Heart surgeon warns: the everyday food many eat without realizing how it could damage the heart

When people think about heart disease, they usually blame saturated fat, red meat, cholesterol, salt, or a lack of exercise. While those factors certainly matter, many experts believe another dietary culprit deserves far more attention: refined carbohydrates.

They’re everywhere—white bread, bagels, sugary breakfast cereals, crackers, white rice, regular pasta, fruit juice, sweetened yogurt, low-fat granola, rice cakes, snack bars, pastries, cookies, and countless processed foods that often appear healthy at first glance.

Cardiac surgeon Dr. Philip Ovadia has spent years warning that many people focus on the wrong dietary risks while overlooking foods that repeatedly spike blood sugar and insulin. According to him, diets high in refined carbohydrates may contribute to insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction—factors closely linked to long-term heart health.

It's important to note that not all carbohydrates are harmful. Vegetables, legumes, whole fruits, and whole grains provide valuable nutrients and fiber and can be part of a heart-healthy diet. The concern lies with heavily processed carbohydrates that have had much of their fiber and nutrients removed, leaving behind rapidly absorbed starches and sugars.

Why Blood Sugar Matters for Your Heart

Many people associate sugar only with diabetes. However, blood sugar regulation affects far more than that.

When you regularly consume refined carbohydrates, your blood sugar rises quickly, prompting your pancreas to release insulin. While this response is completely normal, frequent spikes over many years can lead to insulin resistance, a condition associated with:

• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Fatty liver disease
• Elevated triglycerides
• Abdominal obesity
• Increased cardiovascular risk

Heart disease develops over decades. It's influenced not only by cholesterol but also by inflammation, blood pressure, blood sugar, body weight, genetics, smoking, sleep quality, and overall metabolic health.

Foods That Seem Healthy—But May Not Be

One of the biggest problems is that many refined carbohydrates don't look like junk food.

Products marketed as "low-fat," "whole grain," "natural," or "healthy" may still contain large amounts of refined flour, added sugars, or rapidly digestible carbohydrates.

Examples include:

• Sweetened breakfast cereals
• Flavored yogurts
• Low-fat granola
• Rice cakes
• Energy bars
• Fruit juices
• Brown-colored breads made primarily with refined flour

According to Dr. Ovadia, many people choose these products believing they're making healthy decisions, yet still struggle with hunger, weight gain, poor blood sugar control, or disappointing lab results.

Low-Fat Doesn't Always Mean Healthy

For decades, "low-fat" became synonymous with "heart healthy."

However, when manufacturers remove fat, they often replace it with sugar, refined starches, or additives to preserve flavor and texture.

Healthy fats from foods like:

• Olive oil
• Avocados
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Fatty fish

can be valuable components of a heart-friendly diet.

In many cases, a minimally processed food containing natural healthy fats is a better choice than an ultra-processed "low-fat" product loaded with sugar.;

Why Whole Carbohydrates Are Different

Not all carbohydrates affect the body the same way.

There is a major difference between:

• Lentils and cookies
• Whole oats and sugary cereals
• Whole fruit and fruit juice
• Whole-grain bread and white bread
• Quinoa and processed crackers

Whole foods contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that slow digestion and help moderate blood sugar levels.

Refined carbohydrates are absorbed much more quickly, often causing sharper spikes in blood sugar and insulin.

Fruit Juice Isn't the Same as Whole Fruit

A whole orange contains fiber and requires chewing, making it far more filling.

A glass of orange juice, on the other hand, may contain the sugar from several oranges without the fiber that slows absorption.

While 100% fruit juice is not the same as sugary soda, it still delivers concentrated natural sugars quickly. For people with insulin resistance, diabetes, elevated triglycerides, or those trying to lose weight, whole fruit is generally the better choice.

Simple Changes That Can Make a Difference

Rather than following extreme diets, many experts recommend making gradual, sustainable improvements.

Examples include:

• Drinking water or unsweetened tea instead of sugary beverages
• Choosing whole-grain bread instead of white bread
• Replacing sugary cereals with oatmeal or eggs
• Eating whole fruit instead of fruit juice
• Snacking on vegetables, nuts, hummus, or yogurt instead of processed snack foods
• Including more vegetables, legumes, and healthy protein at meals

Small daily improvements often have a greater long-term impact than short-lived restrictive diets.

The Mediterranean Diet Remains a Strong Choice

One eating pattern consistently associated with better heart health is the Mediterranean diet.

It emphasizes:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Legumes
• Whole grains
• Olive oil
• Nuts and seeds
• Fish and other healthy protein sources

while limiting ultra-processed foods, added sugars, and refined grains.

Its strength lies not in one "superfood," but in an overall pattern of eating that emphasizes minimally processed, nutrient-dense foods.

Heart Health Is About More Than Food

Diet is only one piece of the puzzle.

Regular physical activity, quality sleep, stress management, avoiding smoking, maintaining healthy blood pressure, managing diabetes, and following medical advice all play critical roles in protecting the heart.

No single meal causes heart disease, just as no single healthy meal prevents it. What matters most is the pattern of choices made consistently over many years.

The Bottom Line

Dr. Philip Ovadia encourages people to look beyond the traditional focus on fat and cholesterol alone. While refined carbohydrates are not "poison," diets that rely heavily on processed grains and added sugars may contribute to insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and metabolic problems that increase cardiovascular risk over time.

The goal isn't to eliminate carbohydrates altogether, but to choose better ones more often. Replacing refined carbohydrates with whole, minimally processed foods can support better blood sugar control, improved metabolic health, and, ultimately, a healthier heart.

The next time you reach for something that claims to be "healthy," take a moment to read the label. Sometimes the biggest threat isn't the fat—it's the refined carbohydrates hiding behind attractive packaging.