FOOD TO AVOID WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. top food to avoid during high blood pressure. Do you know which food to Avoid with high blood pressure?

“It is health that is the  real wealth, and not a piece of gold and silver.” – MAHATMA GANDHI

 Nowadays high blood pressure is a common phenomena  which we will find in every 2 out of 5 houses.

Right from our birth we breathe. Our organs work properly even without our concern. But when a smooth flow of working is interrupted, then we face a hell of a lot of problems. One among that is Blood Pressure.

What is Blood Pressure:

All our organs and tissues need oxygenated blood in order to function appropriately. This oxygenated blood is sent by our heart to all the other organs by pumping. Every beat of the heart (systolic pressure) and gap between the beats (diastolic pressure) produces the pressure, which is known as Blood Pressure.

 

What is High Blood Pressure:

The reading of blood pressure in our body is calculated by numbers. A cuff is tightly wrapped around our elbows and they pump the mercury and check for the numbers.

A normal range should be between 120 when it is systolic and 80 when it is diastolic. Thus, calculating as 120/80. When this calculation mis misled, we call it either high blood pressure or low blood pressure based on the numbers.

High blood Pressure which is commonly called hypertension can lead to many heart problems if not controlled. The blood which flows inside the body when changes from normal to higher rate causes high blood pressure. High blood pressure is majorly due to irregular physical activities, diabetes and obesity. There is one more reason through which high blood pressure is caused that is unhealthy lifestyle choices in which one and the most foremost reason is eating habits and eating wrong. There are many food items which a high blood pressure person should avoid.

With a continuously changing lifestyle, people are upgrading their food choices. The lifestyle adopted by people is only pushing them towards the endless web of ailments and diseases. Heart attacks, blood-related diseases, kidney, and liver disorders are on the rise which is caused by high blood pressure. The proper flow of blood is extremely important to maintain hemostasis. Hemostasis in turn helps to keep balance in the body.

What we feed ourselves heavily impacts our health. Blood pressure and flow can be maintained by eating the right amount of nutrients, proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, and fats. Avoiding unhealthy food and snacks can also lower your blood pressure to a significant level and keep us fit.

 

Symptoms of High Blood Pressure:

Symptoms for high blood pressure are not easily shown. It takes ages to show out before withstanding itself in us firmly. But once it gets the fleet it shows all or some of the below mentioned symptoms.

1. Headaches
2. Shortness in breath.
3. Nose bleeds
4. Flushing
5. Dizziness
6. Chest pain
7. Visual changes
8. Blood in urine

Most of the above mentioned are fatal. To avoid such an emergency, check your BP/Blood pressure often.

Diagnosis and Treatment:

Once your doctor has found that you have high blood pressure, he/she will ask you get more detailed reports like

• ECG
• Blood test
• Urine test, etc

After analysing the reports, your doctor may suggest you to modify some of your life styles and start medications.

As soon as you are diagnosed as a BP patient, your doctor will advise you to follow a strict diet along with everyday walking. When it comes to high BP people are easily affected with heart diseases. So, there is a strict diet that has to be followed.

To be much peculiar, certain foods are completely off to you. You may feel irritated, worried and agitated. But the truth is if you are not going to take care of this in an early stage then consequences will be much more damaging to both you and your family.

Apart from medications there are home remedies too. As I always state food is the right medicine for everything. Our mother nature gives solutions to all our problems through food. And most of it is very easy to acquire. Let’s dig into the details of such food habitats to follow for high blood pressure (BP).

Today I will tell about 15 such food items which should be avoided with high blood pressure:

• SALT –  Salt is one of the most inappropriate food ingredients for the high blood pressure people. Salt consumption should be very minimum. Though it seems easy but it is really difficult to avoid salt because it is the foremost essential ingredient added to every item and dish, but there is always a substitute like lemon which can be added to dishes to make it tasty.The most basic ingredient which we add to almost all dishes is salt. From curries to basic stir fry and salad, salt is everywhere. It is the most basic preservative used in all packaged food items, snacks, and pickles, etc. High salt intake can increase blood pressure and lead to related disorders.It is wise to avoid high salt consumption during pregnancy and old age. It affects the fluid-electrolyte balance of our body and thus plays a crucial role in affecting our hemostasis.

  One can never know where salt is hidden, from sauces to chips, everything contains salt.

• CAFFEINE – This you will hear people saying that the people having high blood pressure should not drink coffee because the caffeine jolt of a java mix  may cause a jump in the blood pressure. Rather drink decaf or half caff coffee as it contains less calories and will not risk for heart disease over time. It’s fine to drink tea and coffee as part of a balanced diet, but it’s important that these drinks are not your main or only source of fluid.

• CANNED FOODS AND CANNED SOUPS- Canned foods are rich in salt and are preserved. Instead of canned foods or vegetables buy fresh vegetables and cook your own food according to your taste and preference.Anything ready to make is harmful to our bodies. Ready to make food items contains several unknown preservatives. These preservatives add flavors and increase the shelf life of these food items. The peas and carrots that we find in the tomato soup were packed 2-4 months ago. Any fresh fruit or vegetable easily decomposes in that much time. Thus, one can imagine the magic preservatives have over food. They can freeze the veggies in their fresh state and make them immortal!

• ALCOHOL – Alcohol contains calories and sugar which causes unwanted weight gain and obesity which is a factor of high blood pressure. A 4- ounce of pina colada is one of the alcoholic beverages with the most sugar. It contains 28 gm of added sugar. Women shouldn’t have one drink per day and men should limit themselves to two drinks. Regularly, drinking more than this can lead to weight gain, just as eating too much sugar can leads to high blood pressure. Excessive intake of alcoholic drinks can lead to a rise in blood pressure. These drinks can reduce the level of nitric oxide in the endothelium. This can be done by either reducing the oxide synthase or by injury due to inflammation. It is wise to avoid excessive consumption of these drinks. Alcohol also increases fat which accumulates in the liver in the form of cholesterol which can lead to atherosclerosis.

• UNHEALTHY SNACKS – Everyone likes to eat junk and snacks during any time of the day but we do not care about the salt consumption we intake, for eg, these uncle chips or yellow salted lays contain a huge amount of salt as it gives full justice to its name. Rather than consuming them we should find an alternative which contains less quantity of salt.Munching food items like popcorn in the movie theatre, salted peanuts, and chips should be avoided to maintain blood pressure. Binge eating snacks while whining about the difficulties in life will not solve them. They will instead increase your problems by leading to an increase in weight, unhealthy fats, and unnecessary sodium.
  

  Chocolate bars have a high amount of sugar. Eating biscuits and chocolate is basically like eating a white flour and sugar snack. It contains no vital nutrients or vitamins.

  These snacks will lead to an insulin spark and also disrupt the body’s electrolyte balance. It is best to avoid these and prepare fresh snacks at home.

• MAIDA (PLAIN FLOUR) – Maida based products contain a lot of sugar which when consumed immediately releases sugar into the blood. This is not good for the people suffering with high blood pressure. Refined flour is called ‘Glue of the Gut’. Since it lacks fibre, maida slows down the digestion process, causing the metabolism to be slow and promotes weight gain.

• PICKLED FOODS – Pickled foods contain a lot of oil and salt which is not appropriate for high blood pressure people. If  you are fond of pickles, wash them before you eat to get rid of some salt. It contains around 1200 mg of salt.Everyone loves sour and sweet, sometimes spicy pickles. They enhance the flavor of every meal. Pickles have the power of lifting the taste of any boring and dull food item. They can even be placed beside a whole wheat wrap and they will work fine there too. But along with some uses comes the harmful effects. Pickles are loaded with sodium benzoate or EDTA. They are spicy and have a high amount of oil. Pickles are made up of chilies and other spices which do enhance the taste but in the end harm our body.Eating pickles regularly can lead to a rise in blood pressure and lead to carcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract.

• CHICKEN – I know what you people must be thinking, chicken, but how?

Chicken even before you put anything on it is often injected with salt water. One 4 oz boneless skinless chicken breast can contain anywhere from 40 mg to 330 mg of salt.

These types of non-veg items are precook packet . We usually serve as it is. They can also be served hot. These meats have added emulsions and myofibril proteins which can act as atherosclerotic agents. These substances tend to block the blood channels which can shoot up blood pressure.

These products also have added preservatives with high sodium content which does not do much good to our body either.

It is best to just avoid these deli meats and buy fresh meat products.

 

• DAIRY PRODUCTS – Dairy products like milk, cheese contain sodium naturally. Whole milk is also full of fats. If you have high blood pressure you should prefer low fat or skimmed milk. Products like butter and cheese if consumed in excess can be harmful to our system. Butters and processed creams are high in saturated and trans fats and contain sodium. These fats negatively impact the body. They increase the LDL level which is not a very good thing. A better alternative for these products is healthy fats obtain in nuts. Nuts contain Omega 3 and other fatty acids that are rich in HDL ( good cholesterol).

• RESTAURANTS MEAL – Look no ones telling you to skip your birthday parties or kitty parties, but you are better off saving eating out for occasions. Since a huge amount of peoples salt intake comes from the food eating outside home. If you are fond of eating outside then make sure that your food does not contain pickles, or any type of soy sauce.

• PIZZA – Just one slice of cheese and pepperoni pizza can contain more than half of your daily recommended dietary salt. Even, if you go for your veggie version, you’re still knocking your blood pressure. So better to make your own bread and pizza at home.  From dr. Davies research the median average shows that pizza is highest in energy density, followed by English, Kebabs, Indian and Chinese. When considering the portion size, the pattern is similar but kebabs tend to be the smallest portion and therefore have less overall energy.Pizza and Chinese meals tend to be the highest in salt and Pizza and Indian highest in total sugar.

 

• BREAD – Many people consumes bread across the globe and is one of the most common food items. Did you know bread is ranked first as the food item that contributes the most salt according to AHA ( American Heart Associates).

 

• MEAT – Some meats are high in fats and cholesterols which automatically leads to high blood pressure and also other heart diseases. Usually we soak meat  in salt solution to increase their shelf life which adds to their sodium content.

 

• SUGAR  SWEETENED BEVERAGES –  Nowadays everyone likes to drink soda or sugary beverages but very less know the consequences of it. Drinking a lot of soda or sugary beverages has been a reason for increasing risk of obesity and diabetes. This may ultimately lead to high blood pressure.

 

• FROZEN FISH OR SEAFOOD – While seafood is considered to be a healthier meat on the other side it may contain high amounts of sodium. Similarly, frozen fish is often brined in a salt solution to make it last longer.  It is best to avoid if you have high blood pressure.

Conclusion

Precaution is better than cure. In the same way, it is better to avoid food products that are harmful to our system. We save a lot of money by taking care of our health. If we stay healthy we do not need to visit the hospital and buy expensive medications. And by avoiding these food items we do not have to starve ourselves either. We can eat whatever we want and it will be healthy when we make it at home. Fresh food can never do us any harm and we can always rely on them.

People nowadays have become so busy in living the modern lifestyle that they barely pay attention towards their body and take care of it.

People should understand that living healthy is way better than living with various health problems. It is very important in today’s situation and lifestyle that people take care of their body and start living a healthy life.

There are many ways by which we can be healthy by including that in our day to day routine we can lead a happy and healthy life.

One of such habits is doing  yoga and meditation on a daily basis. Jogging helps to keep the blood circulation flow good in our body, meditation helps us to concentrate on our mind. Yoga helps us to stay fit and healthy. Cut down on the amount of salt and eat lots of fruit and vegetables. I can say from my own personal experience that having a high blood pressure is not good. You have restrictions to many of your favorite food items. So it is better to have everything in limit rather than facing problems afterwards.

I don’t believe in reincarnation and so Life is only once and I enjoy it to the core. Given the current situation falling ill is unavoidable. But everything can be maintained in the right way. Exercise regularly and have a balanced diet right from early age. The decision is always ours.

SO EAT HEALTHY AND BE HEALTHY

 

Disclaimer:This article is for educational purpose only and should not be took as professional advice.

 

Read also: 10 foods and beverages to avoid with Arthritis

 

Stay safe,stay healthy

Get live corona update here