High Blood Pressure Diets
You could be eating foods that will give you a heart attack or stroke – You may have a high blood pressure diet!
Eating the right foods can lower your blood pressure and just the same, there are high blood pressure diets that are responsible for hypertension. High blood pressure diets are one of the leading risk factors in developing hypertension, and are unfortunately very common. The Heart and Stroke Foundation has identified a few key contributors to the development of hypertension.
Foods with trans-fats and other saturated fats are no good. They’re universally bad, affecting both the heart and arteries, raising your bad (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol while lowering your good high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and contributes the most to high blood pressure diets. Trans-fats are created when food companies add hydrogen to their vegetable oil, increasing the shelf life and flavor at the expense of your health.
They’re found in many snack foods and baked goods, like potato chips and crackers, spreads like margarine and almost all fast foods and frozen foods. Even the muffins, bagels and doughnuts you buy at the supermarket often have more trans fats than any other type of food and could very well be a big part of one of your own high blood pressure diets.
Those fast foods have lots of sodium too – excess levels of sodium may increase your risk of hypertension. Lots of salt doesn’t raise everyone’s blood pressure, but people already with hypertension should definitely avoid it. Sodium’s a major component in high blood pressure diets, so cutting back on salt should help anyone already with hypertension.
People with hypertension shouldn’t drink more than two alcoholic drinks a day, lest they risk increasing their chance of a heart attack. It’s not all bad news, though. Alcohol isn’t just limited to high blood pressure diets; it can also be a component of healthy ones. Having one or two drinks a day may actually help lower your blood pressure. It’s when you cross over into three or more that you’re starting to threaten your health.
Saturated and trans fats, salt and alcohol are the big three components of high blood pressure diets. Of course, you still need to take in unsaturated fat and sodium, and you’re even recommended to drink appropriate levels of alcohol to improve your health. Moderation is key. Always stay away from trans-fats, but fatty acids like Omega 3 are essential. Pay attention to your recommended sodium intake for your age group. It’s never too late to become healthy. High blood pressure diets don’t have to last forever!