After more than 15 years of treating heart disease from inside the body, Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj decided it was time to start preventing it from the outside.
The 48-year-old interventional cardiologist from Orange County, California, known as @doctorsanjaymd online, has drawn viral attention for a video in which he lists the top 10 foods he would never purchase and eat again—based on everything he has learned from his near two decades working with heart patients.
“I realized that the conventional medical system was too focused on prescriptions and procedures—and not nearly focused enough on the immense power of diet and lifestyle to transform health,” Bhojraj told Newsweek.
Posted on March 29, the Instagram video shows Bhojraj in his kitchen as he delivers a rapid-fire list of foods that have no place in his family’s pantry. It has since been viewed more than 4.5 million times and liked by more than 52,000 Instagram users. Most viewers responded with applause, calling the cardiologist’s advice both practical and eye-opening.
In the video, Bhojraj outlines the foods he avoids, many of which are often marketed as health-conscious choices in supermarkets but, according to him, are anything but.
The 10 Foods Bhojraj Would Never Eat
1. Agave syrup. While often promoted as a natural sugar substitute, Bhojraj said it “spikes triglycerides fast,” which is a risk factor for heart disease.
2. Coconut oil in large amounts. “High in saturated fat is not great for already inflamed arteries,” he said.
3. Store-bought granola. “Often ultra-processed and full of hidden sugars,” he said, making it a far cry from the wholesome food it often pretends to be.
4. Whole wheat bread with additives. According to Bhojraj, “most are just brown-colored white bread” that fails to deliver the benefits of true whole grains.
5. Flavored Greek yogurt. Despite its high-protein appeal, the interventional cardiologist said it often hides “tons of sugar behind the protein.”
6. Plant-based meat substitutes. Bhojraj criticized these for being “full of seed oils, sodium, and additives.”
7. Rice cakes. These low-calorie snacks, he says, are “high glycemic, low nutrient,” leading to a “blood sugar roller coaster.”
8. Bottled green juices. “Fructose bombs in disguise,” he warned, referencing the high sugar content often found in commercial juice blends.
9. Flavored sparkling water with “natural flavors.” Bhojraj said some of these drinks “contain synthetic chemicals and acids that erode gut lining.”
10. Gluten-free processed snacks. “Just as inflammatory, just with better branding,” he added, cautioning against the false health halo surrounding gluten-free labeling for those who are not intolerant.
Bhojraj’s decision to advocate for better health choices on social media stems from what he describes as a fundamental flaw in modern medicine’s approach to chronic disease.
That realization led him to pursue certification from the Institute for Functional Medicine and to develop Well12, a wellness program focused on sustainable lifestyle changes.
“I started my social media journey reluctantly—I never set out to be an ‘influencer,'” he said. “But the reach of this reel and others like it has made it clear that I can help far more people online than I ever could seeing patients one-on-one in clinic.”
@doctorsanjaymd
A key tenet of his philosophy is eating as close to nature as possible.
“I jokingly tell people I follow the ‘1825 Diet’—meaning I try to only eat foods that existed 200 years ago, before our food supply was hijacked by preservatives, artificial additives, and industrial processing,” Bhojraj said. “Our bodies were designed over millions of years to run on whole, unprocessed foods—not the ‘designer’ products of modern food science.”
He argues that this disconnect between biology and modern food is a core contributor to rising rates of metabolic illness and cancer.
“As a cardiologist who spent years inside people’s arteries, I have seen firsthand the damage these lifestyle patterns cause—and I am committed to changing that through education and awareness,” he said.
Dr. Elizabeth Klodas is a preventative cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods, a Mayo Clinic-backed food company. And she agreed with the majority of Bhojraj’s advice.
“Agave syrup is very high in fructose and excess fructose is rapidly metabolized into triglycerides by the liver,” she said. “That will leave you with an unfavorable cholesterol profile.”
“I also agree that coconut oil in large amounts is not great for already inflamed arteries…I would say avoid it altogether if you can because saturated fats are pro-inflammatory and can raise low-density lipoprotein also known as the ‘bad’ cholesterol, consider avocado oil for high heat cooking instead.”
She added that store-purchased granola is often ultra-processed and full of hidden sugars, while agreeing that bottled green juices—which she extends to all bottled juices—are simply “fructose bombs in disguise.”
She drew a line at the interventional cardiologist’s banishing of whole wheat bread, arguing that not all loaves are “brown-colored white bread” with additives.
“To be labeled ‘whole wheat’ bread must be made with flour that comes from grinding the entire wheat kernel,” she said. “This means that the bread retains all the properties of the whole grain. “
“Whole grain breads may use other types of grains as part of the flour, but the entire grain kernels still have to be used to make that flour, while wheat bread can be made with any component of a wheat kernel, so it may be missing one or more of the components of the whole kernel.”
By this logic, brown “wheat bread” would be a better fit to Bhojraj’s description.
“Multigrain breads, though they sound healthy and contain more than one grain, can also be refined,” she added. “In summary, for bread, choose ones labeled ‘whole wheat’ or ‘whole grain,’ because consuming whole grains has been shown to help promote better lipid levels and health outcomes.”
The video’s massive traction online seems t show that Bhojraj’s message is resonating.
“I have been genuinely surprised by the overwhelming response to my post, but I think it reflects a larger truth: people are hungry for credible, actionable health information outside the confines of the conventional medical system,” Bhojraj said. “And I am honored that so many see me as a trusted voice in this space.”
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