Everyone knows that patients with the three highs have many dietary taboos, so what foods should people with high blood pressure avoid? Below, the editor will give you a detailed introduction to 10 foods that high blood pressure patients should not eat. This is essential knowledge for them, so let's take a look!
1. High-calorie foods
High-calorie foods (such as glucose, sucrose, chocolate, etc.) can induce obesity, and the incidence of hypertension in obese people is higher than in those of normal weight. Many patients with hypertension also have being overweight or obese. Therefore, patients should limit high-calorie foods in their diet.
2. Meat
These foods are high in fat. Although they are high in protein, they contain a high amount of saturated fatty acids, which can easily lead to high blood lipids and induce coronary heart disease.
3. Heavily seasoned biscuits
Foods like sweet potatoes and dried beans can easily cause bloating, so it's best for high blood pressure patients to eat them less. Additionally, heavily seasoned biscuits, due to their high sugar and salt content, should also be consumed in moderation.
4. Chicken soup
Chicken soup is highly nutritious, but drinking too much of it can increase cholesterol and blood pressure. Therefore, chicken soup should not be blindly used as a nutritional supplement for patients, especially for those with hypertension. It is not advisable to drink it, as it will only worsen the condition and be harmful to the body without any benefits.
5. Alcohol
Drinking alcohol can increase heart rate, cause blood vessels to constrict, and raise blood pressure. It can also promote the deposition of calcium salts, cholesterol, and other substances on the walls of blood vessels, accelerating arteriosclerosis. Heavy and long-term drinking more easily induces arteriosclerosis and worsens hypertension. Therefore, patients with hypertension should avoid alcohol.
6. Dog meat
Although the causes of hypertension are many, most cases belong to the type of yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity. Dog meat is warm and helps to tonify the kidneys and yang, which can worsen the condition of this type of hypertension. For other types of hypertension, such as kidney yang deficiency, floating yang disturbing the upper part of the body, internal accumulation of phlegm-fire, or blood stasis blocking the collaterals, eating dog meat may either agitate the floating yang, worsen the phlegm-fire, or help fire dry the blood, all of which are unfavorable to the condition. Therefore, it is not advisable to eat.
7. Animal protein
Patients with hypertension should limit or avoid the intake of animal protein (such as animal organs, eggs) because the harmful substances produced by protein metabolism can cause fluctuations in blood pressure. For daily meals, high-biological-value, high-quality protein can be chosen, such as fish and milk. Certain proteins (such as taurine, tyrosine, etc.) have a blood pressure-lowering effect.
8. High-salt foods
The main component of salt is sodium chloride. Sodium retention can cause an increase in extracellular fluid, increased cardiac output, and a rise in blood pressure. Therefore, patients with hypertension should limit their salt intake.
9. Strong tea
Patients with hypertension should avoid drinking strong tea, especially strong black tea. Because black tea contains the highest amount of theophylline, it can cause excitement, anxiety, insomnia, palpitations, and other discomforts in the brain, thereby raising blood pressure. Drinking light green tea, however, is beneficial for the treatment of hypertension.
10. Spicy foods
Spicy and refined foods can make stools dry and difficult to pass, easily leading to constipation. When patients have a bowel movement, it will increase abdominal pressure, causing a sudden spike in blood pressure and inducing cerebral hemorrhage. Therefore, patients with hypertension should avoid spicy and refined foods.