Foods that increase blood pressure can lead to a heart attack or stroke. If you have high blood pressure, the ingredients of your diet may not only affect your blood pressure but also your general health and longevity.
Many of the foods that increase blood pressure are salty and sugary foods, and foods high in saturated fats that can increase blood pressure. Avoiding them can help you get and maintain healthy blood pressure.
I know you are making an effort to watch your diet, but would you be able to identify these common foods that trigger high BP?
If you have high blood pressure, the American Heart AssociationTrusted Source recommend eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains.
1. Salty and sugary foods, and foods high in saturated fats, can increase blood pressure. Avoiding them can help you get and maintain healthy blood pressure.
2. Canned soups
Canned soups are simple and easy to prepare, especially when you’re crunched for time or not feeling well.
However, canned soups are high in sodium. Canned and packaged broths and stocks may contain similar amounts. This means they can elevate your blood pressure.
Canned soup, in general, tends to be high in sodium which is just one of the ingredients that cause high blood pressure.
If you are suffering from too much blood pressure, then you should avoid consuming foods that contain this intense kind of salt.
3. Canned tomato sauces, pasta sauces, and tomato juices are high in sodium. This means that they can cause raise your blood pressure, especially if you already have high blood pressure. You can find low- or reduced-sodium versions for most tomato products.
To lower your blood pressure, choose these alternatives or use fresh tomatoes, which are rich in an antioxidant called lycopene.
4. Bread, Sandwiches That’s a pretty broad category, for sure. But the truth is, the majority of classic sandwich components are not friendly to your blood pressure.
“For instance, an average turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread with mayo, a pickle, and a slice of cheddar comes out to about 1,315 mg of sodium,” notes Desiree Nielsen, R.D., author of Eat More Plants Cookbook.
5. Consuming seven to 13 alcoholic beverages a week can substantially raise your risk of high blood pressure, according to recent research.
“It’s thought that alcohol in this amount may stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, which ups cortisol levels and creates an imbalance in the vascular inflammatory system,” says Kimberly Parks, D.O., an integrative cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Alcohol is not great for your heart. However, you may be surprised at how it can impact blood pressure.
Some studies show that drinking alcohol, particularly red wine can have a positive effect on lowering blood pressure. However, this does not mean you should drink your way to good health.
If consumed in excess, alcohol will cause high blood pressure. Your body breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde, which is toxic to the liver and other organs in the body.
It has been found with repeated and excessive consumption of alcohol over time, the body begins to store fat – in particular in your abdomen area and around your internal organs which in turn increases your blood pressure.
6. Restaurant Meals
Look, no one’s telling you to skip your anniversary dinner or holiday party. But you’re better off saving eating out for special occasions since 71% of people’s sodium intake comes from foods eaten outside of the home, according to a report in Circulation.
Another study found that fast-food eaters consume six times more sodium than they think. If you have high blood pressure, it’s important to know which foods can be a problem for you.
Before going to a restaurant, you should consult the menu and avoid these foods if you have high blood pressure. Due to its high sodium content, pizza is one of the worst foods when it comes to blood pressure.
A lot of pizza lovers add extra cheese and meats to their pizza which only makes the problem worse.
8. Sauce and condiment: According to Health Central: My patients will often say that because they don’t use table salt, they must not be getting much sodium—they don’t realize that sodium hides out in the condiments,” says Parks.
Packaged sauces and dressings are also often high in saturated fat and added sugar. When possible, DIY is always healthier for condiments.
And watch your serving size: Use a tablespoon or less per serving, and opt for low-sodium and no-added-sugar versions. Even better, swap hot sauce for red pepper flakes and mayo for hummus or avocado.
