41 Foods That Are Bad for Your Heart

5 Barbecue sauce

In related condiment news, your heart should steer clear of (or go light on) the sauce at your cookout. A couple tablespoons of the typical bottle variety has about 310 milligrams of sodium. Seek out Tessamae’s or Annie’s for a bit less sodium and fewer added sugars, or better yet, make your own and season to taste.

6 Table salt

About 70 per cent of our total sodium consumption comes from the food we find in packages or eat at restaurants. Another 15 per cent is found naturally in ingredients. But that leaves another 15 per cent or so of sodium that we’re entirely in control of adding ourselves via the salt shaker on the table or by the spoonful into recipes.

Start by adding half of what a recipe calls for, and scale up to only use what you need. So you don’t shake on extra out of habit, leave the salt in the kitchen, and only bring it to the table if you need it after the first bite.