High Blood Pressure: Food and Drinks to Avoid

High blood pressure

Around 103 million American adults have high blood pressure (hypertension), according to the American Heart Association. If you have high blood pressure, you can lower your blood pressure by eating a healthy diet.

A healthy diet emphasizes:

• lean protein
• legumes
• whole grains
• low-fat dairy
• fruits and vegetables

Many foods and beverages can prevent you from lowering your blood pressure. Here are nine examples of things to limit or avoid if you have high blood pressure.

Salt

Salt and sodium are villains when it comes to living with high blood pressure and heart disease.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for AmericansTrusted Source suggests that people with high blood pressure limit their daily sodium intake to just 1,500 milligrams (mg). According to the Mayo Clinic, the average American eats about 3,400 mg a day, more than twice that amount.

The Food and Drug AdministrationTrusted Source states that around 75 percent of the sodium Americans eat in a day comes from processed foods and salt added to foods at restaurants and other food service establishments. It’s not what they add at the table with a salt shaker.

Some of the saltiest packaged foods include:

• deli meat
• frozen pizza
• vegetable juices
• canned soup
• canned or bottled tomato products

Deli meat

Processed deli and lunch meats can be real sodium bombs. These meats are often cured, seasoned, and preserved with salt.

A 2-ounce serving of some lunch means trusted Source could contain 500 mg of sodium or more. If you have a heavier hand with the cold cuts, you’ll get even more sodium. Add bread, cheese, condiments, and pickles, and your simple sandwich can quickly become a sodium trap.

Frozen pizza

All pizzas can be a poor choice for people watching their sodium intake. The combination of cheese, cured meats, tomato sauce, and crust adds up to a lot of sodium. Frozen pizza is especially dangerous for people with high blood pressure.

To maintain flavor in the pizza once it’s been cooked, manufacturers often add a lot of salt.

One serving of a frozen cheeseTrusted Source or meat-and-cheeseTrusted Source pizza can contain more than 700 mg of sodium, sometimes even more. The thicker the crust and the more toppings you have, the higher the sodium level.

Pickles

Preserving any food requires salt. It stops the food from decaying and keeps it edible longer. However, salt can take even the most innocent cucumber and make it a sodium sponge.

The longer vegetables sit in canning and preserving liquids, the more sodium they can pick up. A whole dill pickle spear can contain as much as 390 mgTrusted Source of sodium. However, reduced-sodium options are available.

They’re simple and easy to prepare, especially when you’re crunched for time or not feeling well. However, canned soups are high in sodium. Canned and packaged broths and stocks can be bad for blood pressure, too.

Some soups can have almost 900 mgTrusted Source of sodium in just one serving, which is typically a 1/2 cup.

If you eat the entire can, you’ll be taking in more than 2,000 mg of sodium. Low- and reduced-sodium options are available. A better option is to keep the salt in check by making your own soup from a low-sodium recipe

Canned or bottled tomato products

As a rule, tomato products with added salt are problematic for people with high blood pressure. Most canned tomato sauces, pasta sauces, and tomato juices are high in sodium.

A 1/2-cup serving of classic marinara sauce can have 400 mgTrusted Source of sodium or more. A cup of tomato juice can come in at more than 600 mgTrusted Source of sodium.

You can often find low- or reduced-sodium versions of all of these items. If you’re looking to lower your blood pressure, choose these alternatives or fresh tomatoes, which are rich in lycopene. These smart choices have many heart health benefits.

Sugar

You likely already know that excessive sugar intake has been linked to increased cases of weight gain and obesity. But did you know that high sugar intake is also linked to high blood pressure?

Sugar, especially sugar-sweetened drinks, has contributed to an increase in obesity in people of all ages. High blood pressure is more common in people who are overweight or obese.

Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn’t have a recommended daily limit for sugars.

The American Heart Association recommends that women limit their added sugar intake to 6 teaspoons, or 24 grams, per day. Men should restrict themselves to 9 teaspoons, or 36 grams, per day.

Chicken skin and packaged foods

People with high blood pressure should reduce saturated fats and avoid trans fats. Items high in saturated fat include:

• chicken skin
• full-fat dairy
• red meat
• butter

Trans fats are found naturally in small amounts of fatty meats and dairy products. However, the biggest contributors to trans fats are packaged and prepared foods. These also typically contain high amounts of sugar and other low-fiber carbohydrates.

Trans fats are created in a process called hydrogenation, where liquid oils are infused with air to make a solid oil. Hydrogenated oils increase packaged foods’ shelf life and stability. Research shows that heart health worsens when fats are substituted for processed carbohydrates and sugar.

Consuming too many saturated and trans fats increases your LDL (bad) cholesterol. High LDL levels may make your high blood pressure worse and could eventually lead to the development of coronary heart disease.

To reduce these risks, don’t increase your sugar intake. Also, replace animal, saturated, and trans fats with plant fats, such as:

• nuts
• seeds
• olive oil
• avocado

Alcohol

Small to moderate amounts of alcohol may lower your blood pressure, but drinking too much alcohol can increase it. Drinking too much may also increase your risk for many cancers, even if you only drink occasionally.

According to the Mayo Clinic, having more than three drinks in one sitting can cause a temporary spike in blood pressure. Repeated drinking can lead to long-term blood pressure problems.

Alcohol can also prevent any blood pressure medications you may be taking from working effectively. In addition, alcohol is full of calories, must be metabolized by the liver, and can lead to weight gain. If you’re overweight or obese, you’re more likely to have high blood pressure.

If you drink too often or need help cutting back, talk to your doctor.

Smart eating strategies

If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure, a few smart eating strategies can help you prevent blood pressure spikes. They can possibly even reduce your blood pressure.

Making some easy swaps — such as looking for reduced-sodium, no-sodium, or trans-fat-free options — can help you cut back on what you don’t need and find better options.

Fill up your plate with at least 50 percent vegetables and fruits. For very few calories, they provide potassium — which offsets the effects of sodium — fiber, antioxidants, and a range of other nutrients.

In addition, beet and pomegranate juice have been shown to reduce blood pressure due to high nitrate content. You can drink them regularly.

It’s important to remember that eating with high blood pressure isn’t about depriving yourself. It’s about eating smart and making healthy decisions for your body.

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet has been shown to be effective in reducing and managing high blood pressure.

This therapeutic diet emphasizes fruits and vegetables with every meal. It also includes high-fiber foods such as nuts, beans, and whole grains.