Hypertension Fast Food

Hypertension and fast food go hand-in-hand

 

When it comes to hypertension and fast food, it’s good to know your nutrition facts before you go to your favourite fast food restaurant. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, most fast food chains do not have nutrition information available for their customers at the counter, but have instead posted nutrition facts from their menus on their websites. Fat levels vary from restaurant to restaurant; Tim Horton’s has less fat in their donuts than Dunkin’ Donuts because of differently used ingredients and recipes.

The amount of fat and sodium in some products that may seem healthy, such as baked potatoes and salads, may surprise you. The relationship between hypertension and fast food menus comes from the use of high calorie salad dressing and high fat butter, additions that are not easily detectable and make the food less healthy than it may seem. It’s imperative that you are aware of any saturated and trans fats you might consume.

The relationship between hypertension, fast food and obesity is associated with today’s increasingly on-the-go lifestyle. Access to fast food chains and the easy convenience of these locations has increased the prevalence of hypertension. Eating fast food results in this rise of high blood pressure not only for adults, but for children as well, and likely won’t help someone attain their ideal blood pressure.

Modern lifestyles have made it challenging to make healthy choices. Advances in telecommunications and transportation have decreased the need for physical activity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this faster pace of life with a supposed lack of time for healthy eating has led people to develop hypertension. Fast food has made it more convenient to eat, at the expense of health. This has led to the development of a food industry that caters to taste and profit instead of good nutrition and healthy consumers.

So, prior to ordering your pepperoni pizza or cheeseburger, check to see how healthy your choices are. By doing this you can help control your hypertension. Fast food restaurants are now required to post their nutritional facts on their websites, so do your research beforehand and be an informed consumer.