DASH diets are commonly recommended because they emphasize vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, lean proteins, and minimally processed foods.
At the same time, research shows a large percentage of adults still live with at least one preventable cardiovascular risk factor, including obesity, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, or insulin resistance.
Dr Ovadia believes refined carbohydrates deserve far more attention in that conversation.
According to him, these foods can contribute to chronic inflammation and insulin resistance, two major issues connected to heart disease. Over time, that internal inflammation may help create unstable plaque buildup inside arteries, increasing the risk of heart attacks and other serious complications.
“This food drives insulin resistance, triggers chronic inflammation, and is slowly destroying your heart,” the surgeon explained while discussing the topic publicly.
He also warned that many products marketed as “healthy” are often packed with refined carbs despite appearing nutritious on the label.
Foods like low fat granola, rice cakes, flavored yogurt, breakfast cereals, and even some types of whole wheat bread may contain heavily processed carbohydrates that quickly affect blood sugar levels.
Other commonly consumed foods he recommends limiting include:
• Bagels
• Potato chips
• Crackers
• Fruit juice
• Instant oatmeal
• Sugary breakfast cereals
Instead, he encourages people to focus more on whole foods that provide stable energy and better metabolic health. Vegetables, healthy fats, protein rich foods, nuts, eggs, fish, and minimally processed ingredients are all examples he points toward.
The bigger message, according to many heart specialists, is not necessarily about banning one specific food forever. It’s about understanding how heavily processed diets can slowly impact the body over years without obvious warning signs at first.
Many people associate heart disease only with aging, genetics, or lack of exercise, but doctors increasingly say daily eating habits may matter just as much, if not more.
And while an occasional snack is unlikely to cause major harm on its own, consistently relying on highly processed carbohydrates as a large part of the diet could quietly increase long term cardiovascular risk over time.