Foods which raise blood pressure

Nitrates from vegetables, fruits, and grains—on the other hand—are converted to nitric oxide in your body. Nitric oxide helps relax blood vessels and improves blood flow. Research indicates that dehydration can impair blood vessel function, so drinking plenty of water daily to stay hydrated is a good rule of thumb to reduce blood pressure.

While there is no single food that you can eat to lower your blood pressure, a healthy eating plan that incorporates all of the necessary components can help. Whole grains provide minerals such as magnesium, which works with the calcium in low-fat dairy to improve your health.

Fruit and vegetables provide potassium. Potassium reduces the effect of sodium and decreases the tension in your blood vessels. These are all important to maintain good health and maximize blood pressure control. Potassium-rich foods promoted by the American Heart Association to help reduce blood pressure include:. Highly processed foods, saturated fats, salt, fried food, and excessive alcohol intake should be avoided.

These can elevate blood pressure, according to Dr. Exceeding your recommended daily calorie intake is also bad for your blood pressure. Too many calories causes weight gain. Diets high in sodium, which is found in many smoked or cured foods and sauces, can also raise blood pressure. Things fried in a lot of oils or meats that have a lot of fat are bad for both blood pressure and cholesterol. Reduce or eliminate red meat consumption.

If you do eat red meat, make sure you read labels and choose the leanest cuts possible. If you consume a lot of dairy, switch to low-fat versions.

And be careful of cheeses with high salt content. Fried foods contain a lot of saturated fat and salt, both of which you should avoid when you have high blood pressure. Any kind of breading or seasoning mixes should be low sodium. A lot of the food served at fast-food restaurants is processed and frozen, then cooked by frying or cooking in high-fat oils. Additionally, they are often heavily salted. Because these are foods that increase blood pressure, they should be avoided.

These foods can be convenient, however, many of them contain large amounts of added salt to preserve flavor through the canning, packaging, or freezing process. Bottom line is, if food is processed in some way, it usually involves adding some form of salt, which is no good for blood pressure. Another food full of sodium is deli meat. Lunch meats are often preserved, cured or seasoned with salt, making them high in sodium. Cured meats like bacon are off-limits too. Many crackers, chips, and even sweets like cookies, are not good options.

Other things to look out for include jerky and nuts. To see if caffeine raises your blood pressure, check your pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a caffeinated beverage. If your blood pressure increases by 5 to 10 mm Hg , you may be sensitive to the blood pressure raising effects of caffeine. Talk to your doctor about the effects of caffeine on your blood pressure. Chronic stress may contribute to high blood pressure. More research is needed to determine the effects of chronic stress on blood pressure.

Occasional stress also can contribute to high blood pressure if you react to stress by eating unhealthy food, drinking alcohol or smoking. Take some time to think about what causes you to feel stressed, such as work, family, finances or illness. Once you know what's causing your stress, consider how you can eliminate or reduce stress. If you can't eliminate all of your stressors, you can at least cope with them in a healthier way.

Try to:. Home monitoring can help you keep tabs on your blood pressure, make certain your lifestyle changes are working, and alert you and your doctor to potential health complications.

Blood pressure monitors are available widely and without a prescription. Talk to your doctor about home monitoring before you get started.

Regular visits with your doctor are also key to controlling your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is well-controlled, check with your doctor about how often you need to check it. Your doctor may suggest checking it daily or less often. If you're making any changes in your medications or other treatments, your doctor may recommend you check your blood pressure starting two weeks after treatment changes and a week before your next appointment.

Supportive family and friends can help improve your health. They may encourage you to take care of yourself, drive you to the doctor's office or embark on an exercise program with you to keep your blood pressure low. If you find you need support beyond your family and friends, consider joining a support group. This may put you in touch with people who can give you an emotional or morale boost and who can offer practical tips to cope with your condition.

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Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Johnson RJ. Nonpharmacologic prevention and treatment of hypertension. In: Comprehensive Clinical Nephrology. This condition affects many people, particularly as they grow older.

Symptoms include fainting, blurred vision, dizziness, and lightheadedness. If left untreated, low blood pressure can result in a heart attack or stroke, causing long-term damage to the heart and brain, or even death.

Eat Salty Foods Foods with high salt content can elevate your blood pressure. Drink Caffeine Beverages like coffee and caffeinated tea cause an increase in heart rate and a temporary spike in blood pressure.

Boost Your B12 Intake Vitamin B12 performs a critical role in helping the body produce healthy red blood cells. Fill Up On Folate Folate also known as Vitamin B9 is another essential vitamin found in foods such as asparagus, broccoli, liver, and legumes such as lentils and chickpeas. Cut Back On Carbs Foods that are high in carbohydrates, particularly processed carbs, tend to digest very quickly relative to other foods. Reduce Meal Size When you eat a large meal, it takes your body a lot more energy to digest it, which can send your blood pressure plunging.

Easy On The Alcohol Among its many negative health effects, drinking alcohol dehydrates you, which lowers your blood pressure by reducing your blood volume.