High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, occurs when systolic pressure reaches 140 over 90mm diastolic pressure. This means your heart has to work much harder to pump blood around the body, leading to a number of different complications and illnesses.
High Blood Pressure Risks
Those with high blood pressure are a risk of developing many diseases, including
- Heart attacks and strokes
- Aortic aneurysms
- Kidney disease
- Vascular dementia and heart failure
Checking your blood pressure regularly is important to ensure that it is not getting too high. This can be done easily at your doctor’s surgery or at a pharmacy. If you are worried about your blood pressure, medications are available to help but there are plenty of ways you can lower it naturally by making a few simple changes to your diet.
Lower Blood Pressure Naturally
The simplest way to lower your blood pressure naturally is by avoiding certain foods. These foods may taste good, but they can also raise blood pressure and cause various illnesses, so should be avoided or at least eaten in moderation. Here are just a few of the foods that should be removed from your diet if you are looking to lower your blood pressure without having to resort to using medication.
Reduce Salt
Studies have shown that reducing your salt intake is key when it comes to making changes to your diet to lower your blood pressure. Too much salt makes the body hold excess water, which then causes the body’s blood pressure levels to rise. Eating too much salt on a regular basis can have devastating side effects, including heart and kidney disease, heart attacks, strokes, and has even been linked to dementia.
Avoid Frozen Pizza
Frozen pizza is another culprit when it comes to hiking up blood pressure. Although it is one of the most popular convenience foods to eat, it should really be avoided if you want to lower your blood pressure. Processed foods such as frozen pizza also contain lots of sodium, so you can end up eating high levels of salt without realizing it. This can again lead to unwanted serious health issues, such as heart attacks, heart disease, kidney issues, and strokes.
Say No to Chicken Skin
Chicken skin may taste delicious, but when it comes to taking care of your blood pressure, it is really important to avoid eating chicken skin as much as possible. Fried chicken skin, in particular, is full of fat, which then gets into the bloodstream, clogging up arteries. Overeating calorific chicken skin is also a quick way to start gaining excess weight, which can also put your heart under strain, making it harder for it to pump blood around the body.
Avoid Canned and Bottled Tomato Products
Canned and bottled tomato products might not seem that unhealthy, but just like other processed foods, they can be hiding a high level of sodium. Most salts used in the production of ketchups and other canned or bottled tomato products are usually very cheap. This means that not only are you raising your salt levels unnecessarily, but you are also eating toxic condiments which can damage your organs and other tissues. Both of these factors can contribute to heart and kidney problems further down the line.
Lower Sugar Intake
When it comes to blood pressure, too much sugar is almost as bad as too much salt. Excess sugar causes not only unwanted weight gain but is also the leading cause of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, cutting sugar out of your diet can actively help lower your heart rate and help you avoid developing insulin resistance, which can result in type 2 diabetes. Making just a few simple changes to your diet and losing excess weight can dramatically improve your blood pressure levels for the future.