People with high blood pressure may not notice any symptoms at all, but the consequences are certainly noticeable, as high blood pressure leads to various health issues ranging from organ damage to more serious problems such as heart disease, primarily caused by several factors including poor eating habits. Smoking, stress, and consuming the wrong foods can contribute to numerous issues leading to this problem. However, by addressing how and what you eat, you can easily avoid the risks associated with high blood pressure, as reported by nutrition experts from CNN.
**Not Consuming Potassium**
One of the bad habits is not including essential nutrients in your diet, such as potassium, which could lead to long-term disaster. Nutritionist Maria Rodriguez explained that foods rich in potassium, combined with a low sodium diet, can help lower blood pressure.
**Consuming Processed Foods**
Furthermore, excessive consumption of processed foods can result in disaster for blood pressure levels. Health expert Elena Kaidanian indicated that processed foods typically contain much higher sodium levels than other foods. For example, store-bought or canned soup compared to homemade soup.
**Eating Out**
In this context, Kaidanian noted that while dining out can be enjoyable, healthy food options are limited. It is nearly impossible to determine the added sodium in restaurant meals, especially from lower-quality options like fast food.
**Not Reading Nutritional Facts**
Additionally, she pointed out that failing to read the ingredients and nutritional information when purchasing packaged food is a common mistake. Verifying sodium levels in products and comparing them is an important factor in maintaining our health.
**Consuming Fried Foods**
Moreover, the intake of fried foods is closely linked to high blood pressure, according to specialist Trista Best. She explained that there are two main reasons fried foods contribute to high blood pressure. Firstly, they contain saturated and trans fats, leading to weight gain. Increased weight can elevate blood pressure, as the heart has to work harder to pump blood through a larger mass. Furthermore, excess weight puts pressure on the kidneys, which are vital in regulating blood pressure. Secondly, fried foods are often associated with fats, but they also contain high sodium levels. The breading and spices used for frying foods are often high in sodium as well.
**Not Consuming Healthy Fats**
If you need to keep your blood pressure low, there's no need to eliminate fats entirely, especially healthy ones found in avocados, olive oil, and peanut butter, for example. Nutritionist Katie Tomaszko demonstrated that healthy fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, may help reduce inflammation and compounds that constrict blood vessels (known as oxylipins) in the body.
**Overconsuming Table Salt**
Additionally, salt contains sodium, a major contributor to heart disease and high blood pressure. Therefore, if you suffer from high blood pressure, you should immediately control your salt intake and avoid incorporating foods high in salt into your diet.
