What foods to avoid if you have high blood pressure

If you struggle with high blood pressure, you know the constant battle of watching your diet in order to improve your health. “The foods you eat—and don’t eat—very much factor into your blood pressure,” says Kathy McManus, R.D., director of the department of nutrition at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. For instance, high sodium foods disrupt the balance of water in your body, which strains your blood vessels and causes blood pressure to rise. Looking for more tips on what to steer clear of? Start with this list of foods, many of which might be lurking in your fridge, freezer, or pantry.

Chicken

We know, what could possibly be wrong with this staple of family dinners and lunchtime sandwiches across America? But chicken, even before you put anything on it, is often injected with saltwater solutions during processing, making it a hidden source of sodium. In fact, chicken sits eighth on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list of top 10 sources of sodium. One 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast can contain anywhere from 40 mg to 330 mg of sodium. Check the label: The sodium content should be 70 mg per serving or less.

Bacon and Deli Meat

Roast beef, ham, bacon—it doesn’t really matter which deli counter item you choose, these processed meats are all loaded with sodium. “Even the ‘low-salt’ ones are pretty high in sodium,” says McManus. Just six thin slices of deli meat can contain half of your recommended daily sodium intake, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), which uses 1,500 mg as the ideal daily amount (lower than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s suggested cap of 2,300 mg). When you consider two lowly strips of bacon weighs in at 330 mg of sodium, you can see the problem.

Sandwiches

What constitutes a sandwich? Do wraps count? It’s a pretty broad category, for sure. But the truth is, after the requisite slice of tomato and leaf of lettuce, the majority of classic sandwich components are not friendly to your blood pressure. “For instance, an average turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread with mayo, a pickle, and a slice of cheddar comes out to about 1,315 mg of sodium,” notes Desiree Nielsen, R.D., author of Eat More Plants Cookbook. The good news: You don’t have to swear off sammies for good. By making them yourself instead of heading to the deli counter and swapping some of the meat and cheese for extra lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, you can easily drop a few hundred milligrams of salt. (Hold the mayo!)

Bread

True fact: Yeast breads (including rolls, bagels, flour tortillas, and wraps) rank first as the food item that contributes the most sodium to American diets, according to the AHA. For some perspective, just one slice of Whole Foods’ Organic 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread contains the sodium equivalent of 22 potato chips. When shopping, look for loaves with 5% daily value (DV) or less for sodium. (A DV of 20% or more is high.)

Canned Soup

Thanks to modern techniques, we no longer need salt to preserve canned goods. “But since food can lose its flavor when it’s cooked to sterilization and stored in a can, it’s common for manufacturers to still add a lot of salt,” says Nielsen. Canned soups contain anywhere from 100 mg to 940 mg of sodium per cup. Look for ones labeled unsalted, sodium-free, or low-sodium. (Low-sodium means 140 mg of sodium or less per serving.) “And if it’s a broth-based soup, you can also dilute it with a low-sodium broth,” says McManus.

Alcohol

Consuming seven to 13 alcoholic beverages a week can substantially raise your risk of high blood pressure, according to recent research. “It’s thought that alcohol in this amount may stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, which ups cortisol levels and creates an imbalance in the vascular inflammatory system,” says Kimberly Parks, D.O., an integrative cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Cutting back can make a real difference in your blood pressure—even if your consumption is already way beyond seven to 13 weekly cocktails. According to the Mayo Clinic, heavy drinkers (women who have more than three drinks a day, and men who drink more than four) who cut back to moderate drinking (up to one drink a day for women, two for men) can lower their systolic blood pressure number by about 5.5 millimeters of mercury and their diastolic by 4 millimeters of mercury.

Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

It’s no shock that soda’s full of empty calories, but it is surprising how little sugar it takes to impact blood pressure. A study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that just one sugar-sweetened beverage a day can bump your numbers higher. Combine that with another study in Nutrients that found reducing added sugar intake by just 2.3 teaspoons can lead to a drop in hypertension readings and you have a legit reason for steering clear of the sweet stuff. (PS: A 12-ounce can of cola contains more than four times that amount of sugar.)

Restaurant Meals

Look, no one’s telling you to skip your anniversary dinner or holiday party. But you’re better off saving eating out for special occasions, since 71% of people’s sodium intake comes from foods eaten outside of the home, according to a report in Circulation. Another study found that fast-food eaters consume six times more sodium than they think. If you’re eating out, follow these tips: Order the lunch portion; don’t order items that are pickled, cured, or smoked; skip the soy sauce; and ask for dressing on the side.

Frozen Dinners

It’s super-convenient to heat your food and eat it on your sofa, but you know what? These dishes are usually salt bombs. “Frozen dinners and pizzas are very high in sodium,” says McManus. “Even if you’re buying a low-calorie frozen meal from a ‘healthy’ brand, often when they reduce the fat content, they also dump in sodium to add flavor.” Before you buy, check the label. If the sodium content of the entree is 600 mg or less, it’s OK as a once-in-a-while meal.

Sauces and Condiments

“My patients will often say that because they don’t use table salt, they must not be getting much sodium—they don’t realize that sodium hides out in the condiments,” says Parks. (To wit: Ketchup has 154 mgs in just one tablespoon; mustard has 57 mgs.) Packaged sauces and dressings are also often high in saturated fat and added sugar. When possible, DIY is always healthier for condiments. And watch your serving size: Use a tablespoon or less per serving and opt for low-sodium and no-added-sugar versions. Even better, swap out your hot sauce for red pepper flakes and mayo for hummus or avocado.

Pizza

Just one slice of cheese and pepperoni pizza can contain more than half of your daily recommended dietary sodium. Heck, even if you go for the veggie version, you’re still knocking your blood pressure. For example, one slice of Domino’s Deep-Dish Veggie Pizza contains 616 mg of sodium, while a slice of Pizza Hut Veggie Lovers Pan Pizza clocks 512 mg. (And also: Who eats just one slice?)

Salty Snacks

It’s a big “no duh” that snack foods like chips, popcorn, pretzels, snack mixes, and crackers are high in sodium. But what you might not know is that chips or crackers labeled “reduced sodium” aren’t necessarily low in sodium. It simply means that the bag or box in your hands has at least 25% less sodium than the original variety. Better to opt for “low-sodium” snacks that offer 140 mg of sodium or less per serving.

Bottom Line on Foods to Skip With High Blood Pressure

We’re not saying you can’t indulge in a Chipotle burrito bowl or the perfect slice of pizza every now and then. What we are saying is that when you’re watching your blood pressure (or if you’re on blood pressure medication), it’s your everyday food choices (and a commitment to staying active) that can move the needle in the right direction. By reading labels, swapping in low-sodium products where you can, and limiting restaurant and packaged foods, you’ll make a real dent in your sodium intake, which in turn just might improve your blood pressure numbers.

Get more ideas here on how to get flavor into your food without adding salt and remember to give yourself some grace. Making big changes in your diet is hard work and setbacks are inevitable. Start small, and don’t beat yourself up if you have a “bad day.” You can do this!

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