A cardiovascular surgeon has revealed the six foods he avoids to keep his heart healthy.

According to the British Heart Foundation, heart and circulation disorders account for 25% of all fatalities in the UK. That corresponds to “more than 170,000 deaths each year.”

“Coronary heart disease (CHD), also known as ischaemic heart disease, is the most common type of heart disease,” notes the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

“It is the most common cause of heart attack and was the single biggest killer of both men and women worldwide in 2019.”

Dr. Jeremy London, a board-certified heart specialist, sees firsthand how the condition affects people’s lives every day.

The Georgia-based physician works on ailing hearts, repairs damaged blood veins, and conducts bypass surgery on his patients.

He told TODAY.com that heart disease “didn’t happen overnight in most people” and that six unhealthy habits can “put you at danger of ending up on my operating room table.”

These are the six things he avoids.

Smoking and Vaping

According to the heart specialist, smoking is ‘the worst thing you can do for yourself’ and is especially harmful to certain people.

“If you already have a history of heart disease and have a propensity to atherosclerosis, it actually accelerates that process exponentially,” said the surgeon.

Meanwhile, he expressed his concern about vaping, citing data indicating that vapers have ‘worrisome alterations’ in their heart and blood vessel functions.

Alcohol

Dr. London quit drinking three years ago and believes it was one of the most transforming things he’s ever done.

“Alcohol is toxic to every cell in your body,” he told me. “I think that alcohol is going to be the new cigarette smoking.”

“Whether it’s one drink a week or one drink a night, you are still making a choice to put a toxic substance into your body,” the health care provider explained. “That being stated, it is an individual decision. People must make smart judgments for themselves. “It’s your body and your rules.”

Soft beverages

“I think that soft drinks are just a scourge in our society, and so I was really trying to get some attention,” said the man.

“Obviously, high-calorie soft drinks and ingesting a lot of calories that people don’t realize they’re getting with the sugar-based soft drinks is a big no-no.”

Alcohol-based mouthwash.

“You can actually increase your blood pressure simply by killing the bacteria in the mouth,” says Dr. London.

“And if you are prone to high blood pressure, this can worsen your condition.”

Foods prepared with refined flour

White bread and pasta are manufactured with refined flour, which means it has been processed to remove important dietary fiber, iron, and several B vitamins.

Dr. London recommends whole grain alternatives that still include nutrients essential for heart health.

Ultra-processed foods

“The longer the shelf life, the shorter your life,” London informed us. “Limit those things as much as you possibly can.”

He recommends eating ‘whole foods’ and one-ingredient things with very little processing.

Processed foods can potentially raise the risk of colon cancer and promote poor gut health.