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We all now live in an era of lifestyle diseases, and high blood pressure is one of the most common among these modern ailments. Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is a condition that affects our arteries. If your blood pressure is high then your heart basically has to work harder to pump blood to every part of your body, and this increases your risk of heart attack, stroke and other health problems.
Medically speaking, if your blood pressure is consistently 130/80 mmHg or higher, then you have hypertension. If diagnosed with high blood pressure then the first thing any doctor would recommend is a change in the lifestyle that led to the issue in the first place. Quitting smoking and increasing the amount of exercise you get are vital lifestyle changes if you have high blood pressure, but so is making changes in your diet.
These dietary changes not only include adding foods that benefit you and naturally lower your blood pressure levels. More than that, it is important to cut off foods that harm you. These foods to avoid with high blood pressure are very important as consuming any or all of them can affect your health immensely. Wondering what these foods to avoid with high blood pressure are? Here’s a whole list.
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Salt
The first foods to avoid with high blood pressure are definitely those packed with too much salt. Salt has a compound called sodium which affects the balance of various fluids in the body. An excess of salt consumption can lead to high sodium levels in the blood, which in turn leads to high blood pressure. So, minimizing the use of salt and foods that are high in sodium, snacks and junk food for example, is very important if you have hypertension.
Red Meat
Mutton, pork and other red meats are foods to avoid with high blood pressure because they are packed with two critical ingredients: sodium and fat. Whether processed or not, red meat and cold cuts are full to the brim with sodium, which can cause your blood pressure to shoot up. The fats in red meat are also very difficult to break down, which also leads to blood pressure spike.
Pickles
What are pickles predominantly made of? It is definitely salt, oil and spices—apart from any number of vegetables of course. But it is the excess use of salt and oil that is the reason why pickles are foods to avoid with high blood pressure. In addition to this, most vegetables also contain plenty of natural sodium, making pickles very high in salt overall.
Processed Food
Most processed foods, whether they are frozen meats or frozen meals, are packed with two culprits that cause high blood pressure and heart diseases, sodium and fats. The fats in most processed foods are saturated fats and trans fats, which can clog the arteries. Sodium, as mentioned before, is a direct cause of high blood pressure. So, processed foods should be avoided if you have high blood pressure.
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Sugar
Recent studies have shown that sugary foods and sugary beverages pose as much of a risk of high blood pressure as salt does. From desserts and sweet dishes to even healthy granola bars, from pre-packaged fruit juices to sodas, all of these are foods to avoid with high blood pressure. Sugar can also cause obesity, which also increases blood pressure. Decreasing your sugar consumption can be very beneficial overall.
Alcohol
According to the American Heart Association, consuming alcohol is directly linked to high blood pressure, which is why cutting it down is very important. Studies show that those who avoid alcohol have more manageable blood pressure levels. Further, alcohol consumption can also interfere with medications for hypertension and other diseases. So, it should definitely be one of the foods to avoid with high blood pressure.
Condiments
Sure we all love to have chutneys, ketchup, cheese dips, soy dips and chilli sauces along with our snacks and meals. But these condiments are foods to avoid with high blood pressure because they are packed with too much sodium. Homemade or not, most condiments have lots of salt in them, and some even have sugar. So, it is best to replace these condiments with healthier options like vinegar and lemon juice.
