Cardiologist warns 3 'healthy' fridge foods may harm heart health

The internet has turned nutrition into the Wild West, where viral wellness trends often outpace clinical reality.

For many, navigating the grocery store feels like a minefield of conflicting labels and superfood claims that don't always hold up under medical scrutiny.

To cut through the noise, Dr Sanjay Bhojraj, a California-based cardiologist with 20 years of experience, took to Instagram to debunk the "health halos" surrounding three common refrigerator staples. According to Dr Bhojraj, these items are often the hidden culprits behind rising triglycerides and creeping blood sugar levels.

Disconnect between 'clean eating' and heart health

In his 9 March Instagram post, Dr Bhojraj noted a frustrating pattern among his patients: many believe they are following a "clean" diet, yet their clinical markers tell a different story.

The problem, he explained, is that several foods marketed as healthy behave quite differently once they hit your metabolism.

The cardiologist said: "My patients walk in all the time convinced they're eating 'clean'... And yet? Their heart health tells a different story.

Their triglycerides are creeping up, blood sugar is trending higher each year, and inflammatory markers are drifting in the wrong direction."

3 'healthy foods' to reconsider

Dr Bhojraj explained: "Some foods carry a very convincing health halo, but metabolically they behave very differently inside the body. Three I see in refrigerators all the time."

Here they are:

1. Yoghurt: Marketed as a protein food, but flavoured yoghurt contains 20–25 grams of sugar per serving. At that point, it's closer to dessert than breakfast, Dr Bhojraj shared.

2. Bottled smoothies or green juices: He explained that 'once the fibre is removed', you're essentially drinking concentrated fruit sugar. Your pancreas doesn't care that the label says 'cold-pressed'.

3. Salad dressings: "Many are made with refined seed oils, added sugars, and stabilisers. When they're used daily, they can quietly drive inflammation and add calories people never account for," Dr Bhojraj said.

Connecting the dots

The danger of these foods isn't a single serving but rather their role as daily habits.

Dr Bhojraj shared that when these items show up every morning or at every lunch, they create a cycle of insulin spikes and metabolic stress.

Dr Bhojraj concluded: "None of these foods are automatically 'bad'. But when they show up every single day, they can drive insulin spikes, inflammation, and metabolic stress—the same patterns I'm trying to help patients reverse. Most patients are surprised when we start connecting those dots because the label says 'healthy'. And no one told them to look any closer."

For those looking to protect their heart, Dr Bhojraj's message was clear: look past the front-of-package marketing and check the actual sugar and oil content on the back.