When it comes to heart diseases and heart health, it’s sure that it all comes through the stomach.
The food we and our close and loved ones consume has the ability to help or hinder high blood pressure.
The main factor that contributes to high blood pressure is sodium retention, especially at an older age. If you already deal with or are predisposed to hypertension, then you will have to quit some foods and delete them from your shopping list.
Table salt
Consuming great amounts of sodium does harm to the heart and the arteries and significantly causes rising of the blood pressure. Salt affects the kidneys in a way that causes holding to more water by the body. This excess water that is stored in your body raises the blood pressure and damages your kidneys, heart, arteries and your brain.
Fast Food French Fries
Even though some fast food chains started frying the fries in Trans fat free oil, many of them did not. Whatever they’re fried in, French fries contain great amounts of fat and sodium as well. In a medium serving of French fries there are around 270 milligrams of sodium and 19 grams of fat.
Soda
The main ingredient of the soft drinks as well of the fruit punch is sugar. These products are related to increased rates of hypertension, says a recent study conducted by the American Heart Association, published in the journal Circulation. It is the same with the diet sodas as well, because another study has discovered that low-calorie sodas are also related to increased risks of hypertension. If you still can’t quit bubbles, at least try jazzing seltzer up with a squeeze of lemon or a dash of fruit juice and make yourself a heart-healthy spritzer.
Alcohol
Some studies have revealed that if you drink alcohol in moderate amounts you can decrease the blood pressure, and others have shown that even the smallest quantities of alcohol can cause damage to your blood pressure. Recently, South Korea has conducted a research and discovered that consumption of alcohol doubles the risk of mortality in adults who suffer from hypertension. If you are an alcohol lover, you can go on drinking it from time to time only and keep the amounts to a minimum. The daily amounts should not exceed one drink a day for women and one to two drinks a day for men.
Red Meats
If you stick to a healthy diet, then you should reduce the intake of saturated fats or trans-fats to a minimum. Fatty foods cause damage to both the heart and the blood vessels. All fats, alongside with red meat and fast food should be avoided because they include hydrogenated oils.
Processed Meats
Even though salt contains sodium and should not be consumed in great quantities, most of the pressure-boosting sodium in our diet comes from packaged and processed food, and not from the salt shaker. You should especially avoid bacon, bologna, sausage, hot dogs and other products that contain processed meat. If you deal with high blood pressure, choose the salt-free, or at least the low-salt meat alternatives, like chicken, lean beef, sliced turkey breast. If you are a bacon fan, at least try to eat it rarely and make it a “special treat”, and don’t indulge in it every day.
Pickles
Even though low in calories, pickles are high in sodium. A medium pickle of about 5 inches length contains about 570mg of sodium. This is one third of the daily sodium limit, which is 2300 mg on daily basis.
Sugar
Food high in sugar not only contributes to weight gaining and obesity, but indirectly, through this, to high blood pressure. Extra weight is also bad because it puts additional tension on the heart and it slows down the blood flow.
Donuts
Even though donuts are a very popular food, they are not healthy and beneficial to your body. A single donut contains 200 calories and 12 grams of fat.
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