Foods to avoid with High Blood Pressure

03 January 2024

A. Alcohol

Drinking alcohol is not good for your heart since it raises your blood pressure. Recent studies have shown, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has agreed, that no amount of alcohol is safe for health. If you are a chronic drinker, you tend to be overweight and being overweight leads to hypertension.

B. Foods containing trans-fats and saturated fats

Processed meats such as ham, bacon and salami are high in trans-fats which increase your level of LDL cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is a bad type of cholesterol. High levels can accumulate in your blood vessels, making them stiff and leading to increased blood pressure and heart disease.

C. Sugar

People with hypertension should avoid foods and drinks that are sweetened with sugar. Although it might be obvious that sugar can lead to weight gain and even obesity, high sugar intake is also associated with high blood pressure.

D. Processed Foods

Because salt is a preservative, processed foods are often high in sodium. This includes many deli foods, fast foods, frozen foods and canned, premixed, and packaged foods. Nutrients may be lost during processing. Checking food labels can help you choose healthier products.

E. Caffeine

If you already have hypertension, coffee can lead to a short‐term increase in blood pressure. And for those with severe hypertension, heavy coffee drinking may increase the risk of heart disease mortality. Caffeinated green tea doesn’t seem to have the same effect.

F. Salt

Eating a lot of salt makes you retain fluids. That increases blood volume and raises blood pressure. Eating less salt is associated with lower blood pressure and morbidity (being unhealthy) and mortality from heart disease.

The DASH diet suggests keeping sodium at 2,300 mg or less per day. Lowering it to 1,500 mg lowers blood pressure even more. Foods high in sodium include snacks, processed foods, and restaurant meals.