Is your blood pressure spiking up? Are you worried that you would have to leave out on eating a few foods here and there? Well, if you have these playing on your mind, you’ve indeed stumbled upon the right place! Today, we talk about what you must eat to control excessive blood pressure. We shall also provide some healthy options that you can choose as your alternative.
What are you waiting for? Let’s begin to find the best and worst food options when tackling high blood pressure. And also, focus on foods that can turn out to be healthy alternatives. Let’s check out what they are in the following segments!
9 Foods You Must Avoid Eating When You Have High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is a common disease in today’s era. Also, it’s among those lifestyle diseases that have taken more lives around the globe. With the workload and unhealthy food habits, the condition turns out to be chronic. And it doesn’t just end there! When you have high blood pressure, you have several other problems adversely affecting your health.
So, if you are thinking about what you must avoid eating, here is a comprehensive list to help you. This will give you a complete guide about what you should eliminate from your diet.
Fried Foods
Well, sadly, you’ll have to bid farewell to your French fries! Fries have loads of oil in them, which will affect your blood pressure levels massively, leaving an adverse effect on your overall health. The same applies to fried fish, chicken, and other food items cooked by deep-frying. So, if you are thinking about controlling your blood pressure and keeping it at an average level, it is time to ditch those fried foods.
Carbonated drinks
Firstly, let’s accept the hard truth. The carbonated drinks may be yummy, but the sugar concentration and other ingredients in the bottle are doing no good to your body. Infact, the adverse effects are limitless. These must also be off your daily diet meal. Once in a while, you can drink a little of this drink. But in general, it’s always best that you avoid drinking beverages that contain sugar in them. Apart from carbonated beverages, it’s also a wise decision to stay at an arm’s distance from bottled juices for the same reason, i.e., excessive sugar content.
Caffeinated products
There is a rave for caffeinated products, with advertisers claiming bizarre things such as refreshing, destressing, etc. But, truth be told, caffeine is evil for your health overall! You cannot have such products as they may elevate your blood pressure levels in no time. Apart from coffee, many sodas, and other soft drinks contain a lot of caffeine. And this is seen to raise the blood pressure in those people who have such as ailment previously. So, we would advise all our readers to say bye-bye to caffeinated products.
Red Meat
Any meat that happens to be red is terrible! Meats such as beef, goat, lamb, venison, pork, and veal are red meat. And these take time to digest in your body as well. When consuming such meats, a particular compound gets released from your body. So, we advise all high blood pressure patients to avoid consuming red meat. However, these patients can easily consume lean portions of meat as they are healthy and do not promote spiking up blood pressure levels. There are several vegan option that can supply enough protein to your body.
Alcoholic Beverages
Alcohol is terrible for people who tend to blood pressure or suffer from this problem. Alcohol contains many calories that might affect one’s health and make one obese. The empty calorie count present in alcohol is bad for you. Make sure that you are not consuming alcohol or any other beverages that contain alcohol in them. Also, alcohol has a high-calorie count, which can raise your sugar levels. So, if you tend to have blood pressure, you increase the chances of having diabetes.
Excessive Salt Consumption
Foods that are frozen or are bought from restaurants possess an excessive amount of salt. When you consume a lot of salt, the sodium content raises your blood pressure levels massively. So, if you tend to have high blood pressure, you must always make sure you are not consuming salt. Many people have the habit of sprinkling a small quantity of salt over their foods. This is not a good practice and can be very harmful to your health. Sodium in the cooked or raw form is extremely dangerous.
Packaged & Processed Foods
Foods that are frozen are, in general, not suitable for one’s health. It contributes to their blood pressure, sugar, heart problems and causes many other ailments. So, it’s always advisable that high blood pressure patients not consume such foods. And if you have already been detected with blood pressure, say goodbye to processed and packaged foods. They are unhealthy and can lead to other health issues.
Butter, Margarine, and other saturated fats
All these foods generally fall under the category of saturated foods, and these are extremely bad for your health overall. Saturated fat increases your blood pressure levels and affects your heart, a prominent ailment when you get high blood pressure. So, doctors’ health experts always advise not to consume such foods.
Condiments
Condiments are another thing that contains loads of sodium and sugar. So, it’s always advisable not to consume condiments. Are you wondering what condiments are? To answer your question, condiments are sauces, kinds of ketchup, soy sauce, salad dressings, and more! All these contribute to raising your blood pressure and must be avoided or consumed in moderation.
Ideally, you can have a look at what the label tells you to be sure if you are consuming them in high amounts or not.
9 Foods You Must Include in Your Diet If You Have High Blood Pressure
Now is the time for some snacking. We are presenting a detailed guide of foods to be included in your diet so that your blood pressure stays in control. Have a look-
Omega-3 Fatty Acid-Rich Fishes
Fishes like salmon are perfect for people who have high blood pressure. Consuming omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce inflammation. Moreover, it also helps control the oxylipins, which constrict your blood vessels. Hence, if you want to lower blood pressure, make sure your diet chart contains foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Lentils
Lentils contain loads of fiber. Plus, it also contains potassium and magnesium, which help regulate your blood pressure levels. There are also multiple studies and research papers that support the consumption of lentils when one has high blood pressure massively.
Pistachios
We all know dried fruits & nuts are good for us and can provide numerous health benefits. When you consume pistachios, you are getting a sufficient amount of healthy fats that can keep you in good health and contribute to keeping your blood pressure levels in control.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes contain a lot of lycopene, which helps in keeping you away from various heart ailments. All of which also contribute to keeping your blood pressure levels in control. Maintaining blood pressure in check will help you prevent heart problems that are suitable for your overall health. And can be done if you consume tomatoes.
Broccoli & Cauliflower
Cruciferous foods have a close link to keeping you in great health. So, if you want to keep yourself in good health, you should consume these to keep your circulatory system up and working. Since high blood pressure has a close link with your circulatory system, it’s evident that consuming cruciferous foods will contribute to your health overall.
Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt contains large amounts of minerals such as calcium and potassium in them. These two nutrients are closely linked to keeping your blood pressure levels regularly and contribute to keeping you in excellent health overall. So, if you want to reduce your blood pressure levels, it’s always advisable that you consume Greek yogurt in moderation to keep yourself healthy.
Beetroot
Beetroot is an excellent veggie! It is red and can contribute to your health in a big way! The veggie can relax your blood vessels and contribute to your well-being massively. So, you can conclude from here that beets can improve your overall blood pressure levels.
Leafy Greens
Leafy greens are overall great for your health! And there is no way that it wouldn’t contribute to keeping your blood pressure levels regular. So, including this into your diet will keep your well-being overall and help you recover from other health problems as well.
Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits have truckloads of vitamins, minerals, and other crucial plant compounds. These are proven to decrease blood pressure and safeguard our bodies against many conditions that may arise due to high blood pressure.
Pumpkin, Chia & Flax seeds
Pumpkin, chia, and flax seeds are all tiny. Yet they pack a lot of flavor and nutrition for our body. These are the storehouses of multiple nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, amino acids, and more. All these nutrients team up to produce nitric acid which is crucial for blood pressure reduction.
Conclusion
As we conclude our blog today, we hope you know some great food ideas to incorporate into your diet. So, ensure that you consume the number of foods we’ve mentioned above and avoid the ones we’ve spoken about.
High blood pressure is a serious issue, and you must not neglect this at any cost. Ignoring this can lead to serious health issues in the future. So, start consuming the foods, and don’t forget to speak to a nutritionist before consuming any supplements. Many people tend to include supplements into their diet, which later falter. So, we advise you to always watch out for that.