High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects more than one in four adults in the UK.
Certain foods in your diet can have a negative impact on high blood pressure, such as those that contain high levels of salt.
Blood Pressure UK states eating too much salt is the biggest cause of high blood pressure and an adults should eat no more than 6g of salt a day.
Most of the salt we eat every day is hidden’ which means it’s already in processed foods like bread, biscuits and breakfast cereals, and prepared ready meals or takeaways, and frozen pizzas are another surprising food people with high blood pressure should avoid.
According to the charity, this hidden salt accounts for around 75 per cent of the salt we eat – only 25 per cent comes from the salt we add while cooking or at the table.
Nutritionists at Healthline say frozen pizza should be avoided if you have hypertension.
The site explains: “All pizzas can be bad for people watching their sodium intake. The combination of cheese, cured meats, tomato sauce, and crust adds up to a lot of sodium. But frozen pizza is especially dangerous for people with hypertension.
“To maintain flavour in the pizza once it’s been cooked, manufacturers often add a lot of salt. One serving of a frozen cheese or meat-and-cheese pizza can contain as much as 982 mg of sodium, sometimes even more. The thicker the crust and the most toppings you have, the higher your sodium number will climb.”
What other factors can put you at risk of hypertension?
The NHS lists eight other factors:
- Age – the risk of developing high blood pressure increases as you get older
- A family history of high blood pressure
- Being of African or Caribbean origin
- A lack of exercise
- Being overweight or obese
- Regularly drinking large amount son alcohol
- Smoking
- Long-term sleep deprivation
Certain foods could help to lower your risk of hypertension. Nutritionist Dr Josh Axe suggests eating coriander.
He said: “For people suffering with hypertension, consuming this spice has been shown to reduce blood pressure.
“Not only does it help positively modulate gut activity, but it also has a diuretic effect on the body, which is very helpful to people suffering from high blood pressure.
“When you treat high blood pressure, you also decrease your risk of serious and deadly conditions like blood clots and strokes.”
Eating these five portions of fruit and veg a day can also help reduce high blood pressure symptoms.
