High blood pressure is closely related to diet. Very salty or sweet foods, those rich in saturated fat increase blood pressure and endanger heart health. Instead, fresh fruits and vegetables, protein-rich foods, and whole grains help keep blood pressure within normal limits.
High blood pressure affects almost half of adults and can lead to many complications, the most common of which are heart attack and stroke.
In this article you will find out which foods you should avoid or consume in moderation if you have high blood pressure.
What foods should you avoid?
Excess salt – doctors recommend not to eat more than 2,300 milligrams of salt per day, the equivalent of one teaspoon, if you have high blood pressure or other heart diseases. Be careful with foods that contain a lot of salt, so always read the labels! Bread, pizza, sandwiches, sausages, envelope soups, sauces, chips, peanuts are among the foods with the highest salt content.
Sausages, sausages, bacon, kaiser, canned meat – these foods contain a lot of salt which extends the shelf life, but also makes them taste better.
Frozen pizza – is an unhealthy combination of sugar, saturated fat and salt.
Pickles – the longer the vegetables stay in the brine, the higher their salt content will be. Avoid them or look for low-sodium options.
Envelope soups – they are easy to prepare and a solution when you don’t have much time. But you should know that such concentrated soups have a lot of salt (contradicted if you have high blood pressure) and various additives that “can be hard on the stomach”.
Tomato juice, broth, ketchup – they are full of salt to last as long as possible on the shelf. Try making your own tomato sauce at home, with less salt, to avoid high blood pressure.
Sweets, including sweetened soft drinks – the sugar in them contributes to obesity, one of the major risk factors of high blood pressure.
Red meat, chicken skin, pastries, crisps – they are sources of saturated fat and trans fat, extremely harmful for heart health. They increase the level of bad LDL cholesterol and decrease the good HDL cholesterol, which increases the risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart attack and stroke.
Alcohol, to be avoided if you have high blood pressure
Alcohol consumption increases blood pressure. You don’t even need to drink a lot of alcohol to put your heart at risk.
If you also have an unbalanced diet, alcohol only “covers up” the situation. So it is preferable to limit or even avoid alcohol altogether, especially if you have cardiovascular risk factors (smoking, overweight, history of heart disease, relatives with heart disease, etc.).
Alcohol is also a source of liquid calories because of the sugar it contains. Excess alcohol contributes to overweight and obesity, which significantly increases the risk of hypertension.
In conclusion, avoid these foods as much as possible if you have high blood pressure. Or at least try to consume them infrequently and in small amounts to maintain your heart health.
