High Blood Pressure Diet That Can Save Your Life

Christopher Jan Benitez

If you or your loved one ever experienced the symptoms of high blood pressure, you know you don’t want to go through it again. High blood pressure can go by unnoticed for many years, but it doesn’t make it any less dangerous. So if you know that you suffer from high blood pressure, you need to try to keep it in check to avoid such dangerous consequences as heart attack, stroke, dementia, kidney failure and disability.

People with high blood pressure need to pay close attention to what they eat since the right high blood pressure diet can save their lives. Some foods can dangerously increase your blood pressure while others can help you maintain it.

Food You Must Avoid

The next time you go over your grocery list, you need to make sure to exclude the following items since they can significantly increase your blood pressure as far as this is concerned for most of the people who like it.

1. Lunch meat – processed meats contain large amounts of salt since it’s an essential part of their preparation process. One ounce of deli meat can contain more than 300 mg of sodium which is a blood pressure booster.
2. Chinese take-out – The ingredients might sound healthy, but all the salt contained in soy and teriyaki sauces make the Chinese meal include double the allowed daily dose of sodium.
3. Frozen Pizza – Large amounts of cheese, cured meats, tomato sauce contain plenty of salt on their own. Meanwhile, the preservatives added to keep the pizza fresh while frozen are very high in sodium.
4. Baked Goods and Pastries – Most sweet baked goods contain leavening agents that are high in sodium. At the same time, sweet and baked goods can lead to excess weight which can lead to more blood pressure problems.
5. Red Meat – Only a small amount of red meat is allowed as part of high blood pressure diet. It’s a fatty food which is dangerous for the heart and blood vessel health. Steaks cooked at restaurants must be avoided since they contain high amounts of sodium.
6. Sauerkraut – While being low in calories, this food is high in sodium and must be prevented.
7. Alcohol – Liquor consumption causes blood pressure to rise dramatically. Alcohol also damages the blood vessel walls and increases risks of heart disease.
8. Bacon – It’s mostly fat. One slice of bacon contains 1.5 grams of fat and about a 100 mg of sodium.

Foods You Should Eat

While it seems that all the tasty stuff is prohibited, it’s far from being so. There are plenty of delicious foods out there that are not just allowed for people with high blood pressure but are recommended since they can keep it at bay.

1. Fruits and vegetables – They are high in magnesium and potassium that help lower blood pressure levels. Pay special attention to apples, bananas, apricots, broccoli, carrots, melons, oranges, peaches, potatoes and tangerines.
2. Leafy greens – They are also high in potassium and help your kidneys get rid of extra sodium. Pay attention to arugula, kale, collard greens, and spinach.
3. Berries – Most berries but especially blueberries are rich in flavonoids. One study found that this compound leads to decrease in blood pressure.
4. Salmon and Tilapia – This white fish contains plenty of magnesium and potassium. It’s tasty too.