Health

Food and Drinks to Avoid If You Have High Blood Pressure

Wayne Whitehurst May 21, 2021

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, then your diet is should be the most important concern for you. Salty, sugary foods and foods with high saturated fats content can be triggers for high blood pressure. Avoiding these foods can help you manage blood pressure in a healthy range. Read more on what medications can help you manage high blood pressure along with diet.

Salt or sodium

Sodium is the most harmful ingredient for you if diagnosed with high blood pressure. Sodium present in salt plays a major contributor to heart diseases and specifically hypertension. This is due to the effect of sodium on fluid balance present in the blood.

Table salt is 40% sodium. Dieticians recommend getting no more than 2,300 mg of sodium which is equal to about 1 tablespoon of salt daily. Most sodium intake comes from processed foods so take a close look at the package before buying over-processed, canned foods. Following foods are the major sources of sodium.

pizza
sandwiches
bread and rolls
cold cuts and processed meats
tacos and burritos
soup

Processed meat

Processed meats are mostly packaged and preserved with sodium. This is because the manufacturers season and preserve meat with salts. You can guess sodium content in meats by the estimate that just two slices of bologna contain 910 mg of sodium. Not only is it dangerous for high blood pressure but also adds up to body fats. Cutting processed meats from your diet and adding fresh organic meat and cooking your recipes help in cutting stubborn belly fats as well.

Frozen pizza

Pizza ingredients especially in frozen pizza are high in saturated fats, sugar and salt. Frozen pizza has a high content of sodium which is very unhealthy for blood pressure patients. The cheese used in pizza is high in sodium, with 512 mg of sodium. This is due to sugary or salty pizza dough, tomato sauce and meats used in pizza.

Try making a healthy version of pizza at home, using homemade cheese, dough, and different vegetables as toppings of your choice.

Pickles

Preserving foods for longer periods requires adding salt. Salt stops the food from decaying and keeps it fresh for a longer time. Due to this, the longer vegetables are dip in canning, the more sodium they absorb. One small pickled cucumber contains 447 mg of sodium but it is not an ultimate estimate. Reduced sodium and healthy pickle options are also available.

Sugar

Sugar is also a trigger for blood pressure in many ways. Sugar contributes to weight gain in children and adults. Added sugar may contribute to a spike in blood sugar as well as blood pressure. Doctors recommend the following daily sugar limits: