What Foods To Avoid If You Have High Blood Pressure

Nowadays, the topic about dietary recommendations for high blood pressure is becoming more and more popular. So, what do you think is the cause of high blood pressure? If you don’t consume enough fruits and vegetables, it can result in a low potassium intake and high sodium intake, which contributes to the development of high blood pressure. With this condition, you are recommended to have a diet low in fats and sodium, that’s why you should avoid these foods:


Alcohol

If you drink too much alcohol it may lead to a rise in your blood pressure as well as damage to the walls of blood vessels. Avoid alcohol totally or drink in moderation if you have high blood pressure.

Generally, moderate drinking is considered to be:

  1. Two drinks for men younger than age 65 per day
  2. One drink for women of any age per day
  3. One drink for men age more than 65 per day

A drink is 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.


Whole Milk

Whole milk is your best choice if you are trying to build muscle. It can give you more fats than what you need – a one cup serving of whole milk contains 8 grams of fat. Try using 2% milk, or even better-skim milk as the saturated fats contained in whole milk are bad for you and may lead to heart disease.


Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut provides your body with vitamin C and K, good amounts of fiber, and iron. It can also boost your immune system. Yet, you should limit your consumption of this as a half cup of it has more than 460 mg of sodium, 19% of your recommended daily intake.


Bacon

Aside from being delicious, bacon also contains vitamin D, vitamin B, magnesium, iron, and zinc – which are all necessary for a positive healthy body. But for you to know, bacon is super high in sodium as three slices of it contain around 270 mg of sodium and 4.5 grams of fat.


Pickles

Pickles are low in fats and calories and high in vitamin K, which helps your blood clot after an injury. However, they contain high amounts of sodium. As a matter of fact, one medium pickle provides more than 570mg of sodium, that’s more than 1/3 of the daily recommended needs. Limit you pickle intake if you have high blood pressure.


Ramen Noodles

Ramen noodles are inexpensive and so convenient. However, they have lots of unhealthy components. One package of ramen provides 14 grams of fat, including 6 grams of saturated fat, and 1731 grams of sodium, more than 70% of the recommended daily needs. Actually, the flavor packet is the one that contains most of the sodium. It’s better not to add the flavor packet if you want to lessen your sodium intake.


Donuts

Donuts are loved by many but they are not good for you. Contained in a single donut are more than 300 calories and 12 grams of fat. As they are fried, you are getting lots of saturated and trans fat, which can increase your risk of heart disease.

Avoid or limit your intake of these foods if you have high blood pressure. Some good choices of low-sodium foods are salt-free seasoning, fresh fish, potassium-rich bananas, nutrient-packed lima beans, iron-rich spinach, omega-3 fatty acid-rich flaxseed, and potassium-packed white potatoes.