Lower Blood Pressure Readings By Consuming Less Of These Four Food Types

High blood pressure occurs when the strength of the blood that pushes against the artery walls becomes too strong. In this situation, the heart needs to work double-time in pumping blood around the body. When left unchecked, the condition can cause complications, particularly to the circulatory system. Heart attacks have been known to occur during this time.

Medical professionals say that one of the major causes of high blood pressure is poor dietary practices. Rob Hobson, a nutrition expert of Healthspan, said the four worst culprits are salty foods, excessive consumption of all forms of sugar, saturated fats, and alcohol.

Salty Foods

Consuming lots of salty foods is among the major causes of high blood pressure. As the nutrition expert explained, consuming lots of salty food can increase the bloodstream’s sodium content. This can disrupt the balance with other blood chemicals like potassium.

As a consequence, it can upset the kidney's ability to get rid of fluids from the body. The extra fluid can cause blood pressure to go up, which then affects the brain, kidney, and overall health of the heart.

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Hobson warns processed foods are among that contains a high amount of salt. Cutting down on bacon, prawn, ham, salted or dry-roasted nuts, pickles, cheese, anchovies, salted fish, stock cubes, soy sauce, and other processed foods reduces the risk of high blood pressure.

Sugary Foods

Hobson advised consuming no more than a teaspoonful or six grams of salt each day. Unwarranted sugar intake has also been linked to obesity or weight gain, which are big factors in high blood pressure. Free sugars found in table sugar, as well as all sweeteners like agave, honey, and maple syrup, are culprits.

The British Heart Foundation explains that free sugar is any type of sugar that has been added to a drink or food. Excessive consumption of sugar results in extra calories, which then leads to obesity.

Too Much Saturated Fats

Eating too much saturated fat can also increase the LDL cholesterol level. This can cause damage to the artery and increase the risk of suffering from a stroke. Foods that have high amounts of saturated fat include butter, meat pies, lard, cream, sausages, and fatty meat cuts.

Too Much Alcohol

Excessive alcohol consumption has also been strongly linked to high blood pressure. Even wine, which has been associated with helping minimize the risk of heart disease, was not spared.

According to Hobson, many people drink more than the recommended 125ml of red wine in one sitting on a regular day and even more during weekends. Such can cause a person to gain weight, which leads to high blood pressure. Consuming limited amounts of these food types can help minimize the risk of having high blood pressure.