High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. The number of patients is staggering, especially in the United States, where around 75 million adults have been diagnosed with the disease. And although they are largely able to cope with changes in diet and lifestyle, almost half of them are unable to control their condition. However, they are different. You are here to make a positive change. We’ll tell you exactly what foods to avoid to help fight high blood pressure and defend yourself against heart attacks and strokes.
Sugar and salt
These two most delicious ingredients are also the main causes of high blood pressure and should be limited. That doesn’t mean you have to eat completely without spices, as the body really needs some of these two things. However, in a world of fast and packaged foods, it is extremely easy to far exceed the recommended daily allowance. A focus on eating whole foods that are freshly prepared at home can make a big contribution to limiting dangerous sugar and salt. Depending on other factors that you want to discuss with your doctor, the amount of sodium that a healthy person can consume per day should not exceed 2,300 milligrams. As you read the labels, stick to foods in the 5% DV range for sodium. It’s best to avoid anything that scales to 20% DV or higher unless you want it to be the only thing you eat that day. According to the American Heart Association, you should eat no more than 37.5 grams (or 9 teaspoons) for men and 25 grams (6 teaspoons) for women per day. That sounds nice, but keep in mind that a caffeinated soda alone contains 33 grams. that goes up to 39 grams in the decaffeinated tails.
