Join Gaithersburg dietitian Kay Loughrey as she adventures through the topic of how to help prevent hypertension by following a healthy diet! In this week’s blog, learn which foods are helpful and which foods are harmful to hypertension as well as the importance of balance in the foods that you eat. Because after all, balance is an excellent way to pursue a happy life at a healthy weight, and one of the biggest areas of balance can be the foods we eat!
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a high blood pressure present in the arteries near your lungs that causes your heart to work harder and eventually weaken leading to heart failure. While one form of hypertension stems from family history, the other stems from heart disease, which is often linked with poor nutritional choices. These choices often include foods that diminish artery and blood vessel health, leading to a buildup of cholesterol that eventually causes various levels of hypertension. Though you cannot control the family you were born into or the conditions you may inherit from that family, you can be wise about the foods choices you make to help take care of your body! It is important to know that heart health is also impacted not only by foods that we eat but also by the drinks we consume. Studies show that hi-sugar drinks and alcoholic beverages also have an impact on hypertension, raising it in unhealthy and dangerous ways.
To help you better manage your food choices to prevent hypertension, Sweet Life Wellness prevents you with the following groups of foods and drinks that raise blood pressure and therefore worsen hypertension as well as list of foods and drinks that help lower blood pressure and prevent hypertension!
FOODS THAT RAISE HYPERTENSION
- Sodium (The recommended daily amount for adults = 2,300mg, about 1teaspoon!)
- High trans fats
- Processed foods
- Deli meats
- Sugary drinks
- Alcohol
FOODS THAT LOWER HYPERTENSION
- Whole grains
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Low-fat dairy
- Nuts and seeds
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Remember, any food choices you make should be based on balance! While we want to work towards preventing hypertension, we also want to make sure that we are still enjoying the life we are living while still having happiness in our day-to-day life as we enjoy the foods and drinks we love in a balanced way! Learn more about healthy eating and high blood pressure here.
Resources
Harvard Health Publishing. “Sugary drinks seem to raise blood pressure.” Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/research-were-watching-sugary-drinks-seem-to-raise-blood-pressure. December 10, 2015. Accessed October 2, 2023.
American Heart Association. “Limiting Alcohol to Manage High Blood Pressure.” https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/changes-you-can-make-to-manage-high-blood-pressure/limiting-alcohol-to-manage-high-blood-pressure. June 5, 2023. Accessed October 2, 2023.
Durham Nephrology Associates. “11 Foods That Increase Blood Pressure.” https://www.durhamnephrology.com/foods-that-increase-blood-pressure/. September 27, 2023. Accessed October 2, 2023.
American Heart Association. “Five foods to help lower blood pressure.” https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/blog/five-foods-to-help-lower-blood-pressure. Accessed October 2, 2023.
National Council on Aging. “10 Foods That Help Lower Blood Pressure Naturally.” https://www.ncoa.org/article/10-foods-that-help-lower-blood-pressure-naturally. May 7, 2022. Accessed October 2, 2023.
North American Olive Oil Association. “Olive Oil for Hypertension.” https://www.aboutoliveoil.org/olive-oil-for-hypertension. Accessed October 2, 2023.
American Heart Association. “The Benefits of Adding a Drizzle of Olive Oil to Your Diet.” https://www.heart.org/en/news/2022/09/28/the-benefits-of-adding-a-drizzle-of-olive-oil-to-your-diet. September 22, 2022. Accessed October 2, 2023.
Massaro M, Scoditti E, Carluccio MA, et al. Effects of Olive Oil on Blood Pressure: Epidemiological, Clinical, and Mechanistic Evidence. Nutrients. 2020;12(6):1548. Published 2020 May 26. doi:10.3390/nu12061548 National Library of Medicine. “DASH Eating Plan.” Medline Plus. https://medlineplus.gov/dasheatingplan.html. April 25, 2018. Accessed October 2, 2023.
National Library of Medicine. “Pulmonary Hypertension.” Medline Plus. https://medlineplus.gov/pulmonaryhypertension.html. October 20, 2016. Accessed October 2, 2023.
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Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN
Transformational Speaker, Breakthrough Coach, Nutritionist-Dietitian
Karis N. Hicks
North Carolina Central University
M.S. – Nutrition Studies
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