Things to Avoid if You Suffer from High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure can be seriously influenced by our diet. Therefore, it's important to know about the guidelines we should follow in order to not make it worse.

Today, high blood pressure is a very common disease. There are several different factors that can cause it, including obesity, genetics, poor eating habits, leading a sedentary lifestyle, and more. This disorder can cause serious health problems that are strongly related with cardiovascular diseases.

That’s why people who have high blood pressure should start leading a healthier lifestyle that helps them control the problem, before it begins to seriously affect their health.
Our diet is one of the most influential factors when it comes to high blood pressure. There are of course other habits that come into play, yet the effects of a good or bad diet show in our blood pressure. Today we’re going to focus on providing you with information about things you need to avoid if you suffer from high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.

Foods you should avoid if you suffer from high blood pressure

Like we said earlier, food is one of the most influential factors when it comes to our blood pressure. Up next, we’ll teach you about foods you need to avoid if you suffer from this disorder.

Deli meats and sausages

Deli meats and sausages are known for their high sodium and fat content, which are detrimental to arterial health and overall blood circulation. It’s best to choose lean meats like chicken or turkey (both without the skin), rabbit, veal, and others.

Cheeses

Most cheeses tend to have high sodium content that causes an increase in blood pressure. By increasing the amount of fluid your body retains, blood pressure goes up. A good replacement for traditional cheese is a variety without added sodium, which you can now find fairly easily in most grocery stores.

Snack foods

Most snack foods on the market usually contain a lot of sodium and fats that are bad for the body. Avoid eating fried foods, salted nuts, potato chips, French fries, pretzel sticks, and other similar snacks.

Butter and margarine

Butter and margarine are common ingredients to prepare and serve food. However, they have a high sodium and fat content that affects arterial health. You can reduce your consumption of these products to small quantities, or you can opt to use olive oil as an alternative.

Avoid eating dried or salted meats

Salad dressings and condiments

Condiments and salad dressings like mayonnaise, ketchup, thousand island, and the like are high in sodium, which we already know affects arterial health. Instead of these, make a homemade dressing that’s low in sodium and fat.

Black tea

Anise seed

Teas made with anise seeds may increase your blood pressure dramatically, and even provoke a heart attack in extreme cases.

Other habits you should avoid…

• Don’t drink alcoholic beverages. Too much alcohol increases blood pressure. However, some studies have found that drinking only a glass or two of wine a day may actually help regulate blood pressure.
• Don’t lead a sedentary life. Not getting enough exercise can cause serious health problems, including high blood pressure. Obesity and high levels of bad cholesterol also hasten the development of this disorder. It’s important to eat healthy, get plenty of exercise, drink water, reduce stress, and consult your doctor regularly.
• Avoid caffeine. Research is still ongoing to determine exactly how caffeine affects blood pressure. While there’s evidence that caffeine can increase blood pressure suddenly, researchers don’t know whether the effect is lasting or only temporary. Still, if you suffer from high blood pressure, it’s best to avoid or cut down on substances that contain caffeine.