Eating bacon linked with deaths from heart disease

The saying “you can never have too much bacon” may actually lead to deaths from heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

According to a research based on US data, overeating of unhealthy foods like bacon and not consuming enough of the good ingredients contribute to half of deaths due to such diseases.

Nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables, whole grains as well as seafood rich in omega-3fats were among the “good” foods often undereaten.

Meanwhile, “bad” foods often over consumed include processed meats, red meat, salty foods and sugary drinks. When combined, these ingredients contributed to nearly 45% of deaths due to heart diseases.

Salt proved to be the biggest problem, contributing to almost 10% of deaths.

Here are some of the recommended amounts for good and bad ingredients, based on US government guidelines, nutrition experts’ advice and amounts established to be beneficial or harmful in previous studies.

Good ingredients:

Fruits: 3 average-sized fruits daily

Vegetables: 4 cups raw or 2 cups cooked vegetables daily

Seafood: approximately 8 ounces weekly

Nuts/ Seeds: 5 1-ounce servings every week or 20 nuts per serving

Whole grains: 2 1/2 daily servings

Polyunsaturated fats found in many vegetable oils: 11% of daily calories

Bad ingredients:

Red meat: 1 serving weekly

Salt: under a teaspoon daily

Processed meat: Not recommended

Sugary Drinks: Not recommended