Limit Your Intake Of These Common Foods If You High Blood Pressure or Heart Problems
1. Red meat
Red meat contains hydrogenated oils that harm your blood vessels and the heart. This is why you should reduce your intake of fast food and foods soaked with trans-fats as much as you can.
2. Processed meat
Excessive consumption of processed meat such as wieners, bacon, frankfurter, bologna etc. has also been linked with hypertension. In case you already suffer from hypertension or if you want to prevent it, switch from processed meats to consuming turkey bosom, chicken or incline hamburger. If you are a bacon lover try to eat it as less as you can.
3. Pickles
Pickles are low in calories however rich in sodium. One medium pickle contains even 570mg of sodium which is more than 1/3 of the daily sodium limit.
4. Sugar
Eating too much sugar leads to weight gain which eventually causes hypertension.
5. Table salt
Eating too much salt raises the circulatory strain and damages the cardiovascular system. It also makes your body retain water which leads to even further circulatory strain and causes damage to the heart, kidneys and brain too.
Foods that reduce the blood pressure
Foods that reduce the blood pressure naturally are those that are rich in fiber such as: whole grain oats, rice, pasta, bread, beans, peas and vegetables. Including more grains in your diet is very beneficial for your health because they make you feel full longer. Grains are rich in vitamins and minerals and contain very little calories.
Fruits and vegetables
Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables will help you lose weight thus reduce high blood pressure. They are also rich in potassium which reduces the negative impact of sodium. Eat more sweet potatoes, lima beans, oranges, bananas, tomatoes and spinach.
Herbs and spices
You can make your favorite dishes tasty by adding herbs instead of salt. For example basil is excellent for mixed greens, thyme and rosemary go very well with chicken and soups and meat taste even better with oregano.
