Beware Of Indonesian Morning Habits That Can Damage The Heart

Illustration of a man with a heart attack (Photo: Freepik/Feepikcontributorthailand)

JAKARTA - For many Indonesians, mornings start with busy activities, such as preparing school children, going to work, to having minimal breakfast. But without realizing it, some morning habits can actually be a threat to heart health.

cardiac expert dr. Robert Seals, MD explains that high breakfast patterns of sodium and saturated fat are factors that are often overlooked.

"High sodium intake causes fluid retention, increases blood pressure, and increases the risk of heart failure," he said, quoted from the Eating Well page, Saturday, September 13, 2025.

Popular breakfast foods in Indonesia, such as instant noodles, fried foods, or sausages, actually have hidden dangers. Not only high in salt, this food also contains saturated fat which can increase cholesterol.

Research shows that the consumption of processed meat of more than 150 grams per week can increase the risk of heart disease by 46%.

"Not only sausages or sausages that are salty, bread, cakes, and instant noodles can also be a source of hidden sodium," added the seal.

Breakfast habits with sweet foods such as donuts, chocolate bread or packaged drinks can also trigger diabetes.

According to research, people who consume a lot of sodium actually have a risk of 80% higher for type 2 diabetes. Another problem is the lack of fiber intake.

"Serat helps lower bad cholesterol and protect the heart," said nutritionist Kiran Campbell, RDN.

In fact, most Indonesian breakfasts such as nasi uduk, lontong sayur, or white bread do not contain almost enough fiber.

To keep the heart strong, experts suggest some simple steps:

- Drink water first. Campbell said mild dehydration can make the heart work harder.

- Choose a high-fiber breakfast. Fruits, vegetables, and oatmeals can be an option so that the body gets a minimum of 5 grams of fiber in the morning.

- Consumption of healthy protein. Nutritionist Blair Persyn, MS, RDN said protein helps keep blood sugar stable and reduce excessive hunger.

- Reduce additional sugar. Sweet tea or milk coffee with a lot of sugar should be limited, because it can increase the risk of stroke and heart failure.

- Move your body. 10'15 minutes of walking or stretching in the morning helps lower blood pressure and maintain weight.

- Stress management is often ignored, even though it has a big effect on heart health. One minute of deep breathing can have a positive effect.

- Look for morning sunlight. Exposure to sunlight is proven to help lower blood pressure and maintain the rhythm of the body's sirkadian.