Proceed with caution when eating to your heart’s content at Thanksgiving dinner.
In fact, there are four holiday meal staples that you might want to skip altogether, according to Dr. Christine Nwoha, who warned that certain foods increase the risk of heart failure.
The doctor claimed that a higher rate of people visit the hospital around the holidays, partly due to the foods they enjoy around this time of year.
Those who have a personal or family history of heart disease may want to steer clear of fan-favorite dishes around the Thanksgiving table tonight.
“I like to say that water follows salt like smoke follows fire,” she said in a TikTok video. “A lot of times after Thanksgiving, that’s when I get the most patients with heart failure in the hospital.”
Stuffing is a major culprit due to the high amount of sodium in both homemade and boxed stuffing. In just half a cup of the boxed mixture, there’s 19% of your daily sodium intake, Nwoha claimed, sharing an image of the nutrition panel on generic store-bought stuffing.
“Who’s only eating half a cup,” she quipped.
Next on the chopping block is honey glazed ham.
The pork is already salty, but adding the savory and sweet “goodness” on top smothers the dish in even more salt, which can cause fluid retention, resulting in high blood pressure and subsequent heart failure.
Up next, green bean casserole. Don’t be fooled by the supposedly healthy vegetables — it’s the canned additives that spell trouble, like the soup used to make the dish.
“You working your way to the hospital,” she scolded. “Try a healthier alternative.”
Lastly — and perhaps the most concerning for many of those attending family dinners this evening — is alcohol, which people tend to drink more of around the holidays, past studies have shown.
“Alcohol ain’t got salt in it, but if you drink enough of it you may be holding onto some fluid,” she explained.
“Just know, too much alcohol in the holiday season could lead to heart failure.”
