High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels are two major risk factors for heart disease and stroke. A balanced eating plan can give choices of what to eat to create a heart-healthy eating style for life. Consumption of certain foods can increase as well as decrease the level of your Blood pressure. We will explain what and why to avoid eating when you have face risks of higher blood pressure.
Sodium elevates blood pressure. People often consume too much sodium without even realizing it.
Processed and fast foods usually contain excessive amounts of sodium, often more than a person should consume per day.
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Checking nutrition labels and being aware that even foods that people tend to consider healthy, such as vegetable juice, may be high in sodium, should not be ignored. Food items like rolls or bread, pizza, sandwiches, cold cuts or cured meats, canned soup, tacos and burritos contain a high amount of sodium and consumption should be limited.
According to the American Heart Association drinking too much alcohol can raise a person’s blood pressure. Excessive consumption of alcohol can also be an independent risk factor for heart disease.
Alcohol also contains lots of empty calories. Consuming it may cause unintentional weight gain as well. The Association advises that men should limit alcohol to two drinks per day and women should not have more than one drink daily.
Even though sugary food offers a few health benefits but it raises a person’s risk of unintentional weight gain as well, also contribute to high blood pressure.
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A study suggests that sugary foods increase blood pressure even more than salt. The study mentions foods containing high fructose corn syrup as a factor that can raise blood pressure such as processed desserts, prepackaged meals, crackers, nutrition bars, peanut butter.
People looking to lower their blood pressure or reduce their risk of high blood pressure should limit their intake of saturated fats. For most people, this means that not more than 5–6% of daily calories should come from saturated fats, which can be find in desserts, such as chocolate, toffee, cakes, puddings, biscuits, and pastries and pies and in processed meat, including sausages, burgers, bacon, and kebabs, cooking fats, such as butter, lard, ghee, dripping, margarine, goose fat, or suet
oils, including coconut oil cream and palm oils, full-fat dairy products, such as cream, milk, yoghurt, crème fraiche, and cheese.
Red meat can raises a person’s blood pressure. The process of metabolizing red meat in the body release compounds that elevate blood pressure even more. Beef, lamb, pork, veal, venison and goat should be avoided if you are not willing to risk your health.
Caffeine can temporarily elevate blood pressure, causing very high blood pressure readings.
People trying to limit their caffeine consumption may choose to drink decaffeinated coffee. People with a history of dangerously high blood pressure may need to contact a doctor to discuss decreasing or eliminating their caffeine intake.
Having the occasional sugary beverage is not such a big of of a deal but drinking lots of sugar-sweetened drinks may raise blood pressure. Many sugary drinks also contain caffeine, which can elevate blood pressure even more.
Sugary drinks that may contain caffeine or high fructose corn syrup can include sodas and fruit juices.
Packaged foods that might seem healthy, such as vegetable- and meat-based meals, which may increase the flavor from high levels of sodium. Avoiding these foods as much as possible or checking nutrition labels and choosing only those products that have a relatively low sodium content can be very helpful.
A person with high blood pressure does not need to avoid all condiments. However, it is important to check the label, as some products can contain high amounts of sugar or sodium.
It is also important not to rely on taste, as some condiments that do not taste salty may be high in sodium.
Examples of condiments that may contain high amounts of salt or sugar, ketchup, chili sauce, soy sauce and salad dressings.
Checking the quantities and replacing the condiments they often use with products that are low in salt, sugar, or both can be effective to lower the risk of high blood pressure.
Many diseases can be taken under control just by shifting to a healthier diet. The lifestyle habits or food habits can draw impact more than the medications can.