Cardiologist shares foods he would never eat - one is 'almost pure fat'

Maintaining a healthy heart is one of the most vital steps you can take for your overall wellbeing, particularly as the years go by. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through a balanced diet . Consuming foods that are high in fat can significantly raise your risk of heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks. Now, one cardiologist has revealed the foods he would "never eat". Dr Mohammed Alo, who has amassed nearly 270,000 followers on TikTok, where he describes himself as "America's Cardiologist", regularly posts valuable tips on heart health . In a recent video he said: "As a cardiologist , here are some foods I would absolutely never eat." He continued: "Several foods, when you eat them, they raise your LDL cholesterol, plug up your arteries, give you heart attacks, strokes, dementia, you know, peripheral artery disease, kidney disease, all kinds of problems." LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, cholesterol is commonly referred to as the "bad cholesterol". It can lead to a dangerous build-up of plaque within the arteries, which may ultimately trigger a heart attack or stroke, reports the Mirror . High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol is considered the "good" variety. According to the British Heart Foundation , it transports excess cholesterol back to the liver, where it is processed and eliminated from the bloodstream. Dr Alo continued: "Number one will be butter. Butter is basically almost a pure saturated fat. When you consume butter, LDL goes up, your arteries start to clog. "In that same boat are other saturated fats: cheese, bacon, lard, ghee, coconut oil, tallow, the fat on steaks, chicken skin. All of these saturated fats raise your LDL cholesterol, thereby causing heart disease." The NHS advises men should consume no more than 30g of saturated fat per day on average, while women should limit their intake to no more than 20g. The following foods all contain saturated fat: butter ghee suet lard coconut oil palm oil cakes biscuits fatty cuts of meat sausages bacon cured meats like salami, chorizo, and pancetta cheese pastries such as pies, quiches, sausage rolls, and croissants cream crème fraîche sour cream ice cream coconut milk coconut cream milkshakes chocolate and chocolate spreads The NHS outlines several methods to help reduce cholesterol levels. Among these is cutting back on fatty foods, particularly those high in saturated fat. The organisation recommends eating more: oily fish like mackerel and salmon olive oil, rapeseed oil, and spreads made from these oils brown rice wholegrain bread wholewheat pasta nuts and seeds fruits and vegetables Regular physical activity is another effective way to lower your cholesterol. The NHS suggests aiming for a minimum of 150 minutes, or two and a half hours, of moderate-intensity exercise each week. Smoking can also have a detrimental effect on your cholesterol levels. It is equally important to avoid exceeding 14 units of alcohol per week, spreading your intake across three or more days and incorporating several alcohol-free days throughout the week.